We gut back at camp for the most part, but we're set up for it.
First off, let me say that if we have a deer that's down in a ravine and there's going to be any delay it getting it out, we gut in place before transport. That is maybe 10% of our deer.
The overwhelming majority are dropped where we can get to them easily with the truck. We radio for a pickup and somebody drives out with the deer wagon. We have the deer back to the meat pole in under 30 minutes. We have a hoist and lift the deer out of the truck, head up, and gut. Some folks say this is backward, but I learned how to gut from a guy from Alabama. From what I've discovered, this is a Deep-South thing. If you need to empty out a carcass in a hurry, this is the way. Everything goes into a washtub and then the carcass is dropped back into the truck for transport to the processor.
The big consideration is speed. We have a processor that fills up quickly on The Opener. It's a half-hour drive to get there. Therefore, we need to be quick about it. We have been able to get 2 down after sunset and have both out to the processor before they close for the evening with 45 minutes to spare. It keeps the interior cavity spotless.
The other benefit is that we have the meat pole lit and the gutting tools are all right there.
Yes, we do have gut buckets to deal with, but that's fairly easy as well. There is a hillside a few hundred yards from the house. We take the bucket out and dump it on that hillside.
