Questions About Guided Mule Deer Hunts for First Timer

[PuckLuck]

I've never hunted before and I'd prefer to go once with a guide before stepping out myself. My main concern is killing an animal and then screwing up the dressing/meat care process and essentially wasting the animal's life. A couple of questions:

- I want to learn the gutless method as I'll be hunting by myself out west and need to pack everything out on my back. I presume most clients don't want to deal with this so I'm wondering if it would be abnormal/weird to ask a guide to walk me through the gutless method so I can do it myself in the future.

- Any reason I shouldn't do a doe hunt if all I want to do is learn the basics?

- If I'm targeting Mule Deers would you recommend I start on something else (like antelope) first?

Any recommendations of a good guide in the California area (preferably on the cheaper end, but still fair chase + good teachers)? I've heard good things about Oak Stone Outfitters + Tejon Ranch but if someone could chime in personally I'd love to hear it.

 

[wildwilderness]

Doe first is a great idea. If you pay a guide they should teach you what you want to know. Deer is plural as well

 

[Werty]

If you tell the guide what you want, I would be amazed they wouldn't oblige.

 

[jolemons]

Good on you man. If I lived closer, I'd guide you without charge.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[sndmn11]

Tell the guide to pack a stool to sit on instead of his knife. Also, go over with the outfitter beforehand what you r goal is with field care and most importantly, tell him how you learn. I.E. verbally, doing, seeing, etc. This might help the outfitter pair you with one guide versus another.
Find an outfitter in an area in Wyoming that you can get four doe pronghorn. The biggest hiccup in field dressing is the time between instances really eliminates the idea of repitition learning. Cutting up four phorns will let you learn where and why to cut, and also be of a size you can handle solo while the guide sits on his stool.

 

[CamoPirate]

In Cali, I think it'd be cheaper to do private land Hog Hunts. A lot cheaper, a lot more opportunities, and if they've been eating truffles, so damn good.

 

[WCB]

Might depend on where you are at or guide experience...but I bet there are A LOT of guides who don't know or are not really proficient at the gutless method. Even more so if you are not on a "back country" style hunt.

Also, learning to gut an animal is, in my opinion, a needed skill don't skip it. It will come in handy if you kill a deer in a bad spot and need to lose a bit of weight to move it i.e. steep side hill or thick brush.

As mentioned above go over this with the outfitter BEFORE you book a hunt. Also, no reason you can't practice gutless after gutting. Learn to debone deer in a normal situation first and then move to a gutless on the ground method. Trust me it will flatten the learning curve. The only real thing to learn IMO is the cuts to peel the skin from the back down (if you do it this way) and getting the tenderloins out with punching the guts.

If you can go on a management type hunt you might be able to go on the cheap and take multiple does or like above an Antelope hunt. Also, on the Antelope hunt you can perfect the art of not getting hair on your meat (or maybe perfect getting hair on your meat depending on how you look at it).

 

[452b264]

You dont need an outfitter to learn how to field dress an animal but after watching a bunch of videos some hands on experience will be needed.

The Gutless Gutting Method

Our friends over at Eastman's Hunting Journals have put together a great compilation working through the Gutless Method for Big Game Animals.The series of videos walks through removing the backstrap, removing the tenderloins, de-boning the hind quarters, de-boning the front quarters, caping an...

www.rmef.org

GOHUNT // The Hunting Company

GOHUNT empowers hunters with the tools, technology, gear, and resources they need to get the most out of their time in the field.

www.gohunt.com

 

[wildwilderness]

I love hunting antelope, but dang I sure don’t like cutting them up! The have a weird smell and that hair gets over everything!

For learning the gutless I would say a Cow Elk hunt would be great! Plenty of affordable cow elk hunts in neighboring states…

 

[jolemons]

Another suggestion would be to look up s cow elk hunt with an outfitter that is offering a field to fork type of experience for new hunters. I know there are a couple of places offering that type of experience that is more of an educational event from the hunt through meat and meal prep.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[hobbes]

Doesn't sound like a bad plan, but it seems like you should be able to find someone to take you out and show you how it's done without needing to pay an outfitter. Do you not know anyone that is an experienced hunter?

 

[PuckLuck]

Doesn't sound like a bad plan, but it seems like you should be able to find someone to take you out and show you how it's done without needing to pay an outfitter. Do you not know anyone that is an experienced hunter?

