Newbie question from a not-so newbie

[Richard.Howe]

Newbie question from a not-so newbie: how to clean big game?

OK, I've got to ask a pretty embarrassing question, so if any of you hotshots are looking for an easy joke, I'm your man.

I have hunted deer all my life, but always with another, more senior hunter. That might be my dad, father-in-law, granddad, or uncle. Whenever we met with success, whoever I hunted with always took the deer for cleaning and processing.

It just occurred to me -- if I go out on a solitary hunt, as I plan to for mule deer this fall -- I would not know how to field dress/skid/otherwise prep the animal for transport back to camp/home.

Can you recommend any particular videos and/or books that show detailed methods for cleaning big game (whitetail, mule deer, elk, etc.)?

As a side question: please recommend an heirloom-quality fixed blade knife for these duties.

Thanks, and let the laughing begin!
Rich

 

[spacemanspiff]

i cant laugh at you, cause i'm supposed to know all that stuff, being 'one with the universe' and whatnot. seems my savage-ness is more urbanized. when i think of 'cleaning meat', i assume it means cutting off whatever skin/fat the butcher missed.
subsistance to me is going to mcdonalds or burger king.

i'm such a shame to my native brethen.


in all seriousness though, i'll be taking notes from the experts who post their wisdom in this thread.

 

[sumpnz]

i'll be taking notes from the experts who post their wisdom in this thread.

+1

 

[countertop]

This is actually a major problem that the hunting community needs to address. Even if people want to hunt, unless they grew up in a family that hunted, the chances of them finding someone to take them out and "show them the ropes" are slim to none.

The last issues of Free Hunters discussed how important it is to take children out hunting because they are the only hope. However, there are a lot of people (at least here in the DC area) who would love to go out hunting but don't cause they can't find anyone to teach them. There is one guy who advertises in all the sporting goods stores and at the NRA Range - Mike Sloper (i think thats his name) but from what I understand he is getting out of practice.

It would be nice to see the NRA do something to help teach older folks how to hunt and field dress the carcass.

Just my $0.02

As far as what to do . . . its tough to describe - you really need to just do it to learn it.

 

[rust collector]

There are quite a few references just from googling "field dress deer", and videos and other learning aids are out there as well. Normally the critter is field dressed on the spot in these parts, so you should have had some exposure to that. There are differing theories on aging and butchering thereafter.

Basics: approach downed animal slowly with chambered round, prod eyeball with stick or toe of boot to confirm no reflex. Jacket off, sleeves up, surgical or OB gloves on (blood sticks like glue). Don't touch metatarsal glands on male animal, midway down hind legs--they're stinky and taint the meat. Situate animal with hips uphill, cut around genitals, and use a gut hook or make a small incision with knife through hide only (there are three layers of tissue). Slit the hide up to the sternum and beyond if you're not mounting it. Repeat with the muscle layer , and carefully, with the abdominal wall, hips to sternum. Be careful not to puncture internal organs--you may want to insert a couple fingers of the off hand to keep innards away from point of knife. To give yourself more room, you can open the chest by cutting the cartilage next to the sternum and propping open with a stick.

Some saw through pelvis or split with hatchet. Alternatively cut around ???? and tie off bowel with a bit of string. Cut around diaphragm, cut and pull trachea and esophagus out, then tip critter over and dump out the side. It's gross, but local scavengers will make off with it overnight. Resist urge to wash out cavity--water hastens bacteria growth.

Field dressing kit: Sturdy 4" drop point knife, gut hook such as wyoming knife, gallon ziplock for heart & liver, surgical or OB gloves (the latter keep your arm/sleeve clean), string to tie off bowel, and sport saw or hatchet. Don't forget to sign, notch and attach tag before loading, and if you have to drag it, put some hunter orange on the critter so no one else shoots it or you. Hang and skin as soon as possible, then offer your friendly butcher a case of beer and what while he dismantles the carcass. I just bone mine out and wrap with plastic and then freezer paper.

It's learning by doing, just as with thoracic surgeons. Kershaw, Gerber, Queen and a host of other cutlery companies make great tools for this.

 

[Art Eatman]

No argument with rust collector; but to add a few points...

To me, the critical parts of the job are the skinning out of the ????, and the splitting of the pelvis. These provide the biggest potential for messing up.

There are many relatively inexpensive knives which will hold an edge to let you do a clean field-dress. More than four inches of blade length is not necessary. I've gutted many a deer with no more than an ancient Solingen 3" folder. The main thing is that the knife is really sharp before you leave home to go to camp. Doesn't hurt to have a spare, and take a hone with you...

