Field Dressing

[P95Carry]

Well - not a new subject amd most folks will I am sure have their methods and reference maybe too from written material.

This is a piece I kept from five years ago - not sure who wrote it but - moderately concise and so perhaps useful to some. never know.

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How To Field Dress Your Big Game
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Okay, you are all prepared to go on your big hunt this year. Your checklist is complete, but you are worried about one thing. What do you do with your animal once you have brought it down either with a bullet or an arrow? If you want good wild game meat on your table the following information is equally as important as knowing where to hunt.
Meat can spoil, and pounds of venison may be wasted if not handled correctly ? and immediately. Field dressing game is not difficult if done properly. Field dress all game as soon as possible after it has been killed. Prompt, clean removal of the internal organs will speed cooling and help prevent spoiling to improve the taste later on.

The first step in field dressing is to cut the animal open. Don?t just start slashing away. Take it easy. It?s important to do it right. First, make a small slit in the belly with the knife Be careful not to cut any internal organs. Work your fingers through this hole and press the paunch or intestines away. Cut through the hide along the center of the belly from brisket to vent. Deepen the cut through the belly muscles. Use your fingers to guide the knife to avoid cutting the intestines.

Cut deeply around the ???? and free the organs in the pelvic cavity. Remove ???? with the intestines. Separate the hindquarters by splitting the pelvic bone with a sharp, heavy knife, hand ax, or saw. If you need to use a knife, a few taps with a rock on the back of the blade will help split the pelvis.

Open the chest cavity from front to back through the breastbone. Cut muscles of the diaphragm where they are attached to rib cage, separating the chest from the stomach cavity. It?s a good idea to place the carcass so the entrails will roll out downhill.

Use one hand to press the lungs out of the way. With your knife in the other hand, reach into the chest cavity and sever the windpipe and gullet where they enter the chest from the neck. Pull out the heart, liver, lungs, paunch, and intestines. It will be necessary to reach right into the carcass with your arms to drag them out, so don?t be squeamish. You may have to loosen some entrails from the back with your knife, but usually just about everything can be pulled away without too much trouble.

Use some sticks to prop the body cavity open, and hang the animal by its head in an airy, shady place. Hanging the animal will assure good circulation of air to remove body heat. Use a dry cloth to remove any blood remaining in the body cavity.

Let the animal hang for about an hour before transporting it to camp or car. If it is not possible to hang the game in the air, drape it over a log or pile of rocks belly side up ? anything to get it off the ground. The important thing is to get the meat cooled so it won?t spoil. If you save the heart and liver, put them in a clean cloth or sack and keep them cool.

If the weather is warm, it may even be necessary to skin the animal as soon as possible, allowing the animal to cool even faster. Experienced hunters skin big game animals in the field.

A word of caution about the musk, or scent, glands on the lower hind legs - avoid touching them while handling the carcass. The scent will cling to your hands and may taint the meat when you touch it. Some hunters remove these glands by peeling or slicing off the entire skin surrounding them, but it?s not necessary.

SUMMARY Of FIELD DRESSING

1) Cut through hide along centerline of belly from brisket to vent. Deepen cut through belly muscles, using fingers to guide knife and avoid cutting intestines.
2) Cut deeply around ????. Remove it with intestines. Separate hindquarters by splitting pelvic bone with sharp, heavy knife, or hand ax.
3) Open chest cavity, front to back, through breastbone. Split muscle (diaphragm) separating chest from stomach cavity.
4) Sever gullet and windpipe as far forward as possible. Pull heart, liver, lungs, paunch and intestines out on the ground.
5) Prop body cavity open with sticks and cool quickly by hanging, head up, in a shady, airy place. Let it hang this way for about an hour before moving it to camp or car.

Dress big game animals immediately to ensure rapid loss of body heat. Hang animal head up or lay it on a slope with rump lower than shoulders.

 

[Battlespace]

While in Germany from 1980 to 1983 I had the opportunity to earn my German Hunting License. One of the more interesting parts was the care and handling of game after it is killed. I used to dive right in and end up with blood and gore up to my elbows or higher. Now, I hardly get it past my fingers. It is not a skill, but an art. Yes, field dressing in this manner takes longer, but the payoff is worth it.

 

[sumpnz]

Battlespace - Care to elaborate?

P95 - Always good to re-read things like that. I assume the ???? stands for anu$.

 

[P95Carry]

Yep - the ''filter'' caught that - had not thought to exclude it actually as the piece was essentially ''technical''. Oh well!

