Noob question: after the deer is dead, then what...

[rolokatz]

first the intro - I'm 46. I've never hunted. I've lived in nice, safe suburbia all my life. my 19yr old has decided it's time to go hunting. He's acquired a compound bow and a shotgun. My job will be to help him navigate his way through this odyssey, from Hunter training (IL state requirement), permits, etc., through field dressing, packing it out, and finding a processor. If i'm lucky, he'll invite me along and I'll get to share his first hunt, and make it my own first hunt as well...

I know I can get a handle on the paperwork. There are two parts to this that I need help.

The first: What do you bring with you when you are 'day hunting'? we've a local state park that's 20 minutes away. What does he/we need to bring withonce we walk away from the car?

The second: It's the field dressing and packing it out of the woods and getting it to the processor. What are the minimums, and what are the 'this will make it a WHOLE lot easier' items and techniques?

So who's got the best books or videos so i can start to understand how little I know about hunting?

And if you're in or near Kendall County in IL, and willing to meet, the coffee's on me...

Thanks!

 

[tnelson31]

Start with where to shoot it:
http://www.rubsnscrapes.com/Articles/deer_shot_placement_anatomy.php

I have seen many different ways to field dress a deer. Example:
http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/deer_field-dressing.pdf

In my opinion, you want to keep the meat you want to keep as clean and moist as you can. So I keep the incision as small as possible and reach into the deer to cut and remove the esophagus. I avoid cutting any container--intestine, stomach, bladder etc--and that includes reaming out the rear end. I zip tie the end of the line to not have crap come out.

I have read that you can ice the meat to get the blood out (less gamy flavor) but I have not done that. I have slit the throat when the heart is still beating when I get to it and that dumps a lot of blood out of the deer.

So to that end I bring water, zip ties, a fillet knife, a jack knife, a couple of ziplock bags and some hand wipes. I also bring a rope and a plastic drag/sled thing.

I hate (hate hate hate) intestines as they make me nauseous so I hold a thumb down in a fist when I am doing all this to not get sick.

We butcher ours after registering so we know what deer we're actually eating, plus it saves some money.

 

[Bailey Boat]

As my Grandfather once told me about processing a deer; "get a real sharp knife and cut away anything you don't want to eat". Been working for me for almost 40 years now...

 

[Patocazador]

rolokatz: It's impossible to list everything you might need to take with you. Hunting involves as many ways to deal with success as there are hunters .. almost. Some are minimalists and only carry a length of rope or strap and a lock-blade knife. Others have a whole dressing kit with rubber gloves, rectum removers, wheeled carts, winches, ad inf.

You HAVE to have a sharp handy knife that won't fold back on your fingers and that's it, if you're young and strong. You add other things to suit you and your needs or desires.
I carry a safety strap/harness that serves as a deer drag. I also use rubber gloves for hogs but not deer. If you have CWD up there, then use them for deer too. I also use a GPS because trailing a wounded deer sometimes puts you in an unfamiliar area. (In some cases it may even be closer to your vehicle than where you shot the deer so it can save you some effort.)

Try to tag along with an experienced hunter or two and observe all you can.

 

[matrem]

Dad made me field dress all my own & help cut up deer as a teenager, but he was right there for the first couple.

If I were starting now on my own with no experience or experienced mentor, there are no shortage of folks in the know that have good videos on youtube.

 

[sage5907]

rolokatz, if I were hunting a new area for the first time I would look at the area before the season started and I would locate a place to park that is near the outside boundary of the property. Then when you walk away from the vehicle stay just inside the outer fence and that way you can follow the fence back to the vehicle. It also works to follow a power line, etc. The easiest way to get a deer out of the woods is with a 2 wheel cart and you can find them at the outdoor stores. After you remove the entrals of the deer you tie the deer to the cart and take off walking. If there are two of you it's relatively easy to go 1/2 mile or more. Dress in layers so you can remove a layer as the day gets warmer. Don't buy any garments that pulls on over the head because you can't open them to cool down. Carry all of your gear in large coat pockets instead of some type of pack. Take 2 small AA cell flashlights. Carry a pair of latex gloves in your pocket to use when gutting the deer.

 

[DM~]

Noob question: after the deer is dead, then what...

Carefully split it up the belly to the chest, take/cut out and throw away anything you don't want to eat and then drag the rest of the deer out.

Pretty simple, eh?

DM

 

[rondog]

Start surfing YouTube, there's TONS of videos there on every aspect, from scouting to cooking.

 

[matrem]

take/cut out and throw away anything you don't want to eat and then drag the rest of the deer out.

