Field dressing - break the pelvis or no?

[jagermeister]

How is it worse to collect some leaves, twigs, grass or dirt than leaving behind those “tidbits”? Like you said, we aren’t scraping food off of the inside of the carcass in either case. I’m removing ALL the guts, and especially the asshole before I move deer an inch. For me, splitting the pelvis and the sternum makes this easier and quicker and less messy. To each his own. Some people still hang a deer by its neck to skin and butcher, which I’ll never understand.

That’s a very good point. I can’t argue with that logic.

 

[jagermeister]

Always take the ass out. Have a little saw just for the job. Why leave it in? Just because most have them in at the processor tells me that a lot of people don't know what the fuck they are doing. The reason it's at the processor in the first place.

That all comes out regardless of what’s done to the pelvis. At least, for me it does. First thing I do when dressing a deer is ring the asshole and vag, then pull a foot or two of rectum/colon out the back, and cut that off. Then after I unzip the abdominal wall and pull, it all comes out together.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I've been thanked by every processor I've ever used for bringing my deer to them "so clean". Unless it's getting mounted, I cut through the sternum and always cut through the pelvis. My deer get sprayed out and very seldom drug anywhere after being gutted. All the deer killed on our property are drug out, guts intact, to a location far from any hunting spots. They're gutted there, then transported by sled/ATV to the hose, then hung up to drain before being taken to the processor, or quartered and hung in our meat fridge.

There's no real right or wrong here, it's situation dependent. Frankly, I'd rather open up both bone structures and know I got everything, than skip that step for fear of a few leaves. If I had to drag one a mile through the woods, I might think differently, but in nearly every situation I find myself in with a dead deer, I'm opening them completely up.

 

[Jamie]

We don't have to drag a deer a mile anymore in Ohio. I can tell you for certain that if I did not have wheels and/or help, I would not "drag" a deer more than a couple hundred yards today, especially in hill country. We can quarter and carry them out now.

 

[xbowguy]

I split the pelvis with a 8" hatchet. I don't worry about debris.... soon as it gets here, it gets blasted out with water, scrubbed with a nylon brush and dried out with paper towels.

 

[Buckmaster]

I personally don’t mess with the sternum or pelvis. My knife cores out the “Dustin”.

 

[Gern186]

Butt out tool is actually effective if you choose not to split the pelvis. I choose to not stick something up a deers ass before gutting it so I cut the pelvis and pull everything out below it. Then wash the entire chest cavity out before hanging it.

 

[Curran]

@jagermeister does it the right way. I also do it this way because I do things right. Any other way is wrong. End of the debate.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Processing my own deer I dont split the pelvis at all. I debone everything and age in the fridge so im not worried about a bit of intestine/colon. Occasionally ill saw the pelvis when hanging to finish deboning on the table but usually dont.

 

[giles]

After 30 replies I think it comes down to 2 things.

1. Cool the meat as fast as you can.

2. Keep it as clean as you can.

 

[Quantum673]

I do not split the pelvis and I do not split the sternum. I do use butt-out tool. All deer get the water hose as soon as I get them back. Not only to rinse out as much junk as possible but also I think it gets the meat cooled down faster with the cold water.