Backcountry Back pack White tail Bow Hunt

[camping1601]

@BeastOfTheTrees where are you camping on your backpacking hunts in northern PA? My conceptual problem with planning these hunts is that you can't overnight in state gamelands and need to camp in an approved spot in state forests. Any advice? Would love to do a trip this year.

You can not camp on game land. You can backpack camp on state forest as you wish but the rules say a day or two without a permit. I spend most of my life in PA state forest and I can say none of the Rangers will bother you if your out backpacking away from the roads.

 

[LIWolverine]

My buck from last year. Love making the pack heavy! Keeping this thread going to fire us up for season!


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That is a hell of a buck. Congrats on that. Nice setup too.


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[pk_]

Love the activity in this thread. Will be doing my first backpack hunt in the Appalachians this fall. Very excited. Hope to share some photos later this year

 

[Shupe88]

Love the activity in this thread. Will be doing my first backpack hunt in the Appalachians this fall. Very excited. Hope to share some photos later this year

Good luck! What state?


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[donrleonard]

Love the activity in this thread. Will be doing my first backpack hunt in the Appalachians this fall. Very excited. Hope to share some photos later this year

Same. Actually, gearing up for my first hunt ever…a backpack Whitetail hunt in the Monongahala NF in WV. Did some scouting last weekend. Antlerless rifle starts late Oct.

Any good videos on how to field dress a deer? Is gutless the way the cool kids do it these days?

 

[pk_]

@Shupe88
thanks bud, this flatlander will need it. I am heading to VA, mainly looking to get my first bear and hoping I may run into some deer as well…

@donrleonard
Haha, I am the wrong person to ask about what the cool kids are doing that is for sure. I have no idea about videos for processing deer, I was fortunate to learn young from some uncles who all killed a lot of animals and each had their own style of butchering them up so I just use whatever way works best for the situation. I rarely use a ’gutless method’ these days as I have come to appreciate the organs and if I am not ‘packing out’ the meat I like to keep the ribs on the bone.

Best of luck to you out there, be safe and enjoy the hunt.

 

[donrleonard]

@Shupe88
thanks bud, this flatlander will need it. I am heading to VA, mainly looking to get my first bear and hoping I may run into some deer as well…

@donrleonard
Haha, I am the wrong person to ask about what the cool kids are doing that is for sure. I have no idea about videos for processing deer, I was fortunate to learn young from some uncles who all killed a lot of animals and each had their own style of butchering them up so I just use whatever way works best for the situation. I rarely use a ’gutless method’ these days as I have come to appreciate the organs and if I am not ‘packing out’ the meat I like to keep the ribs on the bone.

Best of luck to you out there, be safe and enjoy the hunt.

Same to you!!

 

[Shupe88]

@Shupe88
thanks bud, this flatlander will need it. I am heading to VA, mainly looking to get my first bear and hoping I may run into some deer as well…

@donrleonard
Haha, I am the wrong person to ask about what the cool kids are doing that is for sure. I have no idea about videos for processing deer, I was fortunate to learn young from some uncles who all killed a lot of animals and each had their own style of butchering them up so I just use whatever way works best for the situation. I rarely use a ’gutless method’ these days as I have come to appreciate the organs and if I am not ‘packing out’ the meat I like to keep the ribs on the bone.

Best of luck to you out there, be safe and enjoy the hunt.

That’s where I’m from. You shouldn’t have any problem finding a bear. The population is ridiculous right now. And the mass crop this year is the most I have ever seen. What part of the state? I can give ya some tips if you need any.


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[Shupe88]

Same. Actually, gearing up for my first hunt ever…a backpack Whitetail hunt in the Monongahala NF in WV. Did some scouting last weekend. Antlerless rifle starts late Oct.

Any good videos on how to field dress a deer? Is gutless the way the cool kids do it these days?

I’ve been using the gutless method for years now. Pack almost all of mine out.


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[*zap*]

Quartering is good but de-boning is what I am trying next dead deer....

 

[camping1601]

Tons of videos out there on how to do it. I've done enough now to forget how many and it's now always bone in quarters. The bones on a wt don't weight enough to make a difference and when you get home you'll have less pieces to pick hair and leaves off of. The less cuts the better in the field.

 

[jrbarnes9972]

Same. Actually, gearing up for my first hunt ever…a backpack Whitetail hunt in the Monongahala NF in WV. Did some scouting last weekend. Antlerless rifle starts late Oct.

Any good videos on how to field dress a deer? Is gutless the way the cool kids do it these days?

Gutless is definitely the way to go. I'm over in the eastern panhandle or WV and am going to try and get out to the Mon during rifle. Lmk if you need help packing one out!

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[elfeyes]

Awesome thread

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[rayporter]

speedy gutless.

cut off front leg and hang it.
cut off back leg and hang.
take off back straps and neck. you can peel hide back or cut up the back to do this.
roll over and cut off front leg.
cut off back leg.
remove neck meat.
now either go in through the flank to get the tenders or open stomach to go in.

last step is to peel hide off the legs that have been cooling and bag them.

bone in or bone out may depend on the local CWD regs. you may have to leave the bones.

 

[donrleonard]

speedy gutless.

cut off front leg and hang it.
cut off back leg and hang.
take off back straps and neck. you can peel hide back or cut up the back to do this.
roll over and cut off front leg.
cut off back leg.
remove neck meat.
now either go in through the flank to get the tenders or open stomach to go in.

last step is to peel hide off the legs that have been cooling and bag them.

bone in or bone out may depend on the local CWD regs. you may have to leave the bones.

 

[donrleonard]

Gutless is definitely the way to go. I'm over in the eastern panhandle or WV and am going to try and get out to the Mon during rifle. Lmk if you need help packing one out!

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Mighty kind of you! Looks like you’ve got a fair bit more of xperience than I do—which is approximately zero unless you count YouTube. I’ll be coming down from Columbus OH on Oct 20 for antlerless rifle. PM me if you’re up for a backpack hunt!

speedy gutless.

cut off front leg and hang it.
cut off back leg and hang.
take off back straps and neck. you can peel hide back or cut up the back to do this.
roll over and cut off front leg.
cut off back leg.
remove neck meat.
now either go in through the flank to get the tenders or open stomach to go in.

last step is to peel hide off the legs that have been cooling and bag them.

bone in or bone out may depend on the local CWD regs. you may have to leave the bones.

Many thanks for that. It basically lines up with a great YouTube video.

The only part he skipped over was how to harvest the heart and liver.

 

[rayporter]

there is no getting around opening up the belly to get heart and liver. do it last if you are packing it shanks mare. it just keeps the meat cleaner.
i do it first if i am going to hang and skin.

 

[donrleonard]

In the video the guy seems to have been able to go in through the rib cage to get the heart. No mention of the liver though.

 

[camping1601]

Opening the belly on a wt is such a small thing if I wanted the heart and liver I would just do it. Then you'd also have easy access to the tenderloins.

Misus a gutshot.

 

[Shupe88]

Got to make the pack heavy again this morning.


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