I commonly--on smaller deer--just rip upward from inside the "tunnel" through the pelvis bone. If the first effort doesn't work, I just tap the back of the blade with a rock to split the bone. Once the pelvis is split, and the ???? is skinned out, everything up to the diaphragm peels out easily.

Unless the weather is really cold, I take off my jacket and outer shirt during all this happiness. And having a canteen along to wash off the blood, plus a pocketful of john-paper to dry off with, doesn't hurt...

A heart-lung shot means a couple of gallons of blood when you open up that part of the chest cavity. Just being a bit careful means you won't be so messed up and blood covered. I work from rear to front, so the cutting of the diaphragm is when blood starts to pour.

But, you get everything freed up and roll the deer over onto his belly, and when you lift him up, everything just falls onto the ground.

Back in camp: It doesn't really matter, but I've always hung deer by the horns when I skin. I commonly use a stick to spread the chest open for cooling. Gotta take a break for a beer before going back to work.

The main thing, again, is a sharp knife. Keeping tension on the hide as you ease the blade between the hide and the meat helps, although your hands WILL get tired. A regular carpenter's hand saw is a Good Thing to cut off the lower legs just above the lower joints. I'm lazy.

Cutting off the shoulders is a piece of cake and is pretty obvious to a beginner. There are two wondrously tender/tasty muscles lying inside the body cavity alongside the spine. Think "tenderloin". Not real big, but yummy.

The backstrap muscles are pretty obvious, lying along both sides of the spine, above the ribs. Slow and easy gets these long muscles off. There is a hank of sinew on one side; I ignore these and just trim them off after cooking. No different from cutting gristle off steak.

Getting the hams off is the closest to "tricky", but slow and easy and thinking gets you there.

I generally don't bother with the neck meat, although it'll grind up okay for chili or for spaghetti sauce. Depends on where you hit; I happen to like the neck shot, so that's part of why I don't bother...

, Art

 

[Lennyjoe]

The folks above pretty much nailed it down.

Everyone has their own way of skinning deer from hanging by the horns or rear legs to using a tennis ball or come along.

Alot depends on your location as far as processing goes. In WVA we hang the deer after gutting it for a day or so depending on the temp. In Georgia or AZ I gut, skin and quarter in the field and throw the meat into coolers under ice for the trip home.

 

[rust collector]

Just thought of a few little twists that may come in handy. I hope others will chime in with things they've learned.

Always cut deer hide from the inside out. This releases less hair that tends to stick to the flesh, and dulls the knife less because it's not cutting that coarse fiber. Cutting the lower leg off? Run a small blade around with back next to bone to cut the hide away, and a saw will zip through much more easily.

Skinning while the carcass is relatively warm is much easier than after it has cooled down. I haven't tried the golfball trick because it's pretty quick just slitting down the center of the legs, pulling away and cutting the membrane with a knife that has a little sweep to it. I use a gambrel through the hocks, so just work with the help of gravity toward the head. When I get near the skull, knife severs muscle and fascia (cutting outward so vertebrae won't dull edge) and a twist or bone saw severs head attached to hide for disposal.

Chronic wasting disease isn't supposed to harm humans, but I am a little careful with nerve tissue all the same. Any implements that touch brain or spinal cord get extra cleaning, and I wear gloves throughout the process. And don't forget to marvel over the wonderful structural elements that adapt the cervidae so well to our changing world.

 

[1911 guy]

Re-Hash material

like the previous couple guys said: split the chest open. Reach up and cut the trachea from the inside, if you cut the throat your taxidermist will want to cut yours. Don't fool with the glands, they WILL make your good meat taste funny. Cut around all the "goodies" at the rear end. Don't go poking holes in stuff your bullet didn't already as some of that stuff will screw up your meat also. Dump the whole mess out of your deer.
A couple side points, a 4" blade is indeed plenty, I hang 'em head down, but either way is really alright, and don't hang them for long if the temp is over 35 degrees F.
Lastly, I'll share my Ancient Chinese Secret Recipe: Mix 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup white wine and 1/4 cup ketchup for a great marinade in a crockpot with a venison roast.

 

[sumpnz]

I would really like to see a venison marinade receipe that does not involve ketchup. Don't get me wrong, I do like ketchup. Just not on meat (unless it's meatloaf or hamburgers).

 

[erik the bold]

I would really like to see a venison marinade receipe that does not involve ketchup.

I've never seen a marinade receipe that DID contain ketchup......

Although a bit OT, here's what I use:

1 tsp each of rosemary, basil, and thyme steeped in 1/2c boiling water
1/4c lemon juice
1c cola (Coke/Pepsi/whatever)
1/2c Italian dressing
3 tbsp brown sugar

Allow the spices to seep in the water for 3-5 minutes, then mix everything together in a gallon baggie. Add meat, vacuum seal baggie using a straw. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove from 'frig, remove meat from baggie, pat dry with paper towl, cook on the grill or in cast iron skillet (with clarified butter) like any good steak, liberally sprinkled with fresh ground pepper or McKormick's Montreal steak seasoning............

