Looking for Tips and Tricks for Butchering a Moose

[jaydoc24]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on butchering a moose. I want to make sure I do it right to maximize the meat and ensure nothing goes to waste.

What are your best tips and tricks for butchering a moose? Any specific tools or techniques that you find particularly helpful? Also, any advice on how to manage the process in the field before getting the meat back to camp would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Mykolaivka887]

The same as butchering an elk or a deer, only larger. But literally about the same. Rope, tarp and an axe are handy, though.

 

[medvedyt]

do not forget a come along or any method working the same way. you might thank me to raising it ...

 

[Hnthrdr]

Bring friends

 

[NRA4LIFE]

If you can, bring a cordless sawzall. And a lot of coolers.

 

[Scottf270]

I like one sharp heavy fixed blade knife to start the cut down the back to begin the gutless method. Moose have super thick dense hair. I use a replaceable blade mid size knife for skinning. Mine was a Havalon Piranta with Xtra blades. Change as necessary but don't try to bend or pry with them.

Learn how to do the gutless method if you don't know how. I peel down from top of back, others go legs up. Up to you.

Tarps are a big help to lay meat out on to begin cooling. You can flip quarters as needed and lay out meat not connected to bone. Get good game bags. You will need around 7 to 8 bags minimum.

I used a Stanley Sharptooth saw both times for bone and it worked great. You can do the ribs two ways but depends on regulations of your area. Given a choice, I prefer to cut the meat from the ribs. Learn how to cut the hindquarter ball joints etc.

One last word. Be safe!! Not a time to have a bad cut. Go slow and if working with a partner, work together and watch out for one another. It's a big job but steady, safe work gets it done.

I've helped skin 6 Alaskan moose. Others on here have done many more. Should get some other good info.

 

[PNWGATOR]

This is where I’d start and stop with moose processing:

 

[Cyril]

Be prepared with citric acid. Use cut resistant gloves if possible. Rope. When not cutting, stab your knife into the meat, this will keep you from kneeling on or putting your hand down on a sharp blade. Take your time.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Just do it right, bring a tarp or 2, the proper game bags, a spray bottle with some citric acid. A good saw and just work one side, flip it and get the other.

When I’m getting the hide off the top side, I always try to skin back as far past center as I can, I’ll spend extra time getting even a few more inches past center because it makes it easier when you roll it to work on a he other side.

 

[Robinhood21]

I'm not an expert but this is what we've done on all our bulls.

First incision is from the base of the head/neck junction all the way down the spine to the tail. Make a Y incision around the tail and around the anus.

Next cut is from the cut around the anus down the back of the hind leg.

Next cut is from the top of the shoulder (where you cut down the spine) all the way down the front leg to the knee joint.

Then start peeling hide back from the neck, back and hind leg. We work the hide off the front leg, remove the whole front leg/shoulder & bag it. Then we work the hide off the back leg, remove it as close to the pelvis bone as possible and bag it (don't forget to leave evidence of sex). We leave 1 nut attached.

Next, one guy on back straps and another guy on the neck meat & brisket.

Then we remove all the rib meat/abdomen muscle in 1 big rib roll. One guy holding the meat as the other guy fillets around the ribs. Then reach behind the last rib on the spine & remove the tenderloin on that side.

Finally we take what ever else we can scrape away leaving as little as possible. This last part takes a while as we really try to find and cut off any small piece of meat possible.

Then we roll the moose over and do the exact same thing as the first side. Might have to remove the head before rolling the bull over.

Lastly, a lot of people forget this, there is actually a set of "small tenderloins" (people have different names for them) that are located in the upper cavity of the moose between the shoulder blade area. Probably the size of a small whitetail doe tenderloins.

Also, our pilot likes the heart so we always bring that out for him.

 

[T_Man57]

I drew a moose tag in Idaho this year and this will be my first moose hunt. The information provided here is great. Never even thought about bringing citric acid along, great tip.

