No Gut Method

[flannelman]

Yep it really does make a difference. I killed a 10 point buck several years ago and decided to take it to the taxidermist. When I went to pick the finished work up there were two real nice bucks hanging on either side of mine. They both had better mass and wider spreads than my 10 point did. I was admiring them when the taxidermist came over to see which one I was picking up. I told him and then commented on how nice the other two were. He agreed but said he thought mine was the best of the three. I asked him why and then he bagan to point out things to me about the quality of the hide that the other two lacked. He said he could tell that I took really good care of the cape after I killed the deer. I told him all I did was throw the head and hide in the freezer as soon as I got it skinned out. He said that was the best thing I could have done. He told me the other two had probably ridden around in the back of the truck all day before they ever saw even a bag of ice. I killed that buck at about 7:30 in the morning and had it in the freezer before 9 am.

[dianalv]

Did you salt the hide before throwing it in the freezer?

[flannelman]

Nope, I just rolled it up and threw the whole thing in the freezer as soon as I was finished with the meat.

[fyimo]

We always immediately gut our game after the kill and then try to get them to camp to hang and skin as quickly as we can. Sometimes like last year when my son shot a cow elk three friggen miles from the truck and no road we sometimes after gutting have quarter them to get out. Other times we cut them in half right in front of the hind quarters and drag each half a few 100 yards and then got back and pull the other half to the first and repeat until we done. Depending on where the Elk is down we take everything but if it's remote we leave the rib meat.

In Colorado if you don't take out the meat they will issue you a citation for waste of meat. They did to a guy three years that was hunting in our area. He shot a 6x6 and caped it out and took out the rack and cape. Then he a two buddies went back and took out the two hind quarters and back straps and left the rest. A guy who talked to the shooter called the division of wildlife and took the ranger to the carcass. He asked who shot it and the guy told him the guys frist name and described the elk rack. The Ranger called town and the Taxidermist said the guy had just brought in the rack an hour ealier. The ranger went their and got his information of the hunting license and where he was staying and went and wrote him up and he received a large fine and enough points that he won't be hunting in Colorado any time soon.

[flannelman]

Here is a pic of that buck...He is a little dusty so please overlook that.



The taxidermist said amount the hair in the ears was one indicator of how well the hide was taken care of. He said hides that did not go into cold storage quickly will lose most of the hair out of the ears.

[dianalv]

Nice buck! And a very pretty mount.

Yeah, I can't stand it when someone wastes meat or doesn't take care of it. I try to use everything. Have my hides done with hair or without, or donate them to a guy who makes ceremonial drums with them. Used to know a Malaysian guy who would take the hooves and sex organs (you don't want to know). What scrapes I don't use for hamburger/sausage gets made up for the dogs with brown rice and chicken broth. Pretty much just the guts left behind.

[questor]

This is a gutless skinning and deboning method on the Big Island of Hawaii of a pig.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gU7T...eature=related

[GMFWoodchuck]

Originally Posted by Terry_P

Thats the backstrap and the tenderloins are in the inside of the rib cage at the backbone. I'm 62 and understand the chore of field dressing but want to get all the meat. The largest animal I have killed is a Caribou so haven't gotten an Elk sized animal a couple miles back in. If I did I would likely use your method and get most of the edible meat out.

YEah, the tenders are on the inside.....Plus, for those who eat heart and liver this is worthless as well.

[Powderhorn]

Here in NH I believe its required by law to gut the deer, and leave the gutpile. Many times a Conservation Officer (game warden ) will ask you to show him the gutpile.

I have always gutted, because that is what I was told I had to do. I also leave skin on and age the carcass by hanging a couple days before butchering.

[45nut]

I love this thread because it's filled with people exited about the MEAT and taking care of it.

Since I hunt in Texas and it can be 85 or 90 on opening day, I have always gutted immediately in hot weather. If a norther has blown through I will hunt a little longer and gut, skin, quarter and drop it into the ice chest.

In Texas, you can only quarter in the field, but I have a friend that uses the no gut method and you can get the Tenderloins out using this method. I don't care how big or little the deer is, the Tenderloins are going with me.

Typically, within the hour my deer is gutted, skinned, quartered and on ice. I keep my quartered deer in my ice chest and drain it once keeping it below 40 degrees and bone it out the 3rd or 4th day. I bone out the front & hind quarters one night and grind and package the other night. I can bone out a hind quarter in about 45 minutes and then it's ready for packaging. Front quarter takes about 20 and it's ready for the grinder.

I'm not a big heart fan, but I keep the livers from my does and it tastes wonderful.



Venison tenderloin, venison liver, sauteed mushrooms, corn and asparagus. Mmmm Mmmm good.

[dianalv]

Not a big heart fan either, but we always eat the liver in deer camp, first off. It's very good when it's fresh, but not so good after it's been frozen, for some reason.

Dang. I'm hungry now. Grilled fresh deer liver and sweet onions. Got to get me some soon.

[Bubblehead]

I'm new to deer hunting and have this question. Do you drag the deer to your truck before field dressing? If not, I assume you would have to take precautions to keep the cavity clean while hauling it out. What precautions should be taken? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I've never done this before.

Thanks,

John

[questor]

The following is cut and pasted from General Hunting Laws in Maine, it is also my understanding that everyone in the lower 48 should follow these guidelines.



A CAUTION ON LIVER AND KIDNEY CONSUMPTION.......The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the State Bureau of Health recommend that the liver and kidneys of moose not be eaten because of possible contamination with the heavy metal cadmium.

Also, recent studies have shown smaller amounts of cadmium in liver tissues from Maine deer, and deer, elk and antelope from other States. Maine health officials recommend that deer liver consumption be limited to 0.8 pounds in one sitting and 1 to 1-1/3 pounds per week. Human symptoms of acute cadmium poisoning include severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps and salivation. There is no known health risk from eating moose meat or deer meat.

[Big ugly]

Oh i gut but also carry an electric knife with me. Say what you want but this bad boy is the cats meow in the field.

[questor]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead

I'm new to deer hunting and have this question. Do you drag the deer to your truck before field dressing? If not, I assume you would have to take precautions to keep the cavity clean while hauling it out. What precautions should be taken? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I've never done this before.

Thanks,

John

Of course the following is my opinion: You immediately field dress with the goal of cooling the cavity. In this day in age with chronic wasting disease and lyme disease, all hunters should wear gloves. Upon field dress, you can then drag it to your vehicle.

If the temperature is less than 45, I would age the deer for a day or two with the skin on. (of course this would be a bitch with a large animal i.e. Moose, bear, caribou, elk etc).

If you hang the deer (45 or less) it is important to irrigate and air out the body cavity. If available the garden hose works well as propping the body cavity open with a stick or whatever. If at a hunting camp, don't use the stream water to clean the cavity, use clean rags etc.

[Suwannee Tim]

Funny what it does to the flavor of venison to ride it around in the back of the truck all day, the day being a typical 80 degree Florida November day.

[Big ugly]

I wouldnt actually those deer in your neck of the woods Tim, They look more like dobermans with sticks glued to their heads.