The gutless field dress

[Jordan Smith]

It takes me as long to gut/dress as it does to debone an animal, but deboning has the added benefit of already having the animal broken down into muscle groups, which is easier to do when the carcass is warm, rather than having to do that in the garage after the animal has hung. Butchering the meat straight off the animal and aging it in the "meat fridge" in the garage, with the meat already broken down, is the pinnacle of simplicity and efficiency.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

For me it's all about the steel I have two d2 steel knives one at 59 Rockwell and one at 61 they both hold an edge amazingly. I can cut through fur and hide like nothing and on a bull elk or moose they are usually rather dirty.
I usually can go a whole season without sharpening my knives, one year my 59 RW d2 skinned and quartered 6 moose 2 elk and a deer...... I don't need replacement blades and can actually use the knife in an aggressive matter!!

I won't pack a knife made with steel that is not easy to sharpen and will not hold an edge, just not worth it!
Cat

[Lefty-Canuck]

The more surface area you create in the field the higher the chance of contamination.

The more surface area during the aging process the more it dries out.

Every butcher shop I have been around hangs halves and quarters for aging....there are reasons for it

Some things to consider.

At the end of the day no matter what method you use as long as you are happy with the product.....how it gets there is irrelevant.

LC

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

How much time do you save by not gutting? 10-15 mins?

LC

Yeah probably it's also nice to not have a big puddle of blood to be stepping in.
Being that 95% of my animals are in the bush or along way from vehicle access I always use to gut then breakout the fronts and hinds then back straps and tenders then go grab every other chunk of meat it was really a lot of work for only tenders and they are pretty simple to get out gutless.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I won't pack a knife made with steel that is not easy to sharpen and will not hold an edge, just not worth it!
Cat

Unfortunately easy to sharpen usually means dosent hold an edge.
I prefer a knife that will take me 5-10 min at home to sharpen and know I won't need to in the field!

[livinthedream]

Huge advantage on a big game animal when you break down into quarters and muscle groups in the field is the rapid cooling.

[Flatlandliver]

Was introduced to gutless many years ago by a friend visiting from up north. It was the way they do it up there. I prefer to leave the hide on till I get it home just to keep it as clean as possible. Remember all the rules about evidence of sex/species and not leaving edible meat (this can become a issue as certain CO's may have differing opinions on what that is). Can start a whole other thread on those bloody Havalons etc. takes some practice not to break a ton of blades. The old Buck 119 works great for me.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Unfortunately easy to sharpen usually means dosent hold an edge.
I prefer a knife that will take me 5-10 min at home to sharpen and know I won't need to in the field!

Yup I consider five to ten minutes easy as well!
I was given a Finnish made Marrtini last year for s gift and although I am not a fan of straight trailing blades this one is fantastic!
Cat

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Yeah probably it's also nice to not have a big puddle of blood to be stepping in.
Being that 95% of my animals are in the bush or along way from vehicle access I always use to gut then breakout the fronts and hinds then back straps and tenders then go grab every other chunk of meat it was really a lot of work for only tenders and they are pretty simple to get out gutless.

You must be a messy boy Mike

I guess growing up the son of a butcher I take a lot for granted. I had a lot if exposure to met processing.

LC

[hunter1993ap]

ok heres where you guys lose me. the only thing different I do from you guys who swear by the gutless method is pull the guts out. myself I can pull the guts out of a deer in five minutes, and not much longer for an elk. my dad is twice as fast as I am. I'm not sure how this makes taking care of an animal so time consuming?? we pull the guts out so they are out of the way, and quarter the animal just as you guys are saying. but this is not some new thing. we have been backpack hunting for a long time and always prep the animal to be packed the same way. I prefer to work on an animal with the guts out, but am not totally against gutless as it does have one advantage, and that is a gutshot animal. I was raised by a butcher and these are just my opinions but I don't get all the hype around leaving the guts in the carcass.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by hunter1993ap

ok heres where you guys lose me. the only thing different I do from you guys who swear by the gutless method is pull the guts out. myself I can pull the guts out of a deer in five minutes, and not much longer for an elk. my dad is twice as fast as I am. I'm not sure how this makes taking care of an animal so time consuming?? we pull the guts out so they are out of the way, and quarter the animal just as you guys are saying. but this is not some new thing. we have been backpack hunting for a long time and always prep the animal to be packed the same way. I prefer to work on an animal with the guts out, but am not totally against gutless as it does have one advantage, and that is a gutshot animal. I was raised by a butcher and these are just my opinions but I don't get all the hype around leaving the guts in the carcass.

Why take out the guts? Why worry about contaminating the meat with feces, urine or cud?

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

You must be a messy boy Mike

I guess growing up the son of a butcher I take a lot for granted. I had a lot if exposure to met processing.