 

[Dale Taylor]

With a knowledge of anatomy one can clean deer, antelope and "feral" hogs very quickly with just a sharp pocket knife. Excess speed usually results in laceration to the disector. I agree little or no blood, feces urine or gastric contents will get on fingers. There may be blood. [email protected]

 

[stevelyn]

Since the size of our game requires quartering to carry out, we start by skinning and then disassembling the animal. No need to slit open the abdomen. Removal of the brisket accomplishes this and we just roll the critter over and dump the guts out. Liver, kidneys, heart, small intestine, and grinder are salvaged.

 

[rwc]

A couple thoughts to add:
Check your state game regs - in case you have to keep some evidence of sex attached. Also, you can use a disposable-razor knife (the cheap kind that extends out and breaks off in segments) to cut out the glands or stink patch of belly fur in front of "Mr. Johnson" if you want to avoid spreading smellyness around.

Anyone else have, or heard of, a favorite trick?

I've been trying to figure out a cheap way of rigging a hoist on to the back of my father-in-law's pickup as he's not as spry as he used to be and has trouble loading a deer in. Suggestions welcome!

 

[SADshooter]

My wife (bless her heart!) uses disposable scalpel blades on whitetails, and is much more efective than I am with any knife.

 

[22-rimfire]

You just have to have a general idea of your objective. Remove everything that isn't "meat" from the chest and abdominal areas. You have to be careful not to cut things like the stomach, intestines or bladder and some care should be taken around the pelvis. But frankly, you just have to dive in. It is an experience thing! All you need for whitetails is a sharp medium sized pocket knife that fits your hand and allows you to apply pressure when you need to with the knife.

There are frequently good drawings included in the state game and fish web sites as well as sometimes in the booklet that comes with your license. When you get down to it, the drawings are pretty good. Again you just have to plunge in carefully and try to not cut the things that you might consider "stinky".

Weather permitting, I stip down to a tea shirt to do the dirty work and then clean up. Snow, a mud puddle or small stream or spring comes in real handy in cleaning the blood off of ya.

 

[carnaby]

I'm a total noob and this year will be my first time out after anything bigger than squirrels and small birds with a bb-gun. I don't know anyone in the state who's a hunter, so I'll be on my own unless my brother-in-law comes up to tag along.

I'm curious about a couple things:

1. what do you do with parts of the animal you do not wish to keep? Do you leave it out for the scavenger animals, bears, and the rest to come get? Do you bury it? Do you pack it out? I'm in Washington State, and the regulation book doesn't seem to mention this.

2. My wife is scared that we're going to have a HUGE pile of meat... deer hunting, not that big a pile of meat, but the thought of 70-80lbs of meat in our small place seems like a lot to her. Does anyone know of deer donation places near Seattle where I can give half the meat away?

3. I also want to have the meat professionaly butchered (I'll field dress of course). Should I just call around to find a butcher? Anyone recommended in Seattle area?

 

[pete f]

the gut pile will be gone by morning usually. the next day at the very latest.
I never recommend using a pocket knife for a couple of reasons, the biggest of which is I use my pocket knife to cut sandwiches etc as well as use it at work, and not matter how hard I clean, I can always smell that tallow smell on a pocket knife.
I have drawer full of knives and I have found the best small fixed blade that is affordable,($50) is a bark river knife and tool works "Micro Canadian" the "mini Canadian" is nice too but he Micro is the perfect size for my needs. The version with the Micarta handles are the best as they are boiling water safe and will come out detallowed just fine.
I use waxed dental floss to tie off Mr johnson and the bung hole so as to limit the leakage, ties tight and does not slip.
If the weather is going to be warm we buy a couple of bags or blocks of ice to stuff the body cavity so as to speed cool down. skinning in the woods is never necessary here in MN, we do that either back home or rarely in camp if we are planning on using a trailer to haul the meat.
once you have the deer tied up in camp and it is hanging from the meat pole, get a clean (never used for herbacides) pump up garden sprayer or use a hose and clean out the interior of the deer. Make sure the deer will dry out on the inside, this step helps get the little bits and traces of guts and juices out of the deer. IF it is warm enough that you are having problems with flies, rub the damp interior of the deer with black pepper to keep them away.

If you have cleaned a fish, the operation is basically the same, just on a bigger scale.

 

[Kingcreek]

What? nobody mentioned the poison glands?!?

The aforementioned all sounds reasonably close to what I do. I carry a few of the zip cable ties for tying off the exit port (and for temporarily tying down the top barbed wire on fences and rigging branches at my stand). I don't won't use a folding knife cause they bend in the middle. I prefer the safety of a fixed 3" blade but I would use a folder if that was all I had. I carry my permit and cable ties in a folded 1 gal freezer bag that I use for the heart and liver. I don't split the pelvis anymore- not necessary.
1st deer I ever field dresses took me an hour. these days I can do a nice job in under 10 minutes.
At some point after your first deer, learn to butcher. you'll be glad you did.

