Never Gut a Deer Again
09.02.06I just read this excellent field dressing trick in the latest field and stream. And I wanted to post it for any other deer hunters out there.
With the deer lying on its side, stand behind the shoulder and lift the near front leg. Run your knife blade across the thin skin of the “armpit”. The front quarter is free-floating (no bone attaches to the skeleton). Seperate it by progressively working the knife underneath the leg and shoulder as you pull the leg up and away from the rib cage. Follow the countour around the top of the scapula closely to avoid cutting into the backstrap. (You can reduce your load by skinning and boning the quarters, or just pack them out intact.)
Using a slicing motion, insert your knife under the leg to the inside of the scrotum or udder and draw it toward the rear. Slice pregressively deeper, making shallow half-moon cuts and working forward to the hip point where the quarter attaches to the spine; and rearward to the near side of the anus, where the blade’s downward progress is stopped by the pelvic floor. When the hip joint is exposed, cut through the ligaments at its juncture to free the rear quarter. Keep following bone, feeling with your knife blade, until the rear quarter is detached.
Remove the skin from the upper side of the deer, peeling it back to expose the twin, tub-like muscles that run from the hip point forward to the front of the shoulder. Cut down along the inside of the backbone, then tease the long strip of meat free by working the blade horizontally along the curve of the rib cage. Be careful not to puncture the gut on the rear portion, where there are no ribs to stop the blade.
The tenderloins underneath the backbone, from the last ribs to a point between the hams. Carefully work the knife point under the five short spinal processes behind the last rib, then reach up under the spine and tease the tenderloin away from the bone. These muscles are so tender that you can often remove them with your fingers. All that remains is to turn the deer over and repeat steps one and two.
Pulled from the Sportsmans Notebook in Field and Stream Magazine. By Keith McCafferty
That’s awesome, although I think I need to think some more on how to get at the TL’s.
# September 3rd, 2006 at 9:38 pmI read that article in F&S. Intresting procedure, but highly illegal in Wisconsin (where I reside). At best, that would get you a fine. At worst, they’d confiscate your gun and license.
# October 28th, 2006 at 8:33 amNot a bad idea, but you would lose a lot of good meat. My friend professional hunter Dominic Grimaldi and I have been gutting deer for years now and it only takes us about 5 minutes to gut and take a deer out of the woods. For god sakes, even a monkey can gut a deer. This idea to only quarter the deer up is rediculous, lazy and a discrasfull waste of good venison. But… we all can’t be perfect.
# March 14th, 2007 at 5:22 amIm gonna have to go with Zach on this one. Unless your REALLY hungry in the field theres not much point in butchering up the tenderloin or the quarters. I mean if you cant carry your buck back out of bush, maybe you should stick to rabbit huntin’.
# September 27th, 2007 at 8:46 amOr you could get this handy dandy tool that you just stick up the deer’s butt and use to pull it’s guts out.
By the way, the graphic for Step 2 is not safe for workâit appears to portray some twisted cross-species sexual activity.
# September 27th, 2007 at 11:39 amI dunno about that butt plug contraption. I really don’t think it’s all that neccessary.
And to the other fellers. I agree, and I wouldn’t do this if I really didn’t have to. But it does pass for a legitimate emergency way to pack it out.
# September 27th, 2007 at 11:45 amYou just dun wanna use that tool because it makes you feel gay when you use it on bucks.
# September 27th, 2007 at 2:24 pmthats what i was tryin to tell you. i mean… does are okay. but bucks? thats gay.
# September 27th, 2007 at 2:56 pm