 

[Art Eatman]

Side meat and neck meat and front shoulders were always ground up for deerburger and for spaghetti sauce. Deer meat makes scrumptious spaghetti sauce!

I always barbecued the hams. I'd use whatever was the cheapest barbecue sauce from the grocery, and add "stuff" as seemed righteous. I'd add some butter and Whigglewiggy and oregano or whatever. Never the same from one cooking to the next.

Backstraps are great if sliced about 1/2", rolled in a cornmeal batter (with a little mustard, as one variation) and deep fried. Or, cut the two straps in half and tie the four pieces together with string and slow-bake/roast. Baste as appropriate, just like cow.

The inner tenders come off a charcoal grill just real yummy. No sauces needed, thank you!

I've never used any marinade...

, Art

 

[sumpnz]

Whigglewiggy

??

 

[Art Eatman]

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce = whigglewiggy.

, Art

 

[Dave R]

Have any of you folks heard of, or tried, fileting a deer? I had a buddy tell me that fileting is the only way to handle an elk if you have to pack him out. Basically, you just cut the meat from the bone and leave the bone behind. Don't even have to gut the animal. Do have to skin it.

I don't see how you could get the backstraps without gutting it, though.

Anyway, he pointed me to an internet site that had a diagram for fileting an elk, but that was years ago.

 

[Art Eatman]

You'd have to gut it to get the inner tenders. The backstraps lie alongside the spine, above (outside) the ribcage.

Art

 

[Brian Dale]

Wiser heads than I have spoken already, but here's my bit.

I don't know nearly enough about knives. However, I like a nice, short, sharp one. "Short" is especially handy for reaching up inside to cut the trachea and esophagus. I grasp these with my left hand, up inside as far as I can reach, then choke up on the knife blade and cut just above where I'm holding. I cut carefully -- I want to keep all of my fingers.

I'll amplify something mentioned earlier: field dressing right away is important. So is letting the carcass cool down as quickly as it's practical to do.

Last fall, somebody around here (an experienced hunter) brought one back that they'd field-dressed properly. However, they'd driven it down from the fields on the hood of their Jeep, and they left it there while they had some coffee and made ready to go home. I asked if they didn't want to stretch it out and prop open the body cavity while they sat, so it'd cool more quickly. "No, it should be all right."

The butcher who cuts up their deer every year told them that the meat had begun to spoil, and he recommended that they not have him process it. They didn't. I really hate being right that way, and I didn't tell them, "I told you so" (they told me, in fact; lesson learned, I hope). That doesn't mean that you have to rush the process or get into a panic about the speed with which you handle your deer. Just be as conscientious about it as you are right now with this thread.

Back to happier topics.

Another way to cook the backstrap, and my favorite (not disagreeing with Art, y'understand; it's just another option):

Cut into inch-thick to inch-and-a-half slabs, or as thick as you can get 'em.

Heat a cast-iron skillet to blazing hot, and add a little oil to the skillet. I've had decent luck with canola oil; some other oils might smoke too much. I expect that peanut oil would work, too.

Toss the backstrap "steaklets" cut-side-down into the skillet, cook for thirty seconds on each side, and you're done. You can brown the edges if you want to. Salt and fresh black pepper are all it needs. Sometimes I skip the pepper.

If you don't like ambrosia-quality meat cooked rare, you might prefer a different recipe. Still, please don't even bring steak sauce or BBQ sauce into the room with a good piece of backstrap. If the deer's been properly cared for in the field, the meat's that good.

All the best.

 

[redneck]

I don't know enough about the actual cutting to offer any advice, but I do know knives so maybe I can offer some advice there.
The first place I'd suggest you look is here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=754

I make knives part time and talk with the guys selling there online all the time. Its a great group of makers, and there's something there for everyone. Unfortunately there aren't too many hunters/skinners listed at the moment. If you keep an eye on it though, something will come up. And while some might seem like really expensive collectors peices, there are bargain priced users listed all the time as well. When you get to comparing prices for a knife with good steel and a nice handle material I think you'll find that a user grade custom doesn't really cost much more than a good production knife.

You might also talk to Scott Gossman of razorback knives ( http://www.razorback-knives.com/ ) He's been hunting all his life, and thats what drives his knifemaking. He's makes them to be used hard and last a lifetime, but puts a nicer handle on and dresses things up a little bit. He's got a new woodcraft pattern (after Marbles) that looks pretty sweet. Don't think its on his site yet.

