Field dressing medium game...Tips Tricks & Tools

[Stix]

Im curious to know how you guys field dress your meat animals, & prepare them for home butchering.

Ive really only ever legged goats & never a deer so im interested to hear how you go about it.
Some example questions...
How do you gut it...(cut through pelvic bone or leave intact & pull the poop tube through the pelvic bone...?)

What tools you use...?
Do you open the sternum...?
Do you skin immediately after gutting & break the carcass down to transport home...or take home whole & skin later...?
(I guess that depends on how long you are away for...i am likely to be away for a few days when i chase such animals).

What sort of temps do you consider too high--or your cut-off point for hanging the carcass to set....(Do you hang it or just fridge it...?)

Tools...saws for ribs/sternum/spine...(again, depending if needed for being away in the field for a few days)...knives...bolt cutters...cotton sheets...zip ties... etc etc...
Add anything you feel is or would be helpful for us newbe butchers...

Im keen to try & butcher up a carcass instead of lopping off legs...so have to learn, starting with some advice from you guys...

[TassieTiger]

Ive watched this several times now - its from the Meat Eater show on Netflix and shows in detail how to prep a deer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWmzqDXA2jY

[RoginaJack]

On the NITV TV (CH34) the other night they harvested a few deer and field dressed them out. The show was "Hunting Aotearoa". Also, there is a few butchering tips there as well. Very Interesting show.

Or have a look at -

https://bowhunting360.com/2017/03/03/fi ... -10-steps/

[JimTom]

Mate check out deermeatfordinner on YouTube. He does the whole hunt, then butchering of everything from deer, pigs, and seafood. He is in the USA but well worth a look.

[JimTom]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zbVXwHpQklU

Here is a link to a couple of his clips, heaps on there mate. He is reasonably handy with a blade

[marksman]

tools for field dressing: sharp boning knife, gut hook and jab saw

after brain shooting your deer
cut the throat at right under the chin, lay the body head down hill so the blood will drain away from your beast
when the blood is drained make a cut in the skin from the neck under the chin to the stomach just past the chest
separate the windpipe ect from the neck and tie a piece of string around them to stop anything coming back out,
saw through the sternum with a jab saw pointing the saw toward the neck so not to jab the gut
cut and separate the heart,lungs from the body, cut around the diaphragm,
use a gut hook to make a cut from the top of the stomach where you stopped at the chest to the pelvis down to the groin
separate the liver intestines stomach ect pulling everything out in one piece,
make a cut around the anus freeing it and tying it into a knot then pulling the anus and digestive tract through the pelvis with no contamination
take off the head and hooves, I leave the skin on till the next day to keep the animal clean and it also keeps the meat moist
when I get home I hang and bag the full deer/sheep or quarters of cow in old cotton dooner covers

I will hang a deer in the shed happily if the temp is between 12-15 degrees above that I usually will butcher the next day getting all the meat at least bagged and into the fridge, I do have a cold room but cant be bothered setting it up most of the time unless I am butchering a cow that really does need to be hung for a week



this one was given to me as it couldn't be sold because of a leg problem and filled a few freezers, was hung for a week and tasted great

[Lifesaride]

Sharp knives, and a good steel is the most important point I think. Especially for skinning.

I usually prepare for gutting on the ground, lift (drop the guy) and then skin, quarter, and get in the fridge overnight. Then break it down to cuts the next day or two and rest in the fridge for a few more days.

Other tools, a bone saw or even just a cheap rip saw for doing the sternum, I hang off the front legs.

[Runnymede]

I have to agree with most of the replies here....in this instance YouTube is your friend. Another good resource is Amazon as there are plenty of good e-books you can download to your Kindle or iPad for a few $ on the subject. Using these two resources I managed to fumble my way through it and can process and break down deer pretty quickly now. The other part is you learn as you go and if you screw it up who cares try again next time and worst case you’ll have plenty of mince and / food for the dog.

[Blr243]

I’m against carrying the weight of the gut all the way back to camp. I drag the deer to a slightly sloping spot so dragging the guts out tends to fall down the hill a bit Then to avoid getting blood in my action I ensure it’s closed and safe before I get the deer on my back. Then when back in camp I always hang it up to make skinning easier ....

[Gormanchov]

Depends if you want to keep the skin or not. If I’m just after the meat search the gutless method, I’ll leave the skin on the quarters to protect them until I can get them to a clean area to break them down.

If you don’t have a cool room i’ve had success leaving the quarters in an esky with block ice in the bottom and hessian in between to keep them dry, did that for 4 days swapping out the ice as required before I butchered them up.

[Stix]

Thanks guys...all the replies are appreciated...

Keep them coming...hopefully (im sure) along with me, many folk will be acquiring great knowledge out of this...

When it comes to the skin, i have every intention to keep & tan it...but all methods & different ideas are definately worth a mention...

Marksman...by a "jab saw"--do you mean a saw as used for plasterboard...? ...if so how do you cut--from the outside in or inside out ...?..(i mean like when zipping up the gut if using a normal knife...?)...(not meaning to ask a stupid question, but id have thought that type of saw would risk a puncture to the gut... )

Also in relation to the pic you posted... ...bloody black bears in Victoria now.. ???...you guys have got it good when it comes to hunting in Vic...

Cheers all...

[marksman]

yes Stix the jab saw is a plaster saw, I hit my knife into the middle of the chest to make a hole where the saw is used and saw back to the gut with the point toward the neck there is no gut in the chest to puncture, heart and lungs mate

I also use a battery powered reciprocating saw if I need to cut down the back bone and quarter it if its to heavy or big
especially if the black bears are on the menu

[solarpak]

Ok....my 2 cents worth

1. opening up the sternum - a good set of pole pruning secateurs.....beats a saw any day
2. Zipping open the gut - use a proper gutting tool like one that gerber make - other makes on the market too (wont use gut hooks on knives)
3. Wear a cut-proof glove on your non-knife hand - trust me !!
4. Always carry a couple of decent gambrels and s-hooks. Good quality ropes too.
5. Invest in a few Ridgeline game bags - the best to keep flies off carcasses. (remove head and feet of animals before covering carcasses)
6. Gut animal asap - before it blows up like a balloon. Leave skin on.
7. DONT wash out gut cavity with water . Wipe off any gut spillage and if possible trim off areas of contact.
8. take your time - dont rush

CK

[John]

All good reply’s nothing more I can add but I really like marksmans post it’s a great step by step I do mine in a very similar way.

[solarpak]

Im curious to know how you guys field dress your meat animals, & prepare them for home butchering.

Ive really only ever legged goats & never a deer so im interested to hear how you go about it.
Some example questions...
How do you gut it...(cut through pelvic bone or leave intact & pull the poop tube through the pelvic bone...?)

What tools you use...?
Do you open the sternum...?
Do you skin immediately after gutting & break the carcass down to transport home...or take home whole & skin later...?
(I guess that depends on how long you are away for...i am likely to be away for a few days when i chase such animals).

What sort of temps do you consider too high--or your cut-off point for hanging the carcass to set....(Do you hang it or just fridge it...?)

Tools...saws for ribs/sternum/spine...(again, depending if needed for being away in the field for a few days)...knives...bolt cutters...cotton sheets...zip ties... etc etc...
Add anything you feel is or would be helpful for us newbe butchers...

Im keen to try & butcher up a carcass instead of lopping off legs...so have to learn, starting with some advice from you guys...

Stix,
PM me mate - i can give you some pointers .....i am in SA (Adelaide) and can give you a run down
C.