 

[AKBC]

Guess I am the outlier, I don't cut the skin down the back. I start skinning from the belly, keep the skin intact, and use the skinned hide as a ground barrier to keep the quarters clean as they come off. I remove the quarters, backstrap, neck, ribs on that side, flip over and repeat. I usually have each quarter in a game bag before severing it from the carcass and that really helps keep meat clean. Holding the leg up while skinning is important and if by yourself you can usually tie it off to something. A small knife is adequate for everything but the ribs and for that I use a Stanley carpenter saw.

Ricko Dewilde from Life Below Zero cuts the heads off and uses the antlers to prop the moose up on its back so he can skin and butcher. That looks effective but I doubt many Roksliders will be willing to ruin the cape like that lol.

 

[medvedyt]

Guess I am the outlier, I don't cut the skin down the back. I start skinning from the belly, keep the skin intact, and use the skinned hide as a ground barrier to keep the quarters clean as they come off. I remove the quarters, backstrap, neck, ribs on that side, flip over and repeat. I usually have each quarter in a game bag before severing it from the carcass and that really helps keep meat clean. Holding the leg up while skinning is important and if by yourself you can usually tie it off to something. A small knife is adequate for everything but the ribs and for that I use a Stanley carpenter saw.

Ricko Dewilde from Life Below Zero cuts the heads off and uses the antlers to prop the moose up on its back so he can skin and butcher. That looks effective but I doubt many Roksliders will be willing to ruin the cape like that lol.

make sure there is not hair from your skin. it wont be as bad as a caribou or bison but still the reasons people are using tarp and remove the skin. at least the way i have been shown. if you skin starting from the top of the back you can still do a full mount like starting from the belly you are doing a cut. it will depends what you know and how the moose is on the gound ...

now to move a moose from one side to the other or upside down i want to see it ... you might need more than one pair of hands to help ...

 

[medvedyt]

I drew a moose tag in Idaho this year and this will be my first moose hunt. The information provided here is great. Never even thought about bringing citric acid along, great tip.

citric acid is a sure thing when it is really warm but never lost meat from moose or caribou in not using and even while on a river trip the important thing is to avoid the flies to lay eggs or enter the big veins or arterias and for that a good game bags will save your day.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Guess I am the outlier, I don't cut the skin down the back. I start skinning from the belly, keep the skin intact, and use the skinned hide as a ground barrier to keep the quarters clean as they come off. I remove the quarters, backstrap, neck, ribs on that side, flip over and repeat. I usually have each quarter in a game bag before severing it from the carcass and that really helps keep meat clean. Holding the leg up while skinning is important and if by yourself you can usually tie it off to something. A small knife is adequate for everything but the ribs and for that I use a Stanley carpenter saw.

Ricko Dewilde from Life Below Zero cuts the heads off and uses the antlers to prop the moose up on its back so he can skin and butcher. That looks effective but I doubt many Roksliders will be willing to ruin the cape like that lol.

Me too. I like keeping the hide intact so when I roll it over I have it there to keep things out of the grass/dirt/tundra or whatever is there.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

If you don't have time to watch the whole video and want to focus on Moose, start at 34:00 min and watch Phase 2 of Project Bloodtrail. Covers your question and more.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

As to AKBC's preference for start skinning from the belly, to each his own when it works well. However, from the belly cut moving blades toward the spine (shoulder and neck cuts to the hide) you'll get a lot of hair cut and deposited on your exposed meat UNLESS you are diligent with keeping your blade UNDERneath the hide as you slice it open. The average hunter make these cuts faster than they should and blindly cut hair along the way. Alternatively, starting on the top spine moving from head to tail and from spine to hooves keeps your blade moving with the hair grain vs against it, resulting in way less hair deposits on meat. Just a 2-penny observation.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I'm not a dorsal cutter, either. I hate that technique. Total pain in the ass.

 

[LongWayAround]

OP is gone. I knew he was some sort of fake.

 

[medvedyt]

OP is gone. I knew he was some sort of fake.

at the end some tips were given that can be useful for anyone and a good refresher course given by Larry before the season is opening again: a big bonus at the end.