Field dressing deer

rabbits are easy...you don't even need a knife. I suggest goiing hunting with someone who is more experiened and have them show you.....Its hard to tell someone but easy to show them how to clean game

For a first timer on it would be ideal to find a mentor, but lacking one of those a very detailed picture book/brochure could be helpful.

This is what I do, take it for what it is. I start by cutting the connective tissue around the anus and then use my finger to separate the colon from the bone so it floats freely in the pelvic channel.

Next I cut around the genitals so they are free of the hide, be very careful not to cut the urethra as you don't want ---- all over the meat. Once the genitals are hanging by the urethra only you are good to go.

From there you want to slit up the belly and through the brisket to the base of the neck. It is absolutely crucial that you don't puncture the sack that surrounds the guts -- or even worse, the guts themselves. By keeping this sack intact the mess is minimized considerably. Insert the blade under skin with the sharp side facing upward to do this.

Once you get to the brestbone you need to split some of the ribs so you can access the heart and lungs. Separate the ribs so you can access the chest cavity and cut the diaphragm away from the ribs. You also need to sever the windpipe/esophagus where it enters the chest cavity.

If you have done well so far, and the deer isn't brutally shot up you should be able to grab the heart/lungs and pull everything out in one giant sloppy mess. The colon will slide through the pelvic channel and voila (you might want to consider tying off the colon/anus with a piece of string if you are conserned about poop falling out.

Drain whatever blood is in the cavity. If there is snow I often use this to soak up the blood.

If you are into eating guts look through the pile for the heart, liver and kidneys and pull them out. I don't know how to clean these however as I don't eat them.

While the basic mechanics are very similar for squirrels and rabbits the size of a deer makes it a whole different ballgame. Doing a few of these smaller mammals first will certainly familiarize you with different organs and there placement in mammals.

As for things that go wrong. There are only 2 really bad things--puncturing the bladder and punturing the stomach. Both of these have the potential to taint the meat with some unpleasant flavor. The key to avoiding these problems is not cutting deep. At most you are looking at cutting through an inch of fur, fat, and muscle before you hit the gut sack (I don't know the scientific term) so you shouldn't be holding the knife perpendicular to the deer. You are not carving a pumpkin here, it's more like slicing the wrapping paper off a gift.

Other than those two problems, nothing else really matters in terms of the final project. Mistakes may make it more messy or more difficult but that's abouit it.

Whistler

I'm guessing none of you have predators? I remember a story (2001?) of a foolish group of fellows that were "field dressing" a moose. Well they were killed by a grizz. That is just what happens. Also when you camp you hang everything from a tree away from camp...
A shot is aka dinnerbell. You shoot and get your kill out of there.

Everyone has pretty much covered everything pretty well.

I always field dress mine as soon as possible. One thing I don't do any more is split the breastbone or even split the pelvis in the field. More trouble than it is worth. I get my hands a little dirtier but I get the job done just as fast.

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Respect The Cactus!

i agree with quint...i leave the guts in the woods but i usually split the pelvis when it is hanging. here in south central pa land is becoming scarce and i hunt on state land. i usually have a half mile to mile drag and leave as much weight behind as i can. i do not need the guts laying around if i get side-tracked on the next days hunt.

i leave my deer hang for one to five days in a stone smokehouse, depending on the weather. i leave them hang head down. in most every animal there is alot more blood in the head/chest/neck area so in theory it is best to hang them this way. i think letting all of the blood drain helps with the flavor. the next consideration would be "aging" at what point do you go from "draining" to "aging". aged meat is good but it has a different flavor. if it is cool and dry aging for 3 to 5 or even 7 days is fine. if you want a "fresh" flavor let it hang for only a day or two.

i always leave mine hang for at least one day unless the weather is warm and the smokehouse gets warm (the stonework tends to keep things cool).

i have heard different opinions on skinning the deer. some say to skin it right away to cool the meat. i have heard some say that leaving the hide on will insulate in a favorable way under the right weather conditions ( like if it is getting hot out maybe) i do know this...leaving the hide on as the deer hangs for a day or two can be good if it is just warm enough for flies. all they get is the inside of the carcass.

which reminds me...don't ever let the inner tenderloin (fish we call it) get away. it is the best part. it melts in your mouth. all it takes is fingers to remove as a knife can ruin it.

when field dressing , cut the belly an inch or so then use a finger on each side of the blade to avoid punchering the paunch slice threw the diapharam around each side then reach in and pull on the esophagus ,severing it as far as you can reach. course i ream the butt first step. once you get the hang of it you dont even have to hardly roll your sleeves up or remove your watch....lol...mink

Field dressing and butchering are two different things, with different purposes.

I don't field dress in the field generally. I don't like the amount of contamination that tends to get into the carcass as a result of dragging the gutted deer through the woods and creeks and such. I tend to gut and field dress in the truck bed. It doesn't take me long generally to drag the deer to it. At the most, it's an extra half hour with the guts still in.

I do not split the pelvis. Instead, I cut the anus lose, pull it out, tie it off and remove the opposite direction. Not splitting the pelvis makes it much easier to drag and move. The legs and rear end aren't flopping about..

I split the chest cavity far up, nearly to the neck. I then prop it open to help it cool. Can't count the number of field dressed carcasses I've seen from others with a tiny little abdominal incision, and the chest cavity is still very hot many hours later.

As for the wyoming knife, yea, I know it. I've even tried it before. I put it right up there beside a garbonzo sized bowie knife. Equally useless and strong indicators of a novice. I field dress with a small pocket knife or a paring knife. I only need a blade as long as my finger. You make far less mistakes with a small blade. You're done faster and more neatly with it.