All;
Morning all, I hope that wherever you are reading this that you and those you care about are well.

In the spirit of some of the recent "Have you ever?" threads, I mentioned in an answer that I'd done this a time or two over the decades, so with your kind permission I'll sally forth with the tale.



In the photo, we can see that when I headed into the mountains behind the house on Carly the Appy, I at very least looked the part! Someone once described me as looking like a 3/4 sized Marlboro Man and that sort of fits I suppose.

One particular morning I was out cruising the mountain when I came upon a young fellow standing over a mulie 2 point looking quite lost.

I need to note here that Carly the Appy was part Thoroughbred and she was by far and away, the fastest horse I've ever been on. Our method of hunting was a wee bit like riding a hot dirt bike in that she liked to run and I'd let her! We covered incredible amounts of ground in a short time that way and through the years I learned the spots we'd see bucks and would slow her down there.

Anyways all that to say we came up on the young man in a big hurry!

Perhaps he must of thought I was going to give him what for or something, as he looked a wee bit confused and a tad frightened.

When I congratulated him on the tasty looking buck, he visibly relaxed somewhat, but then said that it was his first and he had really not the first clue as to what to do next.

I chuckled, slid down off the horse and said, "Well this isn't my first rodeo, so hang onto Carly and watch".

He mumbled something about not knowing much about horses, to which I replied, "Hold the end the food goes in, watch the end it comes out and you'll be golden".

Perhaps I should add now that since I've been the community eviscerating specialist since I was a wee lad, it didn't take me long.

When I was done, I cleaned my hands on the grass, took back the reins and asked the youngster if he needed further help?

He said that he had buddies in a pickup down on a dirt road below so would be fine - and so I checked the cinch, mounted up and let Carly Gal go straight into overdrive as she preferred to do.

When I got home and was telling my good wife about the morning, she turned to me and started laughing.

"Can you just imagine," she began, "how his friends are going to react to his story? When they ask how he managed to gut his first deer, he's going to tell some wild story about a little cowboy looking guy who came riding up out of nowhere, hopped off his tall horse, gutted the deer, hopped back on and rode off into the sunset!"

"They'll never believe a word he says again!!!"

Of course I had to admit that hadn't occurred to me......😮

Thanks for reading and all the best to you all.

Dwayne

I have. I've also gutted any deer my brother has shot when I've been with him as, having only one useful arm, it's difficult (but not impossible) for him to do.

Yes, then made them do the next one.

Well --- if you're really sneaky about it, you have the new hunter gut your deer (with direction). Tell them it's good practice....

You gave that guy a heckuva story.😀

I've gutted a few deer for others, including first deer for my son, a nephew and a girlfriend. I also gutted what's possibly my dad's last deer.

You mentioned an Appy/Thoroughbred cross. My wife's aunt had one. Might have had a bit of Morgan mixed in, but I can't remember for sure. Anyway, this horse, Dakota, loved to run and run fast. None of her other horses could touch him, including a much taller QH. I loved riding Dakota and letting him go, especially on stretch of quiet Lake Michigan beach. He would run until I started hauling in on the reins and usually it took about all my strength to get his attention. He would gradually slow to a choppy gate and punish my spine for a minute or two in retaliation for slowing him down.

Good times.

Well heck yea. We skin em too. Always glad to help a new hunter. My old neighbor was a “new” hunter many times, as I processed several of his deer. He seemed more interested in chewing tobacco than working in his deer.

Oh yes.

Sure, deer and elk both. Mostly for youth hunters.

Sure have

I gut nearly all deer shot on my lease.

We only allow a very small group of others out there with us at times so whoever takes one is someone I will be very fond of. Heck half the time I find their deer for them.
I do whatever I can to make it all as big a deal and positive as I can.

I have my own little method that works well and get done quickly and they like watching me do my thing. They appreciate I care enough to do it and will haul it to the processor with them.

I am rewarded by becoming part of their experience and memory. I feel ....venerated. Easily worth the effort.

