Question For Hunters

[Adamjen15]

I don’t know how often this happens, but I know it has happened 3 separate times to me. You go hunting with one of your buddies and you know they have killed several deer before. But they kill one and don’t know how to gut it or anything. Two of the guys actually admitted that they didn’t know how. The other guy wanted to drag the deer 3/4 of a mile and not gut it, just so he didn’t have to admit it. I don’t mind showing people how, but it just makes you wonder what would they do if they were by themselves. Has this happen to anyone else?

 

[mfoster]

You would be amazed of the people that take them to processer to gut.i no longer gut in the field,just load and go to skinning rack and clean with out gutting.

 

[InTune]

I never gutted a deer unless I were going to hang it in a cooler. We had a hoist in camp. Pull the skin off the back and legs, quarter it and remove back straps. Leave the skin on the belly. Throw it in a cooler, pour bout half box of salt on it, ride to the store and get a bag of ice

 

[karlvv30]

I never gut in the field anymore. No need to feed the yotes.

 

[mfoster]

I never gutted a deer unless I were going to hang it in a cooler. We had a hoist in camp. Pull the skin off the back and legs, quarter it and remove back straps. Leave the skin on the belly. Throw it in a cooler, pour bout half box of salt on it, ride to the store and get a bag of ice

Tell you another little secret if you have access to running water.put water hose in cooler and let it run over for about 10 mins and whatever hair on meat will float to top and over cooler.then you have washed it and ice it down.

 

[Adamjen15]

I agree you don’t always have to. But on these 3 occasions we were gonna have to drag some heavy bucks a long ways. I’m just not gonna drag a deer over a mile without gutting it. Makes it about 40 lbs lighter. Shoot a couple of years ago I was hunting by myself and shot a big body buck and gutted it and still had a whale of a time loading it in the truck. Lol

 

[Bonecollector]

I’m lucky I guess when I was young my dad showed me how to do the whole process down to cutting all the meat and throwing it on ice. All while in the woods. Country boy can survive ****ers. Tell them city boys to YouTube or google it LOL that’s what they do!

 

[InTune]

Made the mistake of gutting one then had to drag it thru the creek. That was some gritty meat

 

[rbstern]

I come from a family with no hunting background. Literally, zero hunters before me. I knew I could bring a deer to the processor without gutting, figured I would do that so as not to make a mess of it or myself, and watch the processor to learn a thing or two about butchering a deer.

I shot my first deer the opening day of primitive weapons season. A 4 point buck, and he probably weighed about 130 lbs. I was in a fairly steep valley. Started to drag him. Uphill both ways of course. Wasn't gonna get that done by myself, in that terrain (I now own a drag harness that makes that chore much easier). Went and got my ATV. Couldn't lift that boy onto the rear rack. The "dead weight" thing really does matter. I could probably do it today, but when I shot that deer, my back was balky, and I just couldn't get enough oomph under him.

So what'd I do? I took the "How to Field Dress a Deer" instructions out of my hutting pack, which I had printed and put n there the week before. And then gutted the deer. After that, I was able to lift him onto the ATV.

When I got to the processor, he said it's actually easier for them if the deer isn't gutted. I explained the predicament, he chuckled.

I haven't gutted any of the deer I've taken since then. Certainly would, if I had to. It's just faster to get them in the truck, and the processor is 30 minutes away.

Not sure why people are afraid to admit they don't know how. Books, the internet, everything you need to know about almost anything is online. DIY self-instruction is fun. Just be careful with the knife.

 

[Adamjen15]

I know the processors around here charge $30 just to gut deer. That’s why I gut and skin them myself. But I agree if you can get your truck or 4 wheeler to them, no need to gut them. But I usually kill my deer like a mile or two away from the truck or on wma