I don't know anyone who hunts - my father shot skeet and trap so I grew up with shotguns but I've never hunted. For what it's worth, if anyone is located in California (or another western state if I can get the time off work) and wants someone to help pack out their meat this coming season I'd be happy to do it in exchange for learning how to properly remove the meat from a harvest and pack it out - PM me.

EDIT: Also want to say that I have a bunch of backcountry experience - I've been backpacking, climbing and fishing since I can remember. I'm no noob to suffering (in fact I kind of like it) so I'm not going to flake or back out - if anyone on Rokslide needs someone to help you I'm 100% game as long as you can teach me a thing or two about breaking down an animal that will help me in the future.

 

[PuckLuck]

You dont need an outfitter to learn how to field dress an animal but after watching a bunch of videos some hands on experience will be needed.

The Gutless Gutting Method

Our friends over at Eastman's Hunting Journals have put together a great compilation working through the Gutless Method for Big Game Animals.The series of videos walks through removing the backstrap, removing the tenderloins, de-boning the hind quarters, de-boning the front quarters, caping an...

www.rmef.org

GOHUNT // The Hunting Company

GOHUNT empowers hunters with the tools, technology, gear, and resources they need to get the most out of their time in the field.

www.gohunt.com

I've watched every video I can find - and I don't think I would 100% screw it up, but from my experience (or maybe it's just my learning style) I learn better when I "do", if that makes sense, compared to what I "see" or "read." If I can have someone with me for the first time I think it would give me the skills and confidence to do it myself. I don't mind paying a bit for this, but when I look at guided mule deer hunts for $5k I can't help but think it's a waste of money for someone like myself who has never hunted.

I think I could still do it myself based on the videos I've seen on youtube but I think that (i) I'd lose a lot of good meat in the process, and (ii) there's a chance that I would screw it up completely and ruin the harvest (shooting later in the evening, not giving myself enough daylight to remove the meat, making a bad cut, etc.).

 

[PuckLuck]

Might depend on where you are at or guide experience...but I bet there are A LOT of guides who don't know or are not really proficient at the gutless method. Even more so if you are not on a "back country" style hunt.

Also, learning to gut an animal is, in my opinion, a needed skill don't skip it. It will come in handy if you kill a deer in a bad spot and need to lose a bit of weight to move it i.e. steep side hill or thick brush.

As mentioned above go over this with the outfitter BEFORE you book a hunt. Also, no reason you can't practice gutless after gutting. Learn to debone deer in a normal situation first and then move to a gutless on the ground method. Trust me it will flatten the learning curve. The only real thing to learn IMO is the cuts to peel the skin from the back down (if you do it this way) and getting the tenderloins out with punching the guts.

If you can go on a management type hunt you might be able to go on the cheap and take multiple does or like above an Antelope hunt. Also, on the Antelope hunt you can perfect the art of not getting hair on your meat (or maybe perfect getting hair on your meat depending on how you look at it).

The biggest thing I'm worried about is the time it would take me on the first try, given that I've never done it before. Since I live in California and would most likely be doing my first solo hunt in California, getting the meat out as soon as possible (before the high temps can take their tole) is paramount. Also, I do worry about cutting the bladder/colon and ruining some meet. I would hate to kill an animal and then not get any meat from it because of my overconfidence or lack of knowledge/experience.

Not to be a tree-hugger, but I was always apprehensive about hunting because I didn't want to kill an animal for no reason, and when I was younger I didn't understand why someone would kill an animal they could just as easy buy from the market. As I grew older and realized what conditions the meat I consumed was raised in (factory farming) and the idea of harvesting my own meat has grown on me. A couple of years ago I quit buying factory farmed meat (instead purchasing from local farms and other ethically sourced methods, as far as I can tell). I'd like to make the next step to harvesting almost all of the meat I consume myself (I've already done this with fish + poultry), partly for sustenance but also as a challenge to be able to be self-sustaining in any situation.

 

[WCB]

The biggest thing I'm worried about is the time it would take me on the first try, given that I've never done it before. Since I live in California and would most likely be doing my first solo hunt in California, getting the meat out as soon as possible (before the high temps can take their tole) is paramount. Also, I do worry about cutting the bladder/colon and ruining some meet. I would hate to kill an animal and then not get any meat from it because of my overconfidence or lack of knowledge/experience.

Gutting has saved me time in certain situation like the ones I previously stated. There are also times when the best option maybe to gut the animal and come back in the morning. If you get decent at gutting it may add 10minutes to the process? I can get a deer gutted in less than 5 minutes without even trying to go fastish. Anybody that has pulled the guts out of more than a few animals has popped a bladder or sliced the guts. Wipe it off the best you can. I have never had wasted or tainted tasting meat due to this.

