Field processing: cut deer in half?

[RCB]

I'm fairly new to hunting (about 5 years). I hunt out west in public land. For most of my kills, I am skinning, gutting, and parting the animal into large cuts (4 legs + all the boneless cuts: loins, rib meat, neck, organs, etc.) and backpacking them out. This all works well and I'm happy enough with it, but I seem to find that...
(1) Inevitably some amount dirt/dust/mud/etc get onto the meat
(2) Skinning the the field can be a bit awkward and probably leads to more hair on the meat than if I could work on a bench or hang the animal
(3) It just seems that every cut in the field necessarily leads to more surface area on the meat. More surface area -> more potential exposure to dirt, hair etc. Also just more exposure to oxidation, which leads to drying out, turning the meat brown, etc, which I then usually trim off, so more loss overall. For example, typically by the time I get home and start butchering, a lot of the rib / flank meat that I removed just doesn't look very appetizing anymore.

So, I find myself wondering the following: How can I minimize the amount of work I have to do in the field, in the dirt/mud/snow? Basically, try to expose as little of the meat as possible, and get it back to the truck. Can process more on the truck tailgate if needed, else at home. Dragging it out whole would be ideal, I suppose, but it's usually not a good option given distance and terrain.

A thought occurred to me for "two-trip" animals (e.g., for me, most deer): what if I just gut the animal, leave the hide on, remove the legs below the shanks, and then cut the animal in half. Basically, find a spot along the spine that appears to divide the animal 50-50 by weight, cut along the rib and saw through the spine. Then carry out the two halves.

Potential disadvantages would be (1) awkward load shapes and (2) more weight overall as I would now be carrying spine, ribs, and hide.

Anyone tried anything like this? Or tried other solutions to this problem? Problems I'm not thinking of?

 

[Tod osier]

I'm fairly new to hunting (about 5 years). I hunt out west in public land. For most of my kills, I am skinning, gutting, and parting the animal into large cuts (4 legs + all the boneless cuts: loins, rib meat, neck, organs, etc.) and backpacking them out. This all works well and I'm happy enough with it, but I seem to find that...
(1) Inevitably some amount dirt/dust/mud/etc get onto the meat
(2) Skinning the the field can be a bit awkward and probably leads to more hair on the meat than if I could work on a bench or hang the animal
(3) It just seems that every cut in the field necessarily leads to more surface area on the meat. More surface area -> more potential exposure to dirt, hair etc. Also just more exposure to oxidation, which leads to drying out, turning the meat brown, etc, which I then usually trim off, so more loss overall. For example, typically by the time I get home and start butchering, a lot of the rib / flank meat that I removed just doesn't look very appetizing anymore.

So, I find myself wondering the following: How can I minimize the amount of work I have to do in the field, in the dirt/mud/snow? Basically, try to expose as little of the meat as possible, and get it back to the truck. Can process more on the truck tailgate if needed, else at home. Dragging it out whole would be ideal, I suppose, but it's usually not a good option given distance and terrain.

A thought occurred to me for "two-trip" animals (e.g., for me, most deer): what if I just gut the animal, leave the hide on, remove the legs below the shanks, and then cut the animal in half. Basically, find a spot along the spine that appears to divide the animal 50-50 by weight, cut along the rib and saw through the spine. Then carry out the two halves.

Potential disadvantages would be (1) awkward load shapes and (2) more weight overall as I would now be carrying spine, ribs, and hide.

Anyone tried anything like this? Or tried other solutions to this problem? Problems I'm not thinking of?

I have done it once with a decently large whitetail. It was pretty horrible - horrible to get on the pack, horrible to get the pack on my back, horrible to hike with. Overall, horrible.

I think you just need to work on your technique some. I can get quarters off an animal with a very minimum amount of dirt or hair on them (like almost none) - I am very slow, an antelope takes more than an hour (probably closer to 2) and an elk a few hours. I occasionally loose a piece into the dirt that I'm balancing or something like that, but usually it is good (and I'm picky). Have you watched a few gutless method videos? Using game bags? Have you tried a little tarp next to the animal (I dont' use one anymore, but did in the past)?

I had a cow elk heart a couple years ago that I was holding in the pericardium and it popped out into the duff and rolled down the hill through the dirt and pine needles - shake and bake. I got it really clean dipping it into the chest cavity and swishing it around in the blood pooled there. A paper towel and it was spotless.

 

[black dawg]

Many ways to do it. Why are you gutting? Growing up, we brought everything out either whole or in halves.
Now everything is gutless method, and after getting good at it, it is actually cleaner.

 

[RCB]

Thanks for feedback. Yeah, perhaps I just need more practice.

Sometimes I do gutless, sometimes not. Typically with an elk I do gutless because they're so big. Otherwise, depends how I'm feeling. I kinda like the process of getting all the guts out at the beginning, and just not having to worry about avoiding them for the rest of the process. It is messier though.

I sometimes bring a light plastic sheet. Do use gamebags. Usually bring a lot of paper towels. Could probably pull a plastic sheet under the carcass if I'm doing cuts that are at risk of contacting dirt.

 

[Maki35]

Have you considered carrying a small tarp to quarter the deer if dirt/ mud is a concern.
If there are trees in the area. I use a rope to hoist the deer up off the ground and quarter it while it's hanging.

 

[RCB]

Have you considered carrying a small tarp to quarter the animal if dirt/ mud is a concern.

Yeah. I do sometimes bring one. I would argue that it's not just dirt - it's also all the oxidation exposure of making a lot of cuts in the field. By the time I get home, all of that exposed meat has that brown-ish oxidation layer that I usually trim off. Just thinking maybe I could reduce that by leaving the hide on, until starting the butchery process at home. But yeah, I'm probably overthinking it.