I wish I knew more about the "alaskan method" of peeling them down from the outside in.

 

[Polishrifleman]

Carnaby, I'd be glad to be your venison donation center. On another note there are several of us in the area that after some range time might be interested in taking you hunting. Send a pm.

 

[22-rimfire]

Getting your first deer is a great incentive to buy yourself a small freezer. The freezer also comes in real handy for general storage of frozen stuff (taking advantage of sales etc.). The volume of deer meat will fill up most side by side refrigerators (traditional frig & freezer). Relax. If you use a butcher, they will store your meat until you pick it up and you have time to find a freezer. An extra freezer makes geneal sense anyway. Hunting... need a gun.... great excuse; deer hunting.... need a freezer.... another great justification for what you probably need anyway.

Alot of states do have donation locations, usually a butcher that handles deer. You still have to pay to have the meat cut up. Nothing is free. Ask around about butchers that do deer. It can be a hassle, so I would do the leg work before hunting season starts. Last deer and first deer where I currently live.... I got the deer, field dressed it, loaded it and drove it straight to the butchers. It was no trophy. I arrived home with the antlers only.

An hour to take care of things is probably about right the first time you do it. As mentioned, you get quicker as you do it more often. I don't save the heart and liver, but some do.

Don't forget a rope unless you hunt where you can drive to the deer and load it or load it on a 4-wheeler ATV. If you are going to drag one a long distance, they sell plastic deals that allow the deer to slide easier across the ground surface. In snow, no problem unless going up hill. But uphill drags are always a problem! In short, after you scout the area that you are interested in hunting, think about what it would take to get the deer back to your vehicle. I have dragged deer for miles in the past and it ain't fun.

 

[carnaby]

hmmm, how the heck do you move an elk?

 

[auschip]

In several trips I would guess.

 

[sumpnz]

hmmm, how the heck do you move an elk?

With any luck I'll be able to answer that this October.

Seriously though, unless you can drive up to the kill sight with a truck, you'd have to skin and quarter the beast and hump it out to a vehicle accessible area one quarter at a time (then the hide and the head goes last). Hopefully you were smart enough to have at least one, preferably 2 or 3 hunting buddies to help carry it out. Otherwise you're looking at 6 trips to get it all if you want to keep the hide and the head. Even on a smallish (500#) elk (e.g. a cow) each quarter and the hide will likely weigh 70-80# each.

If you've got the tools to bone it out at the kill sight that would be a good idea if you're a considerable distance from vehicle access. You could easily save yourself carrying 150# of bone that way. That would allow you to get the meat out in 2 trips, with 2 more to get the head and hide, for a savings of 2 trips. Depending on the terrain and the distance you need to cover only carrying boned out meat (and leaving behind the hide and head) may be your only viable option.

Some states will allow you to use a hand cart to retrieve elk. Some won't. If they do allow it such a tool can make all the difference in getting it all out, or having to leave the head and hide (and potentially some meat) behind.

 

[scout26]

If you are going to drag one a long distance, they sell plastic deals that allow the deer to slide easier across the ground surface.

I use the kid's plastic sled ($9.99 at the hardware store). Just make sure you clean it out real good before the first big snow fall......

 

[Atticus]

Just make sure you clean it out real good before the first big snow fall......

I've still got blood smears in the back of my Isuzu......it's nearly July you say?

 

[1 old 0311]

Worked in a Auto Dealership a few years ago. A mechanic hit a deer on the wayin to work.He wanted to dress it but the only knife available was my 4 inch A.G. RUSSELL.Took him a while but turned out well.

Kevin

 

[WayneConrad]

If you're alone and need to take multiple trips to get the meat to your truck, how do you keep the wildlife from snacking on your kill before you get back for the next load?

Or do you try to keep a straight face when you tell the game officer it wasn't meant to be a bait pile?

 

[nwmanitou]

Put it in game bags and hang if from a tree.

 

[scout26]

It's one thing to have blood stains in the bed of the truck. It's another thing entirely, and you go from Best Dad in the World (tm) to Big Loser when all the kids in the neighborhood are going sledding and yours are standing at the top of the hill looking down at the sled making oooky faces.

 

[olazul]

So what's the trick to cutting out the bung-hole? Every time I do this it's a mess. My knife never seems to get up there high enough. Please explain.

Thanks,

Olazul

 

[Brian Williams]

First make the belly cut and while it is open use a ty-wrap or string to tie off the lower intestine near the a nus and then cut it off. Later in the field dressing when you cut off the genitals include the rest of the bunghole.