No Gut

[Pete Gaimari]

We can do it here. They actually encourage it.

We do need to keep proof of sex attached to a rear quarter.

 

[George]

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.

It's a slick method. I've seen a variation of it done by a friend that I hunted with in NE Nevada, Jarbidge Wilderness Area.

In reading up on it on the web I ran across several mentions that the paunch bloating can be a problem if you can't get it done real quickly. Ever had that problem? I see that happen all the time in the gut pile.

Spence

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Yes, it will, but I work pretty fast. It hasn't happen to me yet.

Have you heard of the swing blade? I'm thinking of buying one to speed the process up even more. I think it will help with getting the hide off quicker.

 

[hawk]

curious as to how you remove the tenderloin with guts in ...i'm as thick as a post most times ,you may need to draw me a picture do you take off the hide?

 

[Pete Gaimari]

It's probably the hardest part, and hard to describe with words. The good part is it's done last. I'll try to find a video. It might take a bit to find one. You can look on Google while you wait.

 

[hawk]

thanks capper learn something new,never know when it will come in handy

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have it easier. I drag it to a trail and then go home and get my tractor.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

How long does that take? How long until the meat is on ice?

 

[Ketchakah]

Bezon,
Wow ! Never knew that was a "Method" Been doing that for years with small game. Never done it with larger stuff. I do not eat innerds. :barf:

 

[longcruise]

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

I tried one of those once It was not the one sold by Cabelas but virtually identical. Problem I had was with a heavy mule deer or an elk there is too much friction in those pullys so even with the mechanical advantage it was more than one guy could handle with even a small elk.

With elk, even if one is only a 1/4 mile from camp or a vehicle (fat chance of being that close though :haha: ) for one guy to handle a full grown elk is a huge problem unles they are boned. More likely it will be a mile or two from vehicle access.

I no longer carry any kind of pulleys etc in the pack. I keep plenty of rope and one or two tent stakes. If there are trees handy, you can tie the legs on one side up high so as to be able to skin without having to hold the legs up. If no trees within reach, the tent pegs are used as a substitute.

I'm done skinning when the animal is laying on it's back on the skin. From there you can remove the legs to debone or debone without removing. I prefer to remove the legs. No saw needed, even the rear hip joints can be disarticulated (sp ) easily. Once the legs are deboned/removed, it's easy to roll the elk onto it's stomach and remove the back straps. The tenderloins come out through the back. Here a saw comes in handy. I use a small hack saw from home depot with a blade about eight inches long.

All is accomplished without gutting the animal. One does lose the organ meats this way but it's not a big deal to me. I know others would not dream of leaving them behind. If that is an issue, the animal can be gutted by one person before skinning. Gutting also allows the removal of the meat between the ribs, but that is another thing that I don't take.

All the deboned meat is separated into two piles of equal size. Each pile is put into a high quality game bag and hung up off the ground.

I don't hunt with a pack frame, so the meat is usually left at the kill site hanging in the bags overnight. Next day the bags are placed in plastic garbage bags and then placed in or tied onto the frame of a durable back pack. A large cow elk will make two packs of about 80 +/- pounds each. Two trips for all the meat and a third for the head if one wants it or legally needs to show point count.

 

[longcruise]

I have it easier. I drag it to a trail and then go home and get my tractor.

What kinda deer is that?

 

[Bill Hall]

I have it easier. I drag it to a trail and then go home and get my tractor.

What kinda deer is that?

Never saw a deer that looked like that outside a zoo. Did Santa lose a reindeer?

