Re gutless dressing: I started a few years ago, and have done one big bull and several cows. It's nice not to wade through the guts and blood. It isn't any harder than gutting them as far as moving them around,as you only skin one side out first.
I first start, after skinning that side, by cutting along the brisket line, then filleting everything along the front quarter up to the spine, and then run a knife down along the spine, freeing up everything, cutting the loin at the same spot as if you were cuting acroos the spine at about the 1st full rib.
CDOW has been reccomending not taking the neck becsaue of trhe CWD. The only thing this leaves is the meat between the ribs, which isn't much, and mostly grissel anyway.
After I have that front quarter removed, I fillet down the spine , and around the pelvis to the hip socket and cut that quater free. The hard part here is following the pelvis at the point it flares out.
With 1/2 the elk gone, it's fairly easy to roll it over and do the other side.
Then you are left with spine, head and hide, adn paunch.
Carefully,with the carcass onit's side, with a skinning knife, not a pointed blade, you push the paunch in so you can run the knife up along it , along the top side of the tenderloin, and under the vertebrae. Reach in and grab the tenderloin and it pulls out fairly easy. Haveing an extra person along to keep the paunch psuhed in helps a lot.
I then cut off the lower legs at the knuckle with a knife.
If you are back packing it, you can then remove the rear leg bones, cut the front shoulder away and debone it . I pack on mules, so I leave the bones in until I process it.
I can pack a medium cow on one mule if it's not harsh terrain or far. With a bigger bull. I use two mules.
I cut the hind quarters in major muscle groups, and cut into steaks or roast, cut the loins into steaks and grind everything else.