You're not going to eat the spine, the head, or the skin.
It's pretty hard to learn things like that from just words..

Just watch some youtube videos if you have no experience, or know nobody that does.

 

[Patocazador]

Even if you think you know how to field dress a deer, learn from a hunter how to do it.
I graduated with a minor in Biology so I knew how to dissect animals and had dissected a human cadaver before I killed my first deer. That was terrible training for processing a deer. It takes me twice as long as any of my friends because, as someone told me, "you cut him like you're going to put him back together again."

Learn from a seasoned hunter. They get it gutted, skinned, and cut up twice as fast as I do and use methods that are very practical.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

there are as many ways to gut and cut as there are hunters. practice is what makes perfect. help yur buddys when they get a deer down and get them to help yu. thats how i learned

 

[DM~]

You're not going to eat the spine, the head, or the skin.
It's pretty hard to learn things like that from just words..

Not really, I told a new hunter that was with me that same thing one time, he said it made sense. He shot a deer a few days later, opened it up and took out everything he didn't want to eat and drug the rest of the deer to camp.

When I got back to camp that evening he told me again, that it made the job easier and made it easy to get it done...

Maybe he had some common sense to go with it???

DM

 

[bad_aim_billy]

As my Grandfather once told me about processing a deer; "get a real sharp knife and cut away anything you don't want to eat". Been working for me for almost 40 years now...

Classic. I'm gonna have to steal that one. Pretty much what I do lol.

 

[hartcreek]

You will need them shoulder length gloves as bubonic plague is on the rise. Do an online search and find yerself some videos. I welded up a deer cart and carry a drag with me but I also pack a small block and tackle just in case I have to hang it up in a tree and come back with my cart or my OHV as I am a disabled hunter.

You also need to check out thrift stores. I have a nice meat pack and several pack frames that I got cheep at the GoodWill so I have alternatives.

I carry a pack with calls and food and water and a whole bunch of emergency stuff just in case I have to camp out. My pack is at the cabin right now otherwise I could just dump it out and make you a list.

 

[Field Tester]

Wow, member since 07' and your first post?!
Best if luck to you and your son!

 

[buck460XVR]

I suggest you go small game hunting beofre you attempt to hunt deer. Hunting squirrels takes many of the same techniques that hunting deer does. Gutting a squirrel/rabbit is basically the same as dressing a deer except smaller. Hunting small game in the area you intend to deer hunt will also familiarize you to the area and will show you how much pressure the area gets from other hunters. Public land on opening day of deer season can be an eye opener.

I too suggest using Google to find detailed explanations/videos as to how to field dress and butcher deer. Much better info than one could give you here. Basically you don't want to stick your knife into the stomach/intestines or bladder for obvious reasons. Otherwise, opening them up and takin' everything out is a good synopsis.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

I know that you said "after the deer is dead", but quality ammo and arrows can't be stressed enough. A good sharp 4 inch knife (too big of a knife is unwieldy and complete overkill), I don't use a folder but if you choose to use one make sure it is good quality and locks in place. A strap to drag it out is good to have. It sounds like obvious advice but really familiarize yourself with your hunting area before the season starts. It's pretty easy to get turned around while tracking a deer (in my experience you will end up tracking a lot more often while bow hunting). If a handheld GPS is in the budget that's great, if not make sure that you have cell service in the area you hunt so you can use google maps. When hunting an unfamiliar area I always throw a compass in my pack as well.

As said earlier, youtube is a great resource to learn how to field dress. Here is a video I found on youtube that I sent to a friend who is out of state, and wanted advice on field dressing when he first started hunting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKm42ql7NSw

There are tons of threads on this site about what hunters bring with them for a hunt. Lots of them are specific to the kind of hunting you do. I hunt on my own property from a tree stand. I bring a knife, my rifle and books or magazines to occupy my time. Everything else I need isn't more than a mile away.

There are tons of gadgets that retailers sell to make the field dressing easier. If you think they will work for you, give them a try. Honestly, a good knife is all you need.

p.s. I do subscribe to the "pack the meat in a ice" theory.

 

[yzguy87]

Welcome to THR! (Wow! Just saw you've been a member since '07 and this is post #1!)
I'd recommend checking out YouTube for how to info on gutting a deer. It's not hard. Probably will be a little awkward at first though.

Ranger Roberts, I died laughing when I read your sig line!

 

[3212]

The first thing after opening the abdomen,I press down on the bladder to empty it before proceeding.There are instructions everywhere,but I haven't seen this mentioned.