 

[mathews]

just as good as outerds

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have used the no gut method once. I didn't care for it my self. I found it awkward to deal with the animal. Some of the bias on this could be from doing over 100 head of animals the normal way and one the no gut way.
If I am quartering an animal to pack I will leave the hide on some times to have something to tie to. If it is a very long pack I always have a small tarp. I break them down and bone them on the spot. If I do that I keep each quarter separate and in its own bag. We have to leave evidence of sex attached to one quarter here in Idaho that is a must. I mark that bag for easier finding. I keep the quarters separate to cool better if I have to hang it and leave it.
When I go into an area for hunting I know before hand what steps I will need to take to get an animal out. I go ready to get the job done if I get the animal.
Ron

 

[scobrien]

Yes, I have used the "no gut" method for years. The only exception is on deer, if I am going to drag them out whole. I will then gut them just to lighten things up a bit. I have found the "no gut" method to be very slick and efficient for all animals that I have to skin, quarter, and pack out. Like Shawnee Mike, I also use it on small game including birds.

 

[Stumpkiller]

What kinda deer is that?

It's a feral Fallow deer. They usually have more pronounced white spots and larger racks. A (gonzo or bozo) farmer 5 miles down the road illegally imported some (no ear tags, no innoculation records) and when he was found out he miraculously had a "fencing malfunction" and 6 to 8 escaped in 2002. I, and others, consider them an introduced species threat to our local whitetails. This one was murdered by me and there was nothing sporting about it - I killed it while grouse hunting with two shots from a 20 ga SxS with #6 shot. It's an ugly story and not for a m/l hunting forum (hint - don't look down the barrels of a 20 ga from 25 feet and then get caught up to from six foot for a heart shot). I reported it to the DEC and they confiscated and inspected the carcass (that's where I got the background info) and released it to me for processing.

They taste like beef liver.

How long does that take? How long until the meat is on ice?

Generally, they're laying on frozen ground when I first approach. One was 150 yards from my cellar door and others have been a half-mile drag before I get to where I can carry-all them by tractor (I have a creek I can't fjord with my Ford). In archery season (much warmer) I take them directly to my butcher who has a hanging freezer and he hangs them three days.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I wish I had the weather working for me, but I don't. ML season starts Sept. 11 here. It's still warm. Even at 10,000ft. So, I need a method that will get the meat cool as fast as possible.

I've been a serious 4 wheeler for 30 years. I'm always thinking when I stalk an animal if I can get my Jeep to that area. I actually won't shoot if I think it will take too long to get the meat out.

I don't like bad tasting meat, and it's a lot of meat we're talking about. I don't want to suffer all year eating bad tasting meat, because I screwed up on the hunt.

Next year i'm going to apply for a rifle licence later in the year and I still use the ML. It should be much cooler and make it easier to keep the meat cooled.

Then i'll have to deal with all the flatlanders from out of state. Oh well. As long as they don't shoot me.

 

[hoochiepapa]

In regards to hoisting an elk off the ground. When hunting alone only one half is hoisted at a time. I either saw down the spine or cut in half through the middle. Then it's half the work. And If the rope is wrapped around a heavy stick, it also makes it easier than trying to hang on to a thin rope. Been doing it this way for 40 years. Until I had a hip replacement,(and now I need another)I always packed it out on my back.

 

[hoochiepapa]

That's what i'm thinking of doing. After the first big snow, the elk move down and their easier to get at. If you go where the going is tough, you won't see many people. Most hunters don't want to work hard.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Mike,

For Elk I go where greenmtnboy goes. Area 55 by Taylor Res. Sometimes for deer too, but I can stay closer to home for deer. I was thinking of trying the area around Leadville too.

I get upset with guys who buy an inxxxx to just hunt the ML season, and never touch the gun again until the next year. They're not muzzleloaders. They just take all the tags from the real muzzleloaders.

I'm very tempted to play their game and get an inxxxx and use a scope and sabots in their season. Take away their tags and a chance to get an Elk. I can do the same with my Hawken, but I can't take those 250yd shots like they can.


Then when hunting is all over I deal with a similar crowd in fly fishing. Just when the water temps are just right and all the hatches show up. Here they come in droves from out of state. They have no manners. They have a short time and they want to catch fish at all costs.

Sometimes Colorado can be a pain in the butt.


But I still love it.