Field Dressing Tips

M

mtnmutt

New member
Mar 2, 2014
682
Do you have a field dressing tip?

I have never field dressed an animal or watched someone in the field do it. I have only watched videos over and over again, plus I practice using visualization.

No matter the distance from the car, I plan to use the gutless deboning method. I could never find an external pack frame that fits me.

My field dressing kit:
  1. Havalon knives:Tracer (blades: 22A & 60XT) & Torch (blades 60XT, 60A & 22XT-blunt blade).[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  2. Channellock micro pliers for safely changing knife blades.[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  3. WY saw for removing antlers[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  4. Paracord and reflective guyline for hanging meat and to move the elk for field dressing[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  5. 2 MSR Ground Hog tent stakes for when there are no trees nearby for holding legs up[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  6. 2 lightweight pulleys for hanging meat or extra leverage for moving the elk[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  7. 5 Caribou meat game bags[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  8. Orange ties for attaching tag to one hind quarter and marking outside bag that has the quarter[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  9. Ziplock with baking soda for ivories[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  10. Food grade citric acid and collapse spray bottle[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  11. Chili powder[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  12. Nitrile Exam Gloves XS[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  13. Compactor bags[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  14. License and pen[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  15. Window shrink film for laying meat on[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
  16. Checklist, so I do not forget something[/*:m:2yw2sj1t][/list:eek::2yw2sj1t]
    The tips I have heard:
    1. When removing hind legs, position the head downhill to get gut away from ball and socket[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
    2. When removing tenderloins, raise the butt up on a log or rock to get the gut away from the tenderloins[/*:m:2yw2sj1t]
    3. Use either food grade citric acid solution or chili powder to keep flies off meat[/*:m:2yw2sj1t][/list:eek::2yw2sj1t]

      Still searching of a fixed blade knife. May purchase a Helle knife. Purpose is for removing ivories. Havalon blades are too weak for the task.
 
A lot longer list then I carry, but you\'ll certainly get it done with your list.
 
True, it is a long list. Since I don\'t have experience, I decided to first take that stuff and see what is really truly needed to get the job done. I am not that strong, so I need some gadgets to make up for my lack of strength. Trial and error. All the items are lightweight except the WY saw.
 
I learned something.

I\'ve got a bunch of \"extra\" MSR groundhogs ... I\'m going to throw 1 in my \"kill bag\". That\'s a great idea, and very light. Probably not needed if you are with someone, but alone, might just be nice to have.

The gutless method is the way to go, if you ask me. You\'ll have a hard time screwing up ... just take your time.

My tip when teaching this method: Cut like you are separating the bone from the muscle, not the muscle from the bone, and you\'ll do fine. In other words, I \"pretend\" to remove the skeleton, rather than the meat.

Thanks for the tip about the MSR groundhogs!
 
I carry some unscented wipes with for cleaning up and a zipplock to bring them back out. We don\'t have much water for clean up in our area.
 
I have the essentials in my kill kit with the added item, hand sanitizer. I have a bad habit of chewing Skoal and the thoughts of craving a dip while elbow deep in a carcass makes me cringe. I will use the Purell for such instances.
 
I carry:

a knife, a small cable saw (for skull plate)...and 4 pairs of large ladies panty hose. That\'s pretty much it.

All of it weighs practically nothing, and packs down super small.

Gutless method, skin one side, and lay the hide out as you remove quarters to provide a clean surface for meat removal. Then flip the animal and do the other side, repeating the process.

I take one pair of panty hose, tie a knot in one leg near the crotch, and cut off the leg below the knot.. This is the bag for one quarter. The cut off leg is used for loin and neck meat.
4 pairs does one bull perfectly. I tie off the knuckle on a quarter I\'m not packing out with paracord, and hang it against the trunk of a spruce tree in the shade. I pack out on bone usually with an external frame.

In reference to downhill/ uphill...sometimes you have little choice. This bull was killed on a very steep oakbrush slope. There were no flatter benches we could slide him down to, so we were forced to tie the antlers off with paracord to keep him from sliding downhill. It wore us out quartering him up on that steep slope!

So, in a nutshell, flatter is better if possible!
steepslope_zps20aab498.jpg
 
\"elkmtngear\" said:
I carry:

a knife, a small cable saw (for skull plate)...and 4 pairs of large ladies panty hose. That\'s pretty much it.

All of it weighs practically nothing, and packs down super small.

Gutless method, skin one side, and lay the hide out as you remove quarters to provide a clean surface for meat removal. Then flip the animal and do the other side, repeating the process.

I take one pair of panty hose, tie a knot in one leg near the crotch, and cut off the leg below the knot.. This is the bag for one quarter. The cut off leg is used for loin and neck meat.
4 pairs does one bull perfectly. I tie off the knuckle on a quarter I\'m not packing out with paracord, and hang it against the trunk of a spruce tree in the shade. I pack out on bone usually with an external frame.

