No Gut

[Pete Gaimari]

I've been using the no gut method for years.

How many of you use it?

 

[Supercracker]

I do on pigs

 

[BrownBear]

We all use it on moose, elk and caribou, but only on deer if we're packing them out rather than dragging.

We've developed a "30-second gut" for deer here in serious bear country, just so you can get up and moving right away in case Fuzzy Wuzzy comes to the shot. Basically we cut a 5-6" opening, pull the guts and leave the diaphram and all above it in place, as well as the bladder. Clear a section of the large intestine of pellets, cut and knot, and away you go at a high pace till you get away from the kill site and in the open.

Time permitting, we'll finish the gutting job a little further down the trail or if it's going to be more than about an hour back to the boat or to the road. Interesting enough, leaving the bladder in till skinning helps keep from spilling urine. We skin in such a way that we can pull the remnants of the large intestine as well as the bladder back out through the pelvis with zero spillage.

Hard to describe, but the last thing I want to do is start a field butchering or boning job in tight cover with Fuzzy Wuzzy lurking. There's just no way to butcher or bone quickly and without creating a huge scent plume.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

We don't have your bear problem here.

I hunt alone, and no gut is much easier on my back and much cleaner.

Plus, I can get the meat cooled quicker.

 

[BrownBear]

I hunt alone, and no gut is much easier on my back and much cleaner.

Plus, I can get the meat cooled quicker.

Absolutely!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Are you talking just boning the meat? If so, I've never done that. We don't have a bear problem, and we always carried a block and tackle and got the animal off the ground, after gutting of course. Then we get the skin of as soon as possible so the meat can cool quickly. It's hot during ml season, so that's even more important.
We've always packed out on our backs or with wheel barrow.

 

[George]

Would you please describe what you mean by no gut?

Spence

 

[Stumpkiller]

Filet & flense 'em and leave the boned remains for the coyotes.

I scrape every last bit off the bones (and take the heart and liver) so I gut 'em and drag 'em home to do it.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Would you please describe what you mean by no gut?

Spence

It means to leave the guts in the animal while removing the quarters, backstrap, and tenderloins. You can skin the quarters before removing or not. I like to skin them.

Here's a CD you can buy to teach you. You can also learn a lot buy goggling No Gut Method for Elk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhAqaXuPR4M

 

[George]

So, do you not take the heart, kidneys and liver, or do you take them after finishing with the rest?

Spence

 

[BrownBear]

So, do you not take the heart, kidneys and liver, or do you take them after finishing with the rest?

Spence

I take them as a final step, along with the tenderloins, lace and tongue.

Biggest advantage for me is using the peeled back hide as kind of an "tarp" on the ground as you butcher and bone. Like many Alaskans trained on moose though, I split the hide up the back rather than up the belly unless I have the means of saving the hide, too.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Never did like organ meat. One time, my dad saved the liver from a cow elk and we had it diced up in omelets the next morn. That was good!

 

[BrownBear]

Lotta folks don't like organ meat, or at least the thought of organ meat anyhow. Don't let them know what they're eating, and they often like it just fine. In fact, unless they're buying whole cuts from the market, they're likely getting some parts they'd rather not think about. Depends on how and where you grew up.

We've farmed, ranched or hunted our own meat my whole life, and we just don't let anything go to waste. Haven't raised a pig in close to 30 years, but we still buy 2 or 3 heads a year from cooperating butchers to use for tamales and head cheese. Yum.

 

[Bill Hall]

One year, I had full intentions of trying the "no gut method" if I got an elk where I was planning to hunt. The only access back there is by humping or helocopter, so I knew it would have to be packed out. Well, I did get a big bull down, but decided to gut it first because the huge carcass was nearly impossible to move by myself. Once it was gutted, I used a little collapsible meat saw to help cut up the body into smaller parts. I just found it was easier to manage cutting up the elk with the guts out first.

