How do you field dress?

[finelyshedded]

Here's one for you...

A couple of years ago, I had Matt (he can attest to this) and my buddy Ben come down to bow hunt one weekend. Ben shot a doe one morning, so we got it out of the woods and took it to the spot where I gut all my deer. Ben goes to town on this thing for a few minutes, then whips out his Butt Out tool he picked up. (Right after they came out.) I'm holding the front legs of this deer when he jams that Butt Out tool in this doe, twists, and starts pulling. He pulls like a mother fugger, then starts tugging this Butt Out tool so hard I have to put my weight in to holding her back. The whole time he's stretching skin a good 2' with each tug. We are dying laughing when all of a sudden he stops, get this look on his face like "OH..." and looks us to say: "No wonder it didn't work, I jammed it in the pussy!" rotflmao (Or something along those lines. Regardless, it was fuggin' hilarious!)

Funniest damn thing I have ever seen!!! lol

Actually got this picture over that gut pile...

One of the funniest things I've ever read............PERIOD! LMFAO bigtime! Thanks Jess!

 

[Curran]

One of the funniest things I've ever read............PERIOD! LMFAO bigtime! Thanks Jess!

No shit!! That was funny as hell!!! lmao

 

[Matt]

Jesse, I think that was a different weekend. Ben didn't shoot one when I was down there. I do believe I remember you telling me about that though.

As for my technique... I start with the butt out. Yall can mock it as much as you want, but it's a dirty job that has to get done, either with a knife or this tool. And it makes it simple and clean, so why not? Anyways, I use the butt out and pull a few inches out, squeeze any shit out, and tie it in a knot, no ties or anything necessary (you just have to be careful not to pull too much out or it will tear) Next, I cut the esophagus about 3/4 of the way down from the head (unless I am mounting the deer, then I do it from the inside later.) After that I start by piercing the hide just below the sternum with the tip of my knife, being careful not to puncture too much. After that, I use a gut hook to slice down to the genital region and cut off and remove udder/twigs/berries. The thing that I do differently than most I have seen is how I go into the guts. I have found that a few extra minutes at this stage makes skinning for me (I process my own deer) a lot easier. When I do the initial gut cut, I only lift the hide up and cut into the hide. After that cut, I start peeling the hide away from the gut sack, slicing down until right below the backstraps, maybe a few inches. Then on to the guts. I use the gut hook again to cut open the abdominal muscle. Once it's cut open, I dump out the intestines, etc... After all of that is cleared out, I pierce the abdomen with the tip of my knife and then push my hand up as far as I can reach on the esophagus and pull , which if I made a good cut earlier, everything should pull out all together. If it's a buck, I will gude my knife up and cut as high up on the esophagus as possible. Once I pull all of that out, I reserve anything I might want for cooking later (heart, liver) and at that point, the job is done.

 

[Matt]

Also, I don't like cutting into the pelvis simply because it usually causes a bit of meat waste in the area, and I like to avoid as much of that as possible.

 

[rrr]

Next, I cut the esophagus about 3/4 of the way down from the head (unless I am mounting the deer, then I do it from the inside later.)

You do this before you open up the deer? Like slit its throat kinda thing?

Learn me, or describe it so a dumbass can understand....

 

[Matt]

Yep, I do it before opening it up. I was taught that the esophagus can rot quickly (this could be wrong, but it's what I was learnt!), so I like to remove it as much as possible. So, I just grab it through the hide, and cut, either by going the traditional Hollywood throat slash, or stick the blade in behind the esophagus and cut outward.

 

[rrr]

You're crazy....not sure about the rotting thing....I've never heard it before. Not sure what the difference in time would be between doing it that way and the (regular?) way...like in that video in my first post to this thread or like you said if it's a buck you're going to mount.

 

[Matt]

Well, rotting or not, since I don't split the chest open it makes removing the esophagus/lungs real easy.

 

[finelyshedded]

I just pick the deer up and slap it over my knee. The guts go a shootin out the asshole. Pretty slick method if you ask me!:smiley_coolpeace: Seriously though, I do it pretty much like most ya'll.

 

[rgecko23]

I never save the heart and liver....any good? I'll eat most anything out there but thats getting into thh cow tongue, pigs feet area for me...

 

[jagermeister]

I never save the heart and liver....any good? I'll eat most anything out there but thats getting into thh cow tongue, pigs feet area for me...

I've had deer heart several times, but never liver. Heart actually tastes a bit like liver... kinda rubbery, but it's good stuff. We have a tradition at deer camp. If somebody kills a deer, the heart is saved and we cook it up that day/night with onions and eggs. It's very good.

 

[jagermeister]

Yep, I do it before opening it up. I was taught that the esophagus can rot quickly (this could be wrong, but it's what I was learnt!), so I like to remove it as much as possible. So, I just grab it through the hide, and cut, either by going the traditional Hollywood throat slash, or stick the blade in behind the esophagus and cut outward.

I've never heard of that one either. I just reach all the way up through the abdomen and cut the esophagus and trachea from the inside every time. If the insides aren't blown to smithereens, the heart, lungs, organs and digestive tract all come out in one pull.

 

[Matt]

To each his own. Like I said, I don't split the ribcage, so making that cut means all I have to do is reach up with one arm and yank. No worries about slipping with the knife.

 

[huntn2]

I've never heard of that one either. I just reach all the way up through the abdomen and cut the esophagus and trachea from the inside every time. If the insides aren't blown to smithereens, the heart, lungs, organs and digestive tract all come out in one pull.

I do it as JBrown does with the exception that I start with pulling the lungs, heart, liver esophagus then do the anus. Either way, the cutting is about the same in that I don't cut through the pelvis or go above the sternum. Just roll uip the sleeves, reach in and pull everything out. For the chest cavity, besides cutting through the abdomen, and diaphrame, the knife is only need to cut as much of the esophagus out as possible.

As for the heart and liver. We save them for my father-in-law if possible. I haven't had the liver but we usually have pickled heart which isn't bad.

 

[rgecko23]

I've had deer heart several times, but never liver. Heart actually tastes a bit like liver... kinda rubbery, but it's good stuff. We have a tradition at deer camp. If somebody kills a deer, the heart is saved and we cook it up that day/night with onions and eggs. It's very good.

I think I heard somewhere that the heart smells like steak when its cooking...

 

[Matt]

I usually cut it into strips, so a light flour breading and fry in butter.

 

[1hornwilly]

This thread turned awesome. Butt-out tool in the wrong hole, stab em in the neck to cut the esophagus, eat their heart. That is what I learned.rotflmao

Actually, some good thoughts in here. Thanks fellas.

 

[Jackalope]

If I'm letting it hang for a while, I cut the entire esophagus out of the neck all the way to the bottom of the jaw. you would be amazed at the blood and organ parts that are in the esophagus even when hanging upside down.