Good Morning Dwayne,

That’s a great story. I’ve gutted a few for first timers namely my kids. Watch and remember cuz the next one is yours.

Yes, here in south TX it can be pretty warm in winter and fall, so I did it to get it on ice asap.

Great story (and pic too) Dwayne! That's the kind of thread that keeps this an enjoyable site so thank you for posting. And, yes, I've gutted several, just not in such spectacular fashion!

Not me and not a deer....

A buddy of mine came across 2 hunters working on a Roosevelt elk they had killed. The belly was cut open, side to side. My friend asked if they needed some help. They gladly took him up on it, being this was their first kill, of any kind.

After getting it emptied out and splitting the pelvis and removing the bladder....he then warned them of the "stink tubes".....and, to remove them last, so you don't taint your knife, and the other meat.

The then promptly removed them and offered to go throw them in the brush. When he was out of sight.....the tucked the TENDERLOINS into his day pack!

Went back to the kill sight, where he was thanked for his help, and he continued his hunt!

Andy3

Several times. All part of the game!

Years ago my then hunting buddy had been drinking heavily the night before, shot a small buck a bit far back (gut shot).
I head over there and he has started gutting it, but had to stop, he was engaged in an episode of severe puking, I was on the ground laughing so hard.
I had to do it for him.

Yes, for my son, brother in law, and some others. Purpose was to teach them how to do it.

Sure have, and enjoyed it. We were all novices once

Yes and fish too.

Several times I have got youngster started huntin. I gutted their first one to teach them and then made them do the next on.I have also helped elk hunters when I have found them solo by helping skinning and quartering.

Sort had the opposite... my first year hunting as the FNG of the group I was hunting with as a teenager, I had to gut ALL the deer that got plugged that season. There was no new kid the next few years I hunted with those guys, so I never did get the return end on that one.

Nice!

And yes.










and

Only directed and helped never did it for them.

bruinruin;
Morning sir, I hope this finds you well.

Thanks for the reply and the Appy story, it does sound very familiar to me for sure!

We first picked up Carly the Appy for my wife, but they never really got along that well somehow.

Early on when we were out together Carly was being a knot head jigging along wanting to run. Being "that guy" at that point in my life I said to my wife that we'd swap horses and I'd take the run out of the Appy...

Well....

As mentioned I'd been on what I'd thought were fast horses before, so when I kicked Carly into overdrive on the side of the rural paved road we live on, we began to pass things faster than I'd thought possible on horseback. Presently the thought came over me of the stupidity of what I was doing and I began to haul her down. It was similar to what you mentioned, certainly not a smooth or sudden stop with Carly Gal.

When she finally stopped, I noticed my legs were shaking and my heart was racing, so I nicely got off and walked her the rest of the way home as I felt that was the most prudent course - you know, all things considered.

I'm a short fellow, but you can sort of see how leggy she is in this photo, but even that doesn't show how fast she really was.



Thanks again for the reply and thanks especially for bringing up some grand memories of long ago.

All the best.

Dwayne

Yes, and several Elk also

Here gutting is a social event. Rio7

Yes! Both of the deer my daughter has shot, were gutted by me. I keep saying, “you’re doing the next one”…but, we’ll see.😎

Doc_Holidude

Dang! What a skinning shed! And I’m proud of my lean to out back.

Yes, a few

Yes, a few, gutted, skinned and deboned

For kids and when we’re running out of daylight.

Ain’t nobody got time for that crap…

SandBilly;
Good morning sir, I trust you and your fine family are well.

Regarding your last sentence, when I read it, this is the voice that spoke it...



Thanks for the morning chuckle and all the very best to you all this week.

Dwayne

Me too on both accounts. Have a buddy who's a paraplegic. We help him gut simply because we'd run out of water hosing him down if we let him do it.

😆

That’s the exact voice I said it in as I was typing.

My son thinks I’m crazy because I talk to myself. He’s to the point now he stopped asking, “what did you say?” Lol

Enjoyed the story, Dwayne - thanks for sharing! My Dad gutted my first deer for me and I hope to assist my 10 yr old grandson on his first this coming fall.

