Fielddressing tips to make it easier

[Boarmaster]

You didn't ask for directions... you asked for tips...

Here are a few tips..
- I really like this long gut blade for any time I have to cut hide/fur. It is amazing.

Amazon.com

- Bring some rope. You can usually find at least a little bush to tie to. Use the rope to hold the legs open. Bring a tent stake if you hunt grassland or think it may die in a field.

- I like to cut the esophagus from the outside up high under the chin. Then, I reach in from the chest cavity and grab it as high as I can. It takes a good strong, steady pull. But you can pull the esophagus free. After that, the lungs and heart come out easily. I also like to have the esophagus out while the deer is hanging. This pictur4e shows where I make the cut to sever the esophagus.

View attachment 1066130

Great advise. I have seen more cut fingers from cutting the esophagus than about any part of cutting up a deer.

 

[GBWS]

We’ve been doing gutless method for generations here in Hawai’i. If it’s not required to bring out the animal whole etc. then that’s what we normally do.

In the past, we were required to bring out the whole deer in from the field whole. So, all those years we had to pack them out. Not very long ago they changed the rules and allowed deboning with the exception of keeping one hind quarter with skin and genitals intact.

I hunt hogs with dogs 1-3x a week so get some practice from time to time if we get lucky. As has been mentioned, if not mounting the animal. Cut it from the outside much quicker and safer for the hands if you’re reaching up inside (without opening the sternum).

Deer, sheep etc you can also peel the skin off makes skinning super fast. Many different ways to do it if you have questions feel free t to msg me. If you want to leave the bone in the hind quarters and don’t have room in out on your pack. You can separate each quarter like you do for deboning but leave the skin on. Skin it so you have 3-5” of back skin connecting the two quarters. Then you can throw them over your shoulders/neck (whatever works) like saddle bags. Comfortable and distribute the weight pretty good.

Happy hunting brother

 

[Rich M]

Great advise. I have seen more cut fingers from cutting the esophagus than about any part of cutting up a deer.

That’s just being sloppy and not paying attention. You dont cut if you dont know where your other hand is.

I started wearing a cutting glove on non knife hand just in case. Real reason i use it is when i switch back and forth from 7 inch fillet knife to 8 inch, i knick myself a lot - decided to carry it over from fish to game and meat cows.

 

[Boarmaster]

Oh

That’s just being sloppy and not paying attention. You dont cut if you dont know where your other hand is.

I started wearing a cutting glove on non knife hand just in case. Real reason i use it is when i switch back and forth from 7 inch fillet knife to 8 inch, i knick myself a lot - decided to carry it over from fish to game and meat cows.

Fortunately I have never cut myself with my knife but I have supplied a lot of bandages to the careless over the years. I did wear one of those gloves for a short while when I was on blood thinners and anti platelets.

 

[LongWayAround]

@Boarmaster @Rich M

I've posted this before, but Home Depot and elsewhere sell cut resistant gloves for like $10/pair. They're similar to any dipped glove, but I believe they are reinforced with kevlar.

I buy the ANSI level 3. It's a good mix of dexterity and protection. I think they're intended for sheet metal and gutters or similar. The ANSI recommended level for food processing is almost unusably thick.

The gloves get washed with my game bags and typically get used for a few animals before I throw them out. If they get really gross with fat and such, I consider them single use.

 

[TxxAgg]

This guy does a good job removing the head and lower legs with just a knife. Pair that with the gutless method, and it’s simple/clean.

No need for a saw.

 

[SloppyJ]

This guy does a good job removing the head and lower legs with just a knife. Pair that with the gutless method, and it’s simple/clean.

No need for a saw.

Why the head? I routinely clean them with a winch tossed over a limb hanging head up. No need to remove the head at all unless it's a buck you want to save and then just go ahead and chop it off to skin it out but that can be done at the very end. Getting the bottom portions of the legs off with a knife are my favorite part for some reason.

 

[TxxAgg]

Why the head? I routinely clean them with a winch tossed over a limb hanging head up. No need to remove the head at all unless it's a buck you want to save and then just go ahead and chop it off to skin it out but that can be done at the very end. Getting the bottom portions of the legs off with a knife are my favorite part for some reason.

I usually hang them on a gambrel feet up. Head removal is easy proof of sex for us in TX.

 

[LostArra]

Anyone use a "Butt Out" tool?

When I'm out west away from the truck, its 100% gutless all the way.

Whitetails I can get an ATV or Truck real close so I'll just gut them and then load em in the truck.

Butt Out works great when gutting whitetails. No saws needed.
If I can get a truck or SxS close I'll gut it on the tailgate

Elk: gutless, leave bone-in for aging. I'm not particularly fast at gutless and the elk stomach will sometimes inflate doing the second side. A small strategic hole can deflate it and make the tenderloin easier to remove. A poorly placed hole on an inflated stomach can ruin your day. Always direct the stomach piercing away from you.

When all the meat is off I'll go into the chest for the heart and sometimes look for bullets or broadheads.