Looking for guides in field dressing, butchering

[tnanh]

Get a gut hook. Not expensive and the best tool you will ever get for gutting a deer. I have several but prefer my Gerber with replaceable razor blade. The ones on the back of a knife are difficult to sharpen for me.

 

[Bone Collector]

Here is a video on butchering probably tons out there.

 

[DaveB]

There is a best tool in your Hunting inventory thread someplace and I pictured the Butt-out.

I have the Gerber w/razor blade and it is invaluable-much better than the gut hook style because it never gets dull.

Here is a link shows what it looks like

Gerber E-Z Zip Gut Hook Tool

Designed for gutting and skinning big game. Uses standard utility knife blades so it will never need sharpening and replacement blades are more than easy to come

www.wingsupply.com

 

[megalomaniac]

If you use anything more than a small pocket knife with a 2.5in blade to go from a whole deer to boneless quarters in the cooler you are making more work for yourself than needed.

 

[catman529]

There's not a set "right" way. Just try not to pop the guts or get their contents on the meat. I used to cut through the whole brisket but now I just cut to the tip of the sternum and reach up in there and cut the wind pipe and pull the vitals out. Takes a little practice to gut one cleanly without popping something, you gotta get your hands dirty and learn as you go.

As for butchering, I learned that too through trial and error. First deer I killed I did one side at a time laying on the garage floor. Since then I've used a gambrel which makes it a lot easier. I've got a video somewhere on YT on how I butcher a deer. Nothing fancy, just separating out the quarters and trimming some fat and silver skin. Assuming you want some ground meat, I'd recommend a stout grinder like the LEM Big Bite series or something comparable. The small kitchen grinders don't have enough torque and tend to get hot and bogged down. The good grinders will eat meat as fast as you can cut chunks and feed it. And they will grind up any silver skin too. I use the fine grind plate and grind once, works really well.

 

[7mm08]

Here is a good guide on field dressing. The most important thing is to have a very sharp knife!


Also, there's a channel called Deer Meat for Dinner..he has several skinning and cleaning videos...here's a line to one.


Bearded Butchers has some videos too. Just some things you might like to check out.

Starting at the butthole first makes no sense...... he contaminants his knife with crap and then proceeds to cut into the deer. Kind of like wiping your butt with a spoon and then eating your soup with it!!!!! Ha!!

 

[DaveB]

You killing me 7.

 

[T. J. Mercer]

1) use the sternum to get a good opening cut, b/c you don't risk puncturing the guts. You can slice against it without fear.

2) before I began using a gut hook blade, I'd shove two fingers in that initial hole, and carefully slice between them, pulling the skin away from the inwards, working my way toward the rear. It took a couple of minutes. The gut hook does it in seconds. And the little dull protective tip prevents you from making a stinky incision into stomach or intestines. There's a reason they call them zippers.

3) smaller deer not only eat better (more tender and less gamey taste), they're significantly easier to dress out. The tissue holding the diaphragm and gut bag in place gets thicker and tougher the older the deer gets. If I could, I'd only hunt yearlings. I'd rather harvest two yearlings and field dress and butcher two deer for the same amount of meat, because they dress out and butcher so much easier, and they taste better. My point is, if you can, take a small deer first, if the opportunity allows. Less meat, but easier learning.
If you do, know that those (inner) tenderloins will only be hot dog sized.

4) lastly, if you love venison, great. If you're pallette is relatively inexperienced, learn what makes the meat gamey. If you like it gamey, go kill an old buck. If your wife & 4 children don't, like mine, know that blood, the silver lining, cut of meat and age contribute to the flavor. My favorite cut is the back strap off a yearling or doe. Hind quarters i dice up for various dishes, whereas many butchers will slice this into nice bone-in steaks. But if you're doing it yourself, drain the blood on cold/ice water. It usually takes 2 to 3 days. When the water remains clear (keep changing it out), it's ready to wrap. Other ligaments and fat can cause flavor issues. But I think they can also help preserve the meat better, so learn from trial and error there. If I think I'll keep it frozen for a while, I might let it stay and trim during meal prep. Otherwise, I typically trim it before I wrap and freeze it.