 

[twofifty]

Good tip on the bladder, I'll give that a try. I've heard that urine really spoils the meat.

Rolokatz, don't forget that your jurisdiction may require that the carcass retain proof of the animal's sex attached to skin that was not removed. Oftentimes this needs to remain until the carcass reaches the processor's premises, or your home.

Skinning, hanging several days covered in cheese cloth in a cool place, then butchering on a clean piece of plywood (with arborite cover is best) can quite easily be done at home - if the weather allows and you have a garage. It is not hard to do: just cut the roasts, steaks, backstraps & tenderloin as a butcher would do a cow. You can de-bone the meat instead of sawing the bones.

If you do it yourself, you'll know the meat your family is eating was properly taken care of and not mixed with someone else's gut shot deer that was tracked for 5 hours on a warm day.

 

[1911 guy]

Start small. Everything you need to know about hunting east of the Mississippi you can learn squirrel hunting. And everything is easier to learn if you have a mentor. Check the sticky at the top of the hunting forum for anyone near you.

ETA: Scout26 is in Illinois and has his contact e-mail in the hunting mentor thread. Even if you meet him once or twice, that's better than nothing. If fortune smiles, he lives ten minutes from you and can walk you through a season.

 

[redneck]

Most of my hunting is done over farm ground right out my back door and for those hunts I pretty much just take my gun/bow and knife.
Have a small pack that fits on my belt or the hammer loop of my bibs that always has:
a pair of shoulder length gloves (not required but you stay so much cleaner)
permission to hunt form
hunting license
tags
a pen
zip ties for attaching temporary tags.

I never would have thought to buy this little pack. My nephew gave it to me and it really is more convenient than trying to keep track of everything in pockets and what not. You will change layers alot as the season progresses and you never want to leave with your license in that vest you left at home.

I try to do at least one trip a year to hunt public ground for a day or two, mostly just to enjoy a hunt where I can wander around and not just sit in a tree stand. Always go during bow or muzzle loader season when its not busy, and try for more remote areas.
When I go on these day type trips where I might hike 5-10 miles I carry a backpack. I believe it was labeled as a 3 day assault pack, if that gives you an idea of the size. Its a little bigger than needed, but it has straps on the sides that let me carry a 3 legged stool and a heavy coat. I take the coat off when walking, and put it on when sitting.
Inside the pack I always have:

Small 1st aid kit
2 bottles of gatorade, some food
extra mags for my CCW
flashlight with extra batteries
100ft 550 cord
orange surveyors tape
dry shirt
dry socks
stuff to build a fire (ferrocium rod, water proof matches etc.)
small sharpening stone
small pack mentioned above with license etc.


This may seem like overkill to some but I have seen guys who carry this much to go to their mail box too, its all relative. I haven't had to drag a deer any long distances yet, but I can see where adding a sled or cart could be helpful depening on terrain. I think I would plan on tagging the deer, marking the area with some tape and then going back to the truck with my gun and extra gear and coming back with the cart/sled. If there are 2 of you together though you don't have to double up on everything and maybe one can carry the cart or sled along and not do the extra trip.


As far as field dressing and processing. I like a knife with about a 4 inch blade, but make sure it has a fairly fine point on it (a buck 110 is a good starting point, I prefer a fixed blade though). I had to teach myself and I am not the fastest but it really isn't a race. Watch a couple youtube videos to get a general idea and then you will just have to figure out what works for you. I gut mine with them laying down. The videos where guys are cleaning them in camp on a hoist won't help you much since you're going to have to drag them out of the woods. Its nice if you don't have somebody around to hold the back legs apart to use a piece of cord and tie one leg to a tree to keep it out of the way.

I do my own processing. I never let them hang for more than one night. My opinion is that aging them really isn't needed, and is a bad idea if you don't have an actual cooler where you can control climate. You don't want them to hang there and freeze solid, and you don't want to have them freezing over night and thawing during the day over and over either. If you have a processor who can hang them in a cooler and age them like beef then that is a different story.

Small game hunting is a lot of fun too and should not be overlooked.

 

[eastbank]

THE VERY FIRST THINK YOU MUST DO IS, is jump up and down,let out a loud yell and high five any body around. then go poke the deer in the eye with your rifle barrel.then and only then can you procede to field dress you deer. eastbank.

 

[geo57]

" After the deer is dead then what.... " ?

This is always my favorite part of the " then what " and has been for 30 years .

Tonight's supper of venison tenderloins grilled to perfection.

 

[bldsmith]

Geo, That just makes me hungry.