 

[mattferg84]

I think the more and more you do the gutless method the better youll get. I wouldnt cut through the spine and get that fluid on the meat.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Meat care is a ******* chore no matter the animal size. Oxidation is normal and trimming removes surface darkening and any surface bacteria or spoilage threats.

Gutless is the way.

I think you have a great start and should simply boost your meat care education to build confidence in field strategies. These are Alaska examples but apply to most anatomy I've hunted elsewhere.

How to do the gutless method: Watch the 2md half of this Project Bloodtrail. First half is caribou but the last half shows the method on a moose (starts 35-min in).

How to mitigate bacterial spoilage and care for meat in the backcountry:

Just modify your expectations and load up on meat care ed you got this bro.

 

[WCB]

I think you just need to live with the fact that a little hair and some dirt, sticks, sage whatever is going to happen. Bring a tarp or something to lay meat on, when making initial cuts make them with the hair not against and make long cuts not a bunch of short choppy baby strokes.

Are you skinning from spine down or the other way? IMO and the way I do it is belly up to the spin like you would for a rug. Hide lays out nicely above the spine. gives me extra room to keep dirt away from the backstraps and the quarters as I lift them up. If I am by myself as the quarter comes off I don't have to hold it up with one hand once detached. I can simply set it on the hide...set the knife down and then place the quarter wherever.

Just try different techniques. I'm sure you have rope with you. utilize a fence post, tree, bush etc.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

As others said already, the more you do it the better you'll get. I've had some darn clean animals come from the ground miles away and sometimes if I'm in a hurry I pay for it later at the butchering table. I do all my hair cuts first, once I start skinning there's no more cutting through skin/hair. I start with the four circles around the ankles then use my gut hook to unzip a line up to the belly and connect them all then go up the neck with it and only then do I start any skinning to expose the meat. I almost never have to worry about hair on the meat this way, biggest problem is dirty hands from touching fur then touching meat and I'll sometimes put on a glove (or take it off) of my non-knife hand when going back and forth touching meat or fur.

For deer, I've seen some guys cut through the rear leg tendons and insert the front legs through the cut and then wear the deer out like a backpack. It actually seemed to work fairly well. Better have a lot of orange covering that thing though if you do it out West. lol

 

[AKBC]

I like to keep the hide on if its cold enough to cool the meat.

Your idea to cut a deer in half is viable. I haven't done it but have read that you cut through the ribs and backbone just ahead of the tenderloins.

 

[LostArra]

Where are you hunting?
Some G&F depts are very squeamish about the brain and spinal column.

Tarp/contractor bag helps a lot.

Skinning out the whole animal (elk)in the field has been neater and easier for me than skinning out each quarter later. I do drag a lot of deer but the distances are less.

 

[zrodwyo]

If I’m hunting in an area with trees I always keep a pulley, rope, and gambrel in the truck. I’ll walk back and get it if the situation allows.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

If I’m hunting in an area with trees I always keep a pulley, rope, and gambrel in the truck. I’ll walk back and get it if the situation allows.

I got me one of these that I carry in certain situations for hanging meat, but it could surely be used to hang a whitetail. https://packapull.com/

 

[RCB]

Thanks for all the ideas and encouragement, folks.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've done it in about every way possible from boning out to dragging out whole and hybrids of them too. It all depends for me the situation, ie, time of day, distance to haul, weather, etc. If I kill a critter in the morning or I have time, I will bone it out completely. I bring along sheets of thin visqueen for cleanliness. I have cut in half also. But I have never hauled out a front half. I gut, remove tenderloins and either cut/saw or break the spine right ahead of the hind quarters. With the lower legs cutoff the 2 are an easy packout and not real awkward. The front half gets boned out or nearly just to get rid of the spine and rib cage. Another easy pack out on my own. This was from primarily deer and antelope.

 

[Jimss]

There is no way I’m packing out any bones on meat from the remote, nasty rough areas I tend to shoot mule deer, elk, and other game. Super light weight Walmart game bags work wonders for keeping meat relatively clean and free of flies if hunting early season.

If you are ultra sensative about dirt and stuff getting on meat maybe bring a sheet of ultra light and compact tyvek to set it on.

I hardly get a hair on meat because I almost always save the capes and cut with the grain of hair. You will find that if you avoid cutting across hair you won’t have any loose hair to get on meat.

The outer layer of meat always dries so I really don’t worry about minor dirt on it. You are correct that the more cuts you make the more meat is likely wasted when it dries. It really doesn’t add up to much in the end. The boneless/gutless method is the only way to go if you have a long pack. If it’s not much of a pack by all means pack out bones and you’ll have less waste.

 

[RCB]

One note: for my last deer, I sawed off one of the sides of ribs and packed it out whole, to cook on-the-bone. While the sawing job is a bit of a hassle, it was nice to not have a bunch of dried out little strips of boneless rib meat when I got home, which gets trimmed heavily. Keeping the rib largely intact seemed to mean less trim loss, for me. (Haven't cook them yet, btw.)

 

[WCB]

One note: for my last deer, I sawed off one of the sides of ribs and packed it out whole, to cook on-the-bone. While the sawing job is a bit of a hassle, it was nice to not have a bunch of dried out little strips of boneless rib meat when I got home, which gets trimmed heavily. Keeping the rib largely intact seemed to mean less trim loss, for me. (Haven't cook them yet, btw.)

Learn to do a rib roll. You can take it off all in once piece...roll it up so minimal is exposed and don't have to saw and haul bone out.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I do gutless and quarter even if I'm near a road. My reasoning is, you have to do it anyway and you don't end up having to dispose of a carcass at home. If I'm back in a ways I'll bone it. I do prefer to hang quarters bone in before cutting. I've tried about everything over the years and this is the best way IMO.