Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Field dressing without gutting?

I remember seeing some instructions/photos on how to do this. However, I cant find it.

Might someone have a link to this information?

Grady, I don't have a link but I've done it a number of times on elk. You must skin the animal first on the ground starting at the head/neck area. Then once one side is done you must roll the amimal over to do the other side. Now start taking off the quarters. The backstrap and the neck meat are next. The tenderloins are tricky however. You really need to see this maneuver done the first time by someone who has done it a time or two.

I do it all the time but I call field dressing gutting. however, I hang deer buy their feet, skin them to the neck, quarter them, cut out the straps and sneak in for the tenderloins and then pull the cape back up over the body cavity to haul them off. the only time I "gut" them is if I plan to hang them overnight.

In Idaho,we call it the poachers cut as most poachers just cut off the quarters and run.Many ways to do it depending on how your Elk,especially,have fallen.Sometimes there is no other way than just to start cutting off quarters so a single man can move it.

Here is a pretty good link on one way to do it.
http://home.att.net/~sajackson/guttless1.html

Jayco

One thing I don't understand about this and one thing I want to point out.

How do you get all of the tenderloin out without having blood and guts from your nose to the tip of your knife finger when reaching into the body cavity to cut the loins loose? It would seem a two handed job.

Also, for those of you who hunt in Idaho, the game and fish people require ALL useable meet to be removed. That specifically includes the meat between the ribs.

I don't have any problems cutting the meat from between the ribs using this method. When you cut from the outside, it's almost effortless to get all the gettable meat.

The key to the tenders is to have the animal pointed down hill "just so" so the whole gut pile ends up away from the meat. HTH, Dutch.

This is how we do our moose. Skin one side completely, then remove the front shoulder with neck meat attached, then remove the hindquarter and back strap After that's removed you can "roll" the rib meat off in one piece and don't forget to remove the skirt meat which is on the inside right near the last rib. Once the ribs are done you can remove the tenderloin. Do the same to the other side, it's actually a pretty easy and clean way to cut up very large game animals. Deer I just gut and haul out whole unless i'm miles from the truck or camp.

Rolly, I contacted the Idaho F&G and specifically asked about their "rib meat" statement. I was informed they meant the brisket and that it wasn't necessary to remove the meat between the ribs. It wasn't an "offical" response so I fear the regulation is left to the interruptation of the officer.

With the animal lying on its side, remove the tenderloins gently push the pouch way from the ribs. (I always complete this task after removing the backstraps) Reach in with your fingers and push the visera away from the tenderloins and locate both ends. Then reach in with a blade with your finger on the full length of the knife back - up to the point and slice the tenderloin at both ends. Use your fingers to remove the tenderloin from the backbone. I was surprised how well this works and that they may be removed without getting into the "blood and guts"

I do it sans guts........

I'm a long way from clear on why anyone would want to "field dress without gutting."

Because sometimes you have to back-pack even a deer out of the woods. It may be too steep or too much jungle to drag one even with help. Packing a deer can be done in two loads even for someone that's 61 like me. Some of the younger guys on the fire can probably pack an entire deer in one load. I do my boning at home though where I can be more careful and clean about it and not in the woods.

Well that makes sense. I had'nt considered that.

Course gutting a deer in the woods is the only way I fly, only takes an extra 12.5 seconds.......

Youper, I've never done this in MN. either. I have been able to either use a plastic sled, two wheel dolly, snow machine, ATV or a truck. But out west in elk country, we've used it quite often. It makes for a minimum weight pack job for a horse or a human.

Grady,

That the only way I do it any more. Less mess, and you really don't lose any meat.

Unless I'm capping a mount out, I hang my deer from the head. Just a slipknot around the neck and hoist it up until you can just reach the head.

Make a small slit on the neck, gut hook it down to a hide leg shank, and skin it out.

We take the shoulders, hams, back loins and then fillet the flank meat off the ribs, neck and brisket. And I have about mastered removing the tender loins by going through the back, below the ribs.

All the guts stay in the cavity. Caution: Becareful not to break the bladder while removing the hams.

You can bait up some preditors with the leavings.

For me, it makes as much sense to gut a salmon before filleting it.

I have only used this on antelope and because they are small and loose-hided it is real simple and fast. Also, antelope slip their hair so badly that if you have game bags or something clean to put the quarters in it is much cleaner than gutting. You can put the quarters away before you mess with tenderloins.

I did it on two elk last week. I skin one side, take the quarters off it ,turn it over, skin the other side and remove those quarters. After sinning one side, I start at the brisket and fillet it right down to the back bone, brisket, front shouder and loins come off in one piece. Then do the rear quaters. I cut the tenderloin out asmentione dabove. When all done, I flip each side and take the rib meat that is not shot up.
If you take your time, you do not lose anymore meat than if you did it at home

The state of Alaska fish/game recommend this way and actually have a dvd that you can buy for $10 or so from them on how to do it. They do the gutless thing on a moose if I remember right.

Never done it myself, but seems like it would be a neat way to try.

J

I did a side by side comparison on two elk a few weeks ago. this method is better for those who are gonna need to haul a load on their back. the other is pretty good for those with more time and horses or quads. I like the gutless for its ease of field manuvering and the gutted for the less cuts in the field....less chances for dirt, flies and dry meat. as for the t-loins it is totaly doable after it is taken apart if you did not gut shoot it. just push the sack away fron the loins and carefully remove them. once you get that far it reall ain't too tough.