Nope - you pull the trigger, you roll up your sleeves.

Yep..

All but one of the wife's 10 or so, after 3-4 I refused once as she'd seen it done enough times.
My sons first 2-3.

I don’t gut mine anymore, can load them right on the side by side, haul to camp, pull up on skinning rack.

Good story Dwayne! I've field dressed animals quite a few times for others, including my wife and son. After the first time, my son did his own field dressing, however my wife still asks me to do it. Since she's the cook, I don't complain.

+1, They are close and helping hold legs, etc. I show them how then they have a good idea on the next one.

Taught many - even had to walk a guy through it on the phone once because he didn’t shoot his first until he hunted alone…

That is a great story, Sir!

Thank you for sharing.

I’ve lost count of doing that, Dwayne.

🦫

Dwayne, good morning. I bet that young guy didn't tell the story of the mysterious cowboy. He probably told his buddies that he did it all by himself and that he was a natural born gutter.

I gutted my son's first and second deer when he was 11 and 12 years old. Then I told him that he was on his own. So over the next 18 years he's always done it himself, so I never really watched how he did it. Either I'm not there, or he has it out of the woods before I can get there. A couple of years ago he shot this really nice 8 point and it went for a run and ended up dying near me so I got to watch his technique. I told him that he looked like a monkey f^@king a football. I proceeded to give him a little bit of instruction to make it a little easier and cleaner. You learn something new everyday.

Not only gutted but skinned and also butchered a few times for others.

I dressed my own first deer...I was all alone and had no choice.

Fast forward a few years. My nephew had taken his first and was completely unprepared, having not an inkling. Didn't even have a knife with him. I lent him my knife and offered guidance. He punctured the rumen despite my warnings. Then he struggled mightily with the pelvis. A this, mind you, after listening to him talk for days as though he knew all about these things and had done it many times. I stuck my hands in my pockets and let him do for himself. I learned later he was telling the family how he f'ed up his deer because I didn't know what I was doing.

Mean old uncle that I am, he won't be hunting with me anymore and he hasn't spoken to me in years. C'est le vie.

nope, i have supervised, however.

on my farm if you shoot it, you clean it!

i have some wonderful pictures of first timers with their arm way up in a cavity.

last year my nephew shot his first two deer with my rifle. in about 30 seconds he had both down and i supervised him gutting both then he helped us cut them up also. he can probably do it all now.

best story i did not get to see. my stepson went elk hunting with us and killed a bull. my partner came around the trail just as he was getting ready to make a mess. no, no, dont cut there, we got a better way. and he sat on a rock and supervised the gutless method. even stepson laughs about it. that and me leaving him at 4 am on the trail and telling him to walk up the trail till it ends and hunt. he said it got real dark when i left.

Many...

Great story, Dwayne. While I've never gutted a deer for someone, I have helped friends out, but never ran acrost a stranger needing such help.

Hope you have a great week!

Kids and grand kids, Field dressing I do the first one. Supervise the second. Laff when they describe the third time.

Skinning generally seems to be a communal thing. Whoever is around jumps in and helps.

I am generally the butcher. Usually solo. Occasionally a few hands to help with wrapping and putting in the freezer.

That's what I said! We were all just happy to have a cheap cooler and ice.

That's the method we got going on now.

I grew up with and still hunt some with a guy that loves it but he can't gut nothing without heaving up everything. He will do it if he's alone but when I'm around I do it for him.
He has cut up and bagged a lot of deer for me. If we are hunting together I'll gladly swap a gut job for him processing the rest of it.

I clean my dad's deer and help my wife. My boys will get tutored on the methods, and be set on their own soon enough.

They didn’t work for the kill, they may as well work for the meat.

LOL

“First one is on me” is what I tell any new hunter.

That's a good idea. I just don't want their next one to get ruined due to lack of experience, so I'll roll my sleeves too. I also don't think I will ever allow my wife to clean her own, JMO though.

