Field Dressing

[Wapiti151]

CWD can be transmitted by bodily fluids, not just brain matter or spinal fluid. Blood, feces, saliva, urine...all can transmit CWD (***they think). It can be infectious and spread in soil for 2, 3, 4 years. IDK if they know exactly how long...but it stays in the soil for a LONG time.

BUT, if this is the case, and that's a big if...gutless, field dressed, you're still getting a lot of fluids in the soil if it's an infected animal. I'd say on average it's a lot less though via the gutless method.

I personally don't use gutless for this purpose...it's just a hell of a lot easier/quicker IMO, especially since I'm never able to get a rig to the carcass. Nevertheless, interesting theory as it relates to CWD...IF it does reduce the likelihood of CWD transmission.

 

[Northshorelumber]

@Northshorelumber, so now you've learned its called the gutless method. Click on the search tab, type gutless, click the box that says search titles only, and read all about it. Then search gutless on youtube and you can see it being done.

As for your CWD, helping the scavengers........I don't know about that. But quartering and packing sure beats dragging if you have any distance/terrain to get the animal out.

Thanks, I will use the search tab. I was unaware that this was a well established method. I was even more interested in the CWD aspect of “gutless” method. That appears to still be a bit controversial.

 

[Mcribs]

Truck close by, I’m gutting and hanging it. Then I can take my time on the meat.

Backcountry is gutless all the way.

 

[chindits]

The CWD doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t road hunt so whether I gut or go gutless the same fluids and non edibles are going into the soil sooner or later. The skull is almost always going to camp or home if I don’t cap it.

I usually only elk hunt

 

[chindits]

For me the heart is easier gutted. A lot has to do with the position the animal comes to rest. I’ll mix it up. Just like bone in or out on the pack out. I’ve done both and it’s usually situationally dependent.

 

[jtevanMT]

if the animal is close to the truck and it’s downhill we will occasionally gut and drag a deer. For elk and most deer we quarter or completely bone-out at the kill site depending on the distance, time of day, number of trips, and terrain back to the truck. We hunt in Griz county so getting quarters or meat away from the site quickly is important. The last thing we want is a stinky gut pile until the very end when tenderloins are removed.

 

[Art Fern]

The cwd part, makes no sense.

Gutless vs gutted, you’re still taking all the eatable (“prime??”) meat, so that doesn’t make sense, either.

And, the scavenger part doesn’t make sense as well.

I agree. CWD and scavenger parts don’t make any sense..

 

[sahunter06]

Gutless for me also. I process myself so it’s much easier to hang hams, shoulders, back straps, etc. Then process into the cuts I want.

 

[cnelk]

Usually the heart has a hole in it so I’m not opening up the cavity.

Gutless for me

 

[rem308]

Yes. I prefer the gutless method as well.

 

[chindits]

Usually the heart has a hole in it so I’m not opening up the cavity.

Gutless for me

I only shoot the aorta so I can eat the heart

 

[JBirthisel]

As far as spreading CWD it wouldn’t matter gutless or gutted, if you leave the carcass. The animals will tear into and spread the fluids. I’d say the argument is taking the carcass or not. To gut the animal and quarter wouldn’t spread anymore fluids than not gutting,after the animals find it. Leaving the carcass and not dumping it in another location after processing would help stop the spread.

As far as which method I find times that each are applicable. I grew up gutting whitetail deer so the guy job is sub 5 minutes even on elk. This year my elk was stuck in a deep ditch and we couldn’t drag him anywhere. So gutless one side, gutted, then drug him to a spot we could flip him over. Drag job was much easier without the 75? Ish pounds of guts.

Plus everyone wants to see terminal performance of whatever they’re shooting.


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[Jason Snyder]

As far as time, I can do a bull elk gutless, by myself in 1-1.5 hours from start to finish. I haven’t killed an elk I could drive to in about 15 years, plus I can’t load a gutted elk by myself so it’s all a moot point.

With deer it all depends on where I kill it, but they typically come out in pieces as well.

 

[ElkArcher918]

I hunt in MT and gut/field dress the same way I was taught by my father decades ago. I have a friend in WY and he describes a different, preferred method there. He doesn’t gut his kill, hang the carcass, etc. He just removes the prime meat and leaves the rest of the carcass. Supposedly this is better for scavengers and helps prevent Wasting Disease spread to leave the entrails intact. Does this make any sense to you?

Primary reason most Western hunters do gutless field dressing is that if the killsite is way off the beaten path and in rugged terrain it is not feasible to drag the carcass whole back to the truck or camp as they do in the East/Midwest/South. Instead out here we quarter the animal and trim the rest of edible meat. Then the "Suckfest" begins known as the packout.

 

[wytx]

Gutless regardless of where the truck or vehicle is.
Usually 2 of us working the elk so it takes about 45 minutes to get a bull or big cow broken down gutless.
Even the spouse by himself gets it done in about 45 min -1 hr gutless.

 

[Brooks]

Everyone I know does the gutless method. Been a long time since I’ve gutted one. Once you get the hang of it it’s quick.

 

[Marble]

I do one side gutless. Before I roll the elk over I will open it up and pull everything out. Remove both full tenderloins at that time and salvage the heart. Roll it over and do the other side. Every piece of meat I can get goes home, including between the ribs. That’s pulled out by doing a rib roll.

I have been grabbing the heart by just cutting a square in the ribs and pulling it out. And for the tenderloins, no need to gut. Just put the carcass chest down and cut right between the ribs and hips. All the guts generally fall away to give you room.

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[taskswap]

I'm a gutless guy myself but mostly for convenience. I'm quartering out anyway, so it's just a quick extra step to get the tenderloin out at that point.

I'm a little confused about the comments about fluids and all that and how gutless makes less of a mess on the ground. I mean, two days in the sun and even if the coyotes don't shred the thing and drag its parts all over, it's basically just a meat claymore at that point. How can it be that much better than other methods?

 

[Matt5266]

I mostly backpack hunt so gutless method for me. Your not losing any meat doing this. I can even get the tenderloins.

 

[Pony Soldier]

My personal observation is that gutless is the excuse to leave everything but the prime cuts for the ravens and coyotes. I hunt for the meat not trophies and steaks.