That's the only time I considered not gutting an animal. All the other elk I've taken have been within the limits of jeep access, and I could take them out whole the next day, so they needed to be gutted. I think deer are just so easy to gut that I do it automatically, and then plan how I'm getting it back to camp. Bill

 

[George]

I scrape every last bit off the bones (and take the heart and liver) so I gut 'em and drag 'em home to do it.

I used to gut them and take them home for the butchering. Then I woke up old one morning and had trouble getting the intact carcass in the vehicle. There are very few disadvantages to hunting alone, but this might be one of them. I shifted gears. Being of the eastern or civilized persuasion, I had no grizzly bears about, all the time in the world and plenty of trees handy, so I started doing the job right where they fell. Bought a 1-man game block and tackle so I could hoist them, then bone them completely and, as you said, scrape every last bit off them. Worked like a charm, and I now enjoy the dressing out rather than dreading it.
http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac20/Spence_2010/occasional/buck1.jpg
http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac20/Spence_2010/occasional/buck2.jpg

Spence

 

[Supercracker]

Bought a 1-man game block and tackle so I could hoist them, then bone them completely and, as you said, scrape every last bit off them. Worked like a charm, and I now enjoy the dressing out rather than dreading it.

Last week I accidentally found the perfect thing for this. At the boat store in the goofy froofy sailboat section they had a whole wall of ultra lightweight aluminum/titanium pulleys. They weighed next to nothing and some of them even had a built in ratchet feature. Down side, they were like $50.00.

I'll definitely be getting some before I go out seriously again.

 

[George]

Last week I accidentally found the perfect thing for this..... Down side, they were like $50.00.

Check Cabela for "game hoist". They have one with 500 lb. capacity, one-man operation on sale for $13, complete with gambrels, lines, pulleys.

Spence

 

[Pete Gaimari]

So, do you not take the heart, kidneys and liver, or do you take them after finishing with the rest?

Spence

Don't like them. I wouldn't ever take them.

GAK!

 

[Pete Gaimari]

One year, I had full intentions of trying the "no gut method" if I got an elk where I was planning to hunt. The only access back there is by humping or helocopter, so I knew it would have to be packed out. Well, I did get a big bull down, but decided to gut it first because the huge carcass was nearly impossible to move by myself. Once it was gutted, I used a little collapsible meat saw to help cut up the body into smaller parts. I just found it was easier to manage cutting up the elk with the guts out first.

That's the only time I considered not gutting an animal. All the other elk I've taken have been within the limits of jeep access, and I could take them out whole the next day, so they needed to be gutted. I think deer are just so easy to gut that I do it automatically, and then plan how I'm getting it back to camp. Bill

You need to try it. No gut would be perfect in that situation.
The Elk is laying on it's side. (usually No need to move it. Take the front and rear quarter (skin first) With that gone it's not that hard to roll it over. Do the same for that side. With those gone it's not that hard to cut out the rest. Then you can bone the quarters for even less weight to haul out.

During the whole process you're not deal with the mess of juices and blood in the work area, and all you're carrying out is what you're going to eat. I see no reason to carry out ant dead weight that you're going to throw away when you're done.

I have big coolers in my Jeep. I get back and all the meat fits in the coolers. I'm done. Take it home and let it age a bit in the coolers, butcher, and i'm eating meat for a long time. My dog is all smiles too.

It works even easier for deer. I bet it cuts the whole process to 1/3 of what it took me in the past to gut and drag the carcase to the Jeep. Plus the meat taste better.

 

[Vaino]

In Wisconsin it's illegal to cut up the deer before it's registered. Asre elk, we gut and go for help which sometimes takes a few hrs and don't like all that body heat in the carcass. On returning to the elk we skin it out, cut out the back straps, tenderloins and sausage meat and the 4 quarters and neck have the bone in which helps in tying to the pack frames. All the meat is in double game bags to ward off the blow flies. The bears, lions and coyotes have a feast on the spine and rib cage......Fred