I have and they figured it would have taken this old man over an hour to drag the deer 400 yards across a field to friendly territory so they missed the gutting part and were in awe of my speediness!

Nope, but I have stood there and coached quite a few first timers through the process. Everyone has to have a first time. It might as well be on the first one they kill.

I have done both their first deer and first hog for all my nieces & nephews.

Gave them all a new Cold Steel hunting knife when I finished. A Mini Penalton model. Told them they get to do the next ones.

BC30cal: At least 80 or 90 times if you count all three species of Deer along with Antelope, Elk, Mt. Goat and Black Bear.
Mostly new Hunters or unsure Hunters in that group but more and more often of recent I am cleaning game animals for my semi-handicapped Hunting partners!
I am NOT the best or the quickest at it but I do not mind doing it.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I gutted every deer my father-in-law killed when we hunted together. After the second or third, I bought him his own knife - he let me use his new knife to gut his deer after that. I got the knife back now.

Yes I have my grandsons first because it was a mastic deer 13pts and didn't want the cape ruined because we had it mounted.

Have you ever gutted a deer for a new hunter?

Yes, I have gutted several for others their first time, two elk as well. I try to do it for someone only once, though I once make exceptions.

My uncle Elmer was the master deer and elk hunter when I was a kid. At twelve I dropped the first deer of the day, a very nice four point. We fiirst drug it down to the base of a gully that we could get his jeep to.

We then tugged its head uphill so it would drain. He prided himself (rightly so, on his skills. After the traditional "watch close, the next time it is all yours" he began.

He liked to open the body cavity in one smooth motion and he did this time as usual. Unfortunately, I had both lung and liver shot it. He was covered to his knees in hot liver blood. He never flinched and completed the work in short order. It then went in the back of his F-Head jeep and we weere off to town heater blazing. Even today, sixty-odd years later the smell of liver blood makes me gag.

As an outfitter I have probably gutted thousands of animals, I’m old. Not long ago while gutting a clients deer I told him to hold the leg. He said “I can’t do that, I’m allergic to deer”. I was shocked and stunned not believing what I just heard as a first after all these years. Then I thought “That’s one smart sob, why didn’t I think of that years ago.”

Texson2;
Good evening to you sir, I hope the day was kind to you and you're well.

Thanks for your post, it's interesting to read about that for sure.

Our eldest who is my main hunting partner has some allergic reaction to deer hair as well, but she just puts on mechanic's nitrile gloves usually.

Stranger - to me - than an allergy to deer, a buddy knew a fairly active hunter who was a vegan. He'd process the meat and give it to people but if he used to eat it, he no longer did.

I'm not sure it wasn't a rare health issue with this chap, but honestly I forget the details of why it was he didn't eat what he shot.

One day I tried to sit down and figure out how many animals I'd gutted in a lifetime of being the group gutting guy. I know it wasn't thousands but I'm fairly sure it's well past a hundred.

Thanks again and all the best.

Dwayne

Yes, I have. My son's first deer, to show him how it was done. That afternoon, he dressed mine.

No! But my wife had to show our new neighbors and their friends how to! I was working nights, and they called for me to help, but the wife didn’t wake me …..she showed them how! memtb

Fun read, Dwayne.

thanks.

I have done more than a few first timers depending on circumstances.

One of my better memories was the complete opposite.

I had the pleasure of dressing Walt Bergers (Berger Bullets) last antelope.

Dwayne,

I've helped several newbies but the most memorable was a chiropractor friend of mine named Loren. He's a really nice guy with what I'd call a good office job. Very sterile sort of guy I guess. He shot that buck (far left) in our late season hunt at the end of Oct. and it was still in velvet. The antlers were rubbery feeling and we called it "the FREAK"! LOL. (Turns out it had no balls.)

I had assumed he would be a bit squeamish but the guy impressed me. Not only was he not weirded out by the blood and guts, but he had a pretty good idea what to do. While we were dragging that sumbitch outta there I started asking questions. Turns out he had a bunch of anatomy classes under his belt and had spent a bunch of time dissecting cadavers in college. Kinda cool.