The main things to look for are a 3"-4" clip or drop point blade, thats not overly thick (no sharpened pry bars), a comfortable handle that offers a secure grip, and quality materials. Notice how everyone kept mentioning a sharp knife? You want a knife that will hold its edge well. Nothing is more frustrating than a dull knife.
You have to pick one that works for you. For some folks it can't get any better than the Buck 110 folding hunter, other folks think the only knives that bend in the middle are broken and want a good fixed blade.

 

[bearmgc]

Just had venison stir fry and vegies for supper, good stuff. Can't add much to the field dressing info except that I always skin my deer right after I gut it and get it to the truck. I always carry a bag of ice in a cooler on a day hunt. I put the bag of ice in the skinned carcass cavity for cooling on the way home. I have had to bone out a deer on the spot, after shooting it in a mountain ravine on the last day of a hunt. Meat went into a large lined back pack, and into a cooler. I'm not a trophey hunter and prefer does because I think the meat is tastier. I agree a good sharp knife is a must, but want to add, one that is fairly easy to clean as well.

 

[scout26]

{Homer} mmmmmm....Does {/Homer voice}

Salt and pepper both sides of vension steak. Don M17 Protective Mask and chop lots of Onions and Garlic. Place steaks in glass cake pan on a bed of chopped onions and garlic. Cover with chopped onions and garlic. Put lid on cake pan and put in fridge overnight. Go outside, remove pro mask and allow tears to stream from eyes as you walk into the wind. Flushing with water does not help.

In morning remove pan from fridgeand set on counter. In the afternoon, light a hardwood fire, (Hickory is the best, but Oak or Maple will work, a charcoal grill can be used by heathens). Carefully cook steaks on a grate suspend by a tripod over open flames, swinging and turning the grate so that meat passes through the tops of the flames and lower the grate as the fire dies down. The speissbraten should be almost burnt on the outside and slightly pink on the inside.

Serve with thick Black bread and really good German wine.

 

[1911 guy]

Books and videos

I'd probably go with a standard butchers reference. Unfortunately, too many hunting specific things have a hook to sell you whatever it is they are sure you can't live without and leave out too much info. I can remember watching a video of two guys skinning a deer by pulling on the hide WITH A TRUCK! Kinda shook my faith in beleiving everything I see on TV . As for my previous post with the marinade recipe, I was in no way suggesting you should do tenderloin or steak that way. It does make a tasty roast, though. The wine really mellows everything (including ketchup) and quite a few folks have asked for the recipe after eating my roasts. Not an original with me, BTW. Got it from a cookbook. Just tossed it deer instead of cow.

 

[Fred Fuller]

My advice is, hunt close to places you can drive to. It's a lot easier to pack out with an ATV or pickup at hand 8^).

Some good advice on field dressing so far, plenty more info available so I won't go there.

"As a side question: please recommend an heirloom-quality fixed blade knife for these duties."

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_purpose/hunting.html

A.G.'s 3" Drop Point Hunter is about perfect in my mind for a fixed blade whitetail knife (no mulies on the east cost). You might want to go with the 4" for bigger deer tho. OR you could always go with the Randall Model 26 if you want a _serious_ heirloom...

Stay safe,

lpl/nc

 

[Zeke Menuar]

It just occurred to me -- if I go out on a solitary hunt, as I plan to for mule deer this fall -- I would not know how to field dress/skid/otherwise prep the animal for transport back to camp/home.

I always get tagged to be the long range sharpshooter, but I don't have a clue about how to gut out a deer.

It is good to know there are other folks like Richard and myself out there.

ZM

 

[Art Eatman]

A buddy of mine and I were out about six or eight miles from camp on a mule deer hunt. I got to thinking, "What the heck do we do with a deer if we DO kill the silly thing?"

No problem with gutting. No real problem with butchering, for that matter. The deal is to get some 150 to 200 pounds of Dead Weight back to camp in country you can't drive through. Thank the Lord we didn't know what we were doing, and didn't kill a deer.

Time flies by, whether you're having fun or not, and I learned a thing or two about back-country hunting. My notion was a large, external-frame backpack. Several plastic garbage bags, and an extra knife and a small whetstone, plus a folding saw. Butcher out the hams, backstraps and inner tenders. How much more of the meat you take is a function of how strong are your legs. Cut off the front of the skull for the horns. Cut off excess lower bone.

Head for camp. As you trudge along, think, "Cold beer at camp. Cold beer at camp."

, Art

 

[Phantom Warrior]

One of those little blaze orange bone saws will make splitting the chest and pelvis a lot easier. You can take the point off of your knife splitting the chest, if you aren't careful. A bone saw gets around that problem.