 

[philsanchez76]

Others said it, but my # 1 issue was my knife wasn't sharp enough. And when it was, it would quickly dull cuz I was clumsily hitting bones. Got a Havalon knife last year with disposable scalpel sharp blades and it made gutting, skinning and butchering 10 times easier.

 

[Headhunter]

Starting at the butthole first makes no sense...... he contaminants his knife with crap and then proceeds to cut into the deer. Kind of like wiping your butt with a spoon and then eating your soup with it!!!!! Ha!!

I agree with your statement in theory, except you have never seen me gut a deer. I start at the butthole and I have gutted a "couple" deer. I can gut a deer in 3 minutes, a friend actually videoed me a couple years ago and when I gut a deer it is a nice, neat, clean job and zero meat is contaminated.

When you gut a deer, you are not butchering it, you are getting the guts out. Other than the tenderloins, if you touch the meat when gutting, then you are doing something wrong.

 

[Headhunter]

Others said it, but my # 1 issue was my knife wasn't sharp enough. And when it was, it would quickly dull cuz I was clumsily hitting bones. Got a Havalon knife last year with disposable scalpel sharp blades and it made gutting, skinning and butchering 10 times easier.

A good sharp knife is a must, but if you are hitting enough bones to dull your knife you are doing something wrong.

 

[Safari Hunt]

Wow! Talk about a timely thread! Lots of good info here and mentions of videos, etc. for the task. Hoping to get a deer this year...maybe this afternoon. My question is how to remove the bladder without spilling the contents. Thanks for the replies and for replying to this question. Good and safe hunting!

 

[philsanchez76]

A good sharp knife is a must, but if you are hitting enough bones to dull your knife you are doing something wrong.

Haha yes it was called being a total newb! I've processes 12 deer now and have gotten much better. But I still learn something new every time

 

[philsanchez76]

Wow! Talk about a timely thread! Lots of good info here and mentions of videos, etc. for the task. Hoping to get a deer this year...maybe this afternoon. My question is how to remove the bladder without spilling the contents. Thanks for the replies and for replying to this question. Good and safe hunting!

Bladder is connected to all the other guts, so as long as you don't pierce it with your knife it shouldn't spill. Only open ends are the butthole and the esophagus. Everything else is sealed in between those 2 points.

 

[Safari Hunt]

Thanks. I guess the "secret" is to think before cutting.

 

[Mag]

Here is a good guide on field dressing. The most important thing is to have a very sharp knife!


Also, there's a channel called Deer Meat for Dinner..he has several skinning and cleaning videos...here's a line to one.


Bearded Butchers has some videos too. Just some things you might like to check out.

great video

 

[Omega]

Cabelas wrote a great article on the butchering portion, I hope it is useful to some of you.

 

[WTM]

ive given away a couple of this video to members but i dont have any more. its only 13 bucks and well worth, it has everything you need to know.

Kentucky Afield Deer Processing DVD

A complete guide to Deer Processing. Field dressing, skinning and deboning your deer or other large game. Plus how to make the best cuts and the best way to store you meat in the freezer.

secure.kentucky.gov

 

[7mm08]

Bladder is connected to all the other guts, so as long as you don't pierce it with your knife it shouldn't spill. Only open ends are the butthole and the esophagus. Everything else is sealed in between those 2 points.

I use one of those short T saws to do a sternotomy ( saw up the sternum ). Takes one minute and the I can easily get trachea/esophagus ( basically the entire mediastinum) what we call it. Then cut the diaphragms and keep working it back. The final is another saw between the pelvic bone and the bladder and the final colon/Anus are easily removed.
Too much anatomy over the years. I love field dressing. No issue with cutting an artery and the patient crashing...... it's already DEAD! Ha!

 

[backyardtndeer]

When I started processing our own I bought a book from Monte Burch. Thought it was helpful then (probably over 20 years ago) but have not looked at it in a long time.

Gutting your deer the first time, take your time. I have seen guys that have been hunting all their life cut themselves. A gut hook is nice to have but not necessary. I usually use my gerber gator folding knife or one of my guthooks to open the deer up then a smaller knife inside the cavity. Bigger is not better inside the cavity, it is easy to knick or cut yourself if not careful.

Skinning and quartering you want a sharp knife. A good fillet knife is helpful for getting the meat close to the bone when cutting out the backstraps and inner loins. A cordless recip saw for cutting bone is helpful, bimetal blades work well.