He helped me with my little buck the next day on the last day of the season.

Depending on what we’re doing I’ll show them how to dress or debone the animal from the first animal. I will also do the job for friends just to be nice and especially for old timers with arthritic hands and shoulders. I’m going to need that favor sooner than later. I’ll also pitch in and help drag deer or help pack anytime.

Did two for a buddies nephew that he shot at dusk with a big blizzard rolling in. Figured we weren’t going to get the truck out of that field if I let him do it. I even surprised myself with how fast I gutted those things. Amazing how fast you can go when you look up and not see the tracks you made not 5 minutes ago. I figured it was a good trade off for having young legs to pull deer out in the future.

best deer gutting knife ever, just don't get your hand, had to get a bunch of stitches once.

I have skinned and broke down deer for folks.

I don’t gut deer.

New hunters. Old hunters.

It’s not the chore some make it out to be.

ESP if you’ve got a nice skinning shed.



Cleaned a deer once for a new guy.

Yankee…..

Cleaned his deer. Showed him how to do it…
After it was done, he offered me part of it. Nah man. I’ve got plenty. Thanks though.

Kept insisting.

“Get you one of those shoulders..”.

Nah bro. I’m good. 😂🤣😂

I have help clean a mess of fish for some folks (after a big haul and before sunset)... but never big game.

Older man showed me how to a skin a squirrel/rabbit right slick once.

Another fella showed me the golf ball technique on hiding a deer about 30 years ago... still do that. Heard tell of an air compressor method, but never seen or tried it.

Took a college roommate on his first hunt, lent him my shotgun, gave him very specific directions on how to get to a good stand (public land), and sent him on his way. I came out of the woods as shooting light waned, and he’s standing in the middle of the road, no back tag, loaded gun. I asked where his deer was, and he pointed in the general direction of the woods, so I told him to unload the gun, put it away, and take me to the deer. So he did. The spot I sent him to was about a 1/4 mile from the car, he took me about a half mile past that through the cedar swamp and some ugly terrain. We did find his buck, which he had shot through the spine (loins) and the shoulder. I asked if he left any edible meat on the small buck, and he looked at me quizzically. I asked him to break out his knife and get to work, he had no knife (back at the car with the gun) and didn’t know how to gut a deer. I told him I’d do it, but he had to drag it. He was ok with that. A few minutes later, the deer was ready, and I pointed out that we were close to a ski trail that led close to the car, and he should drag it there. He decided to beeline it to the car, through the cedar swamp, through the blow downs and rough terrain. It was amusing watching him do that, but he was smoked by the time we got to the car. There’s just no helping some folks, I guess. We processed that deer while hanging it from the third roommates swingset at his folks house. What was left of it fed some broke college kids for quite a while.

Old70

Many times for young hunters. Don’t mind it at all. After that I just observe and assist if necessary. Edk

Haven't exactly gutted a deer for a new hunter, but stood by and directed every step of the way for them to do it themselves. IMO, a much better way to approach it so they can do it themselves next time when no one is around...

First deer I killed with my son present- he was about 10 or 12 at the time. I was cutting away and I said "here, hold this out of my way" and I went back to cutting where I needed to.. a few minutes later he asks "where is his dick dad?" . I said "what do you think you've been holding for the last 15 minutes?"....

Bob

Yes, for the stepsons first. Also gutted a bear for a wife of a friend she killed on one of our drives. It was her first and I just happened to be closest to her at the time.

Never for a total stranger. I have for many friends, once. After once, an Adult is on his own. For the kids, absolutely every time.

I have. I have gutted skinned and cut up deer for many people. If someone kills one I am hunting with unless they want to do it themselves I help.

Always the 1st one for friends, family & Newbs, use as tutorial for moving forward.

Always, if someone asks.

Always for my wife, the deer killing machine !

Deb always helps, holding legs etc.

Once I've gutted & hung, she will help skin & then get in there & clean out the cavity.

Butchering is a social event, we all participate in & thoroughly enjoy !