LC

Not messy I actually pride my self if the care I take and quality if my meat. Granted a halved animal is better to work on and obtain certain cuts of meat sometimes though when 10 km from the nearest road packing out a whole animal or 300 lbs of spinal, ribs and brisket is just too much work.

We pack all our hinds and fronts in canvas bags and then all steak cuts left are removed and packed in there own bag then the neck and other "sausage trim is packed in its own bag.
That's my process I'm sure this is similar to any others aswell.

[Dunezilla]

If I was hunting Moose & Elk I would go the gutless method but since I hunt only deer then I keep them whole. I don't need to drag them far.

[Lefty-Canuck]

My comment was sarcastic about the giant puddle of blood you mentioned

I have no doubt you take great care while processing game.

LC

[thumper]

I've been using the gutless method for the last 10 years or more. The older my knees and back get, the more I like it.
Other considerations I haven't seen mentioned are the ecological benefits of leaving the messy bits where the animal was taken - going back into its environment from whence it came. This also lessens the possibility of spreading diseases around the province from disposing of wildlife bits far from where it was taken (CWD perhaps?)
Also for the urban hunter, it greatly reduces the problem of disposing of butchering 'left-overs'. Double wrapping a skeleton in green garbage bags and disposing of them under cover of darkness in urban garbage bins - to be buried forever in a landfill can't be as environmentally beneficial as leaving them in the animals environment. Worse still is throwing them in a ditch.

The Alberta law about keeping all 'edible portions' is too open for interpretation in my opinion. I'm not fond of tongue or organ meat. I like the B.C. regs which stipulate "the edible portions of the four quarters and loins", as the legal minimum.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by thumper

I've been using the gutless method for the last 10 years or more. The older my knees and back get, the more I like it.
Other considerations I haven't seen mentioned are the ecological benefits of leaving the messy bits where the animal was taken - going back into its environment from whence it came. This also lessens the possibility of spreading diseases around the province from disposing of wildlife bits far from where it was taken (CWD perhaps?)
Also for the urban hunter, it greatly reduces the problem of disposing of butchering 'left-overs'. Double wrapping a skeleton in green garbage bags and disposing of them under cover of darkness in urban garbage bins - to be buried forever in a landfill can't be as environmentally beneficial as leaving them in the animals environment. Worse still is throwing them in a ditch.

The Alberta law about keeping all 'edible portions' is too open for interpretation in my opinion. I'm not fond of tongue or organ meat. I like the B.C. regs which stipulate "the edible portions of the four quarters and loins", as the legal minimum.

I agree with your points. Just have to drive around the outskirts of Hinton (or any town) during the season to find piles of discarded carcasses, often with garbage bags, paper towel and rubber gloves left in the pile from the slobs among us.

[Triple droptine]

What does everyone do in regards to tagging the animals that are done with gutless and deboned in the field? Could the tag be stuck through the Achilles tendon? For a deer leaving the hind leg bones in is not too big a deal but if you are packing a moose a long ways there are some benefits to deboning it right on the spot. A piece of the scrotum can be left on easy enough but the tag??

[thumper]

Originally Posted by Triple droptine

What does everyone do in regards to tagging the animals that are done with gutless and deboned in the field? Could the tag be stuck through the Achilles tendon? For a deer leaving the hind leg bones in is not too big a deal but if you are packing a moose a long ways there are some benefits to deboning it right on the spot. A piece of the scrotum can be left on easy enough but the tag??

For me, fussing about with the tag is what takes the longest in 'doing the gutless'.
I leave a strip of skin on the hind quarter that includes the tag at one end and the scrotum or udder on the other. Often this is the only 1/4 I take home 'whole', or 'bone-in' to simplify the tag issue.

[Jordan Smith]

Originally Posted by thumper

For me, fussing about with the tag is what takes the longest in 'doing the gutless'.
I leave a strip of skin on the hind quarter that includes the tag at one end and the scrotum or udder on the other. Often this is the only 1/4 I take home 'whole', or 'bone-in' to simplify the tag issue.

The tag can be affixed to the meat itself as long as evidence of sex/species is attached to the same piece of meat. No need to keep skin or bone for the purpose of attaching the tag.

[Pathfinder76]

After doing it both ways, the bone stays in if at all possible.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Jordan Smith

The tag can be affixed to the meat itself as long as evidence of sex/species is attached to the same piece of meat. No need to keep skin or bone for the purpose of attaching the tag.

Are you sure about that? That is not my interpretation.

[Full Curl Earl]

That right there makes criminals of plenty of folks I know. I would definately argue it in court due to the silliness factor, but it's pretty clear there.

[Flatlandliver]

Originally Posted by Full Curl Earl

That right there makes criminals of plenty of folks I know. I would definately argue it in court due to the silliness factor, but it's pretty clear there.

The quote from the co I talked to said it would depend on which one of us was checking you. Hows that for consistency. He also said he thinks they are reviewing the tagging regs.