I understand your thoughts though. I hate wasting anything and can not stand seeing bad meat handling by others. Here is an outside the box thought...maybe get a salvage permit for a road killed deer (fresh obviously) and practice on that. Not sure of what kind of area you are in but I could easily get a fresh deer a week just from the trips I take to run into town to the hardware store.

 

[Tod osier]

The biggest thing I'm worried about is the time it would take me on the first try, given that I've never done it before. Since I live in California and would most likely be doing my first solo hunt in California, getting the meat out as soon as possible (before the high temps can take their tole) is paramount. Also, I do worry about cutting the bladder/colon and ruining some meet. I would hate to kill an animal and then not get any meat from it because of my overconfidence or lack of knowledge/experience.

Not to be a tree-hugger, but I was always apprehensive about hunting because I didn't want to kill an animal for no reason, and when I was younger I didn't understand why someone would kill an animal they could just as easy buy from the market. As I grew older and realized what conditions the meat I consumed was raised in (factory farming) and the idea of harvesting my own meat has grown on me. A couple of years ago I quit buying factory farmed meat (instead purchasing from local farms and other ethically sourced methods, as far as I can tell). I'd like to make the next step to harvesting almost all of the meat I consume myself (I've already done this with fish + poultry), partly for sustenance but also as a challenge to be able to be self-sustaining in any situation.

many of the videos and, I’m guessing a guide, is going to be sloppier than you will want to be given what you are saying and how you are approaching it. Many People focus on speed, not yield. Just hunt and figure it out. It is really a non issue. I figured it out myself at 16, I think you are good. What I’d suggest is gutless style with a partial gutting to relieve the pressure of hitting the guts. Unzip the belly and pull the stomach and intestines out, but leave attached.

If you “screw up” you can just trim the meat left off the carcass before you flip. No lost meat no matter how bad you do.

 

[OdinIII]

I do not know the game available in your area or how much time you have available but in my area I would recommend you go kill some squirrels or maybe rabbits first. You get a low pressure start at shooting game and you can gut and skin them using the same methods as large game. After cleaning just fry them up and enjoy.

 

[452b264]

I've watched every video I can find - and I don't think I would 100% screw it up, but from my experience (or maybe it's just my learning style) I learn better when I "do", if that makes sense, compared to what I "see" or "read." If I can have someone with me for the first time I think it would give me the skills and confidence to do it myself. I don't mind paying a bit for this, but when I look at guided mule deer hunts for $5k I can't help but think it's a waste of money for someone like myself who has never hunted.

I think I could still do it myself based on the videos I've seen on youtube but I think that (i) I'd lose a lot of good meat in the process, and (ii) there's a chance that I would screw it up completely and ruin the harvest (shooting later in the evening, not giving myself enough daylight to remove the meat, making a bad cut, etc.).

Nothing a good headlamp cant prevent.

 

[Hunt30]

Bummer you don’t live closer to me. I’d let you practice the gutless method and packing out on every animal I kill this year. That’s usually how we get goad our buddies into shooting little stuff. By offering to field dress it for them.

In all seriousness, you’re probably over thinking it. Watch a few videos and you should be good to go. It usually takes about 15-30 minutes on deer/antelope sized animals. Skin the side that’s face up. Cut off the front shoulder, hind quarter, and loin. Make an incision behind the last rib below the spine and reach inside along the spine and remove tenderloin. Flip over and repeat. Keep meat clean and load in game bags. Not much you can do to mess it up too bad. If it’s hot, we usually get them in a cooler pretty quick with dry ice on top.

 

[Antares]

Bummer you don’t live closer to me. I’d let you practice the gutless method and packing out on every animal I kill this year. That’s usually how we get goad our buddies into shooting little stuff. By offering to field dress it for them.

In all seriousness, you’re probably over thinking it. Watch a few videos and you should be good to go. It usually takes about 15-30 minutes on deer/antelope sized animals. Skin the side that’s face up. Cut off the front shoulder, hind quarter, and loin. Make an incision behind the last rib below the spine and reach inside along the spine and remove tenderloin. Flip over and repeat. Keep meat clean and load in game bags. Not much you can do to mess it up too bad. If it’s hot, we usually get them in a cooler pretty quick with dry ice on top.

All I would add to this is to take the neck meat and ribs and plan on more like 2 hours if it's your first time.