I have helped many times, my fee is the inner loins the rookies don't think that is to bad it's just a few scraps from the inside I tell them.

I did a cow elk for a good buddy. He was ready to heave watching me. After our AZ hunt in the Cocinino NF, he stopped hunting.

Yes. For my wife and son when he was young. Now he owns a meat cutting business.

Never a deer but I field dressed a bear once for another hunter. He said he didn’t know how to go about field dressing the bear so I did it. I used a Carbonne Opinel No.8 and told him just remove everything you don’t want to eat. I ended up with some bear meat that I turned into sausages.

Nick

Yep. Few hundred times. As others have said, elk too. Antelope, mule deer too.

No possum tho

Yes

Many times for the older over 70 crowd that was on the last lease. Just too easy for me to do it than watch them struggle.

Yep, and it made for a good story too. My buddy’s son was along on his first deer hunt and he was eager to learn, so when we had a deer down I gave him the knife and told him that I’d instruct him how to field dress one. He turned the deer on its back and I said that the first thing we should do is cut around the as-hole He got to work and then thinking to myself that the kid is only ten years old and as-hole was probably not the clinical term that I should have used, so I said rectum. The kid squirreled up his face, dropped the knife and burst out “Wrecked ‘em, how’d I do that?”

Circumstances would have it that I've never had to dress a deer for anyone thus far.

Saying that, most newbies (by far) carry a knife that is far too long for dressing deer. I had one of those sporting bayonets as a kid as well. Never once stuck it in an animal.

These two Barkies are about perfect, with the bottom one with the lead. I don't think I've used a better field knife. Would not be the best for skinning, have others for that, but 2nd to none for hauling guts.

Yes.

I'm gutting less and less. Even for deer, if it is a tough haul to the truck, I'm practicing the gutless method.

I have big hands and like longer blades. I have cleaned many deer with Schrade and Buck folders but much prefer to use knives with 5 or 6 inch blades. Just easier for me to see what the end of the blade is doing.

B.C. Good story. It reminded me of one similar years ago.

In the early days of Pennsylvania muzzleloader hunting, our group of seven only had three muzzleloaders between us all. We were passing the rifles around and taking turns. Deer were numerous back then so everyone was getting shots and learning about the variances of each weapon, each being a different model.

I was taking a turn with a borrowed Hawkin when a herd of about six or seven came busting down the mountain right at me, splitting up, some going on each side of me at close range. I proceeded to miss one at point blank range as the big doe blew by. I was pretty disgusted with myself and the next buddy I came across I passed off the rifle to him and commenting I didn't deserve to carry it after missing one so close. i would go on moving deer for everyone else.

I must add that the night before at camp, a good friend had tipped me to the distance his muzzleloader was tuned to hit where with his open sites. I took good note of that as it was a very nice rifle and was hoping to get a turn with it on game.

So back to me wandering around pushing deer. I came across one of the new guys standing on the crest of the mountain looking down the other side. I eased my way up to him and he pointed to a big doe bedded on a rock looking down the mountain. I asked him why he hadn't taken a shot and he said it was too far. I said just sneak down through the rocks and belly slide out to where he could get a shot at half the distance. He said he would screw it up and handed me that rifle that I had received site instructions. Here, you do it.

Down through the rocks I went and slid out on that rock and shot that deer in the spine, it never moving. The new guy came down all excited at witnessing the whole affair. He was curious as to what happened next. I said this is where the work started. I told him I could talk him through the whole gutting process, as he was interested in learning. He did as instructed. Now what he says. Now we drag it back to camp.

I hooked up a length of cord and he grabbed it and started dragging it off in the direction of camp. That night, after a couple of beers, he went on to tell the whole camp the story of the day.

After his very detailed telling, one of the other guys asked if he heard it all right. So let me get this straight. You gave him the rifle, to let him shoot the deer, and you gutted it for him and then drug it back to camp for him. Is that right? Yep, he says. My bud spoke up to ask if he would hunt with him tomorrow.