In reference to downhill/ uphill...sometimes you have little choice. This bull was killed on a very steep oakbrush slope. There were no flatter benches we could slide him down to, so we were forced to tie the antlers off with paracord to keep him from sliding downhill. It wore us out quartering him up on that steep slope!

So, in a nutshell, flatter is better if possible!
steepslope_zps20aab498.jpg
Click to expand...

Jeff, How well does that cable saw work on the skull cap?. MtnMutt could cut down a lot of weight if that works. She could leave the Wyoming saw behind.
 
Terry,

It takes a little elbow grease, but it works fine.

Hardest part is getting through the first layer of cortical bone, but then it zips through pretty well.

It helps to skin the hide back a little from the skull plate.

Fastest way I\'ve ever seen it done was with a hatchet...but I\'m not packing that!
 
How do the panty hose protect against bugs?

I\'m assuming you\'ll answer \"Better than you\'d expect\" ... yet ... they seem a little flimsy for that purpose. (For holding the weight, I\'m sure they\'re fine.)

Also, what aisle in the grocery do you find them? I don\'t think I go down that aisle that often! :shh:
 
\"Deertick\" said:
How do the panty hose protect against bugs?

I\'m assuming you\'ll answer \"Better than you\'d expect\" ... yet ... they seem a little flimsy for that purpose. (For holding the weight, I\'m sure they\'re fine.)

Also, what aisle in the grocery do you find them? I don\'t think I go down that aisle that often! :shh:
Click to expand...

John,

Never had any fly blow, or chunks taken out by meat bees. They are extremely tough.

I try to get JMS brand, size 4x (those are made for enormous ladies) :wtf: I get them at KMart or Walmart usually. A 4 pack costs about 12$

Roll them all the way up to the toe, insert knuckle on ham, and start rolling and stretching downward, until you get over the fat top of the ham. Then, stretch the remainder out and tie a knot in it. Neat and sweet, and disposable! :upthumb:

If I can manage to get in the 10 percent club this Season, I\'m planning on doing a demo vid :cool:
 
Great tips.

Yes, I would like to leave the WY saw at home, especially for my backcountry deer hunt.

Jeff,
I could tie the antlers off to a tree to keep the head from moving around. What brand cable saw?

Back at camp, I also have a spray bottle of bleach & water for cleanup and sanitizing. Plus, I carry the hand sanitizer as already mentioned.
 
We use bleach and water to wash hands for cooking/cleaning, but when handling meat I use vinegar. It is a natural disinfectant and cleanser
 
\"mtnmutt\" said:
Great tips.

Yes, I would like to leave the WY saw at home, especially for my backcountry deer hunt.

Jeff,
I could tie the antlers off to a tree to keep the head from moving around. What brand cable saw?

Back at camp, I also have a spray bottle of bleach & water for cleanup and sanitizing. Plus, I carry the hand sanitizer as already mentioned.
Click to expand...

Pat, I think I\'m using this one right now (They\'re cheap, I have several stored in a couple daypacks)
https://www.austinkayak.com/product...68ufBRDt0Zmrn4W_8AwSJADcjp1c0eRDJ91_xBNqKtBtJ
 
Gotta admit ... I\'m not a neat-freak.

Sparing the guts, the inside of a healthy animal ought to be sterile. Messy, for sure, but I\'m not worried about contagious illness. I long ago quit worrying about blood on my hands, or dirt on the meat.

I try to stay \"clean\" but \"sterile\" is too much to ask for in my camp. I often use nitrile gloves, but that\'s really just so that I don\'t transfer sticky blood to my insulating gloves, or my steering wheel, or whatever. They keep my gear clean, in other words. Likewise, I\'m not too worried about transferring bacteria from me to the meat, though I suppose it\'s possible.

Let\'s just say that if I take some meat that has been on the ground (so it\'s got a little dirt on it) and hang it in a tree for a while (so that it has exposure to whatever other dirt blows on it) and then strap it to the side of a horse or toss it in the back of my pickup -- well, I\'m not going to be using hand sanitizer just because I sneezed and I\'m worried some respiratory pathogen will end up on my dinner table.
 
I think the most likely place to \"infect\" (really, it should be \"colonize\") your dinner is during the processing phase at home.
 
\"Deertick\" said:
Gotta admit ... I\'m not a neat-freak.

Sparing the guts, the inside of a healthy animal ought to be sterile. Messy, for sure, but I\'m not worried about contagious illness. I long ago quit worrying about blood on my hands, or dirt on the meat.

I try to stay \"clean\" but \"sterile\" is too much to ask for in my camp. I often use nitrile gloves, but that\'s really just so that I don\'t transfer sticky blood to my insulating gloves, or my steering wheel, or whatever. They keep my gear clean, in other words. Likewise, I\'m not too worried about transferring bacteria from me to the meat, though I suppose it\'s possible.

Let\'s just say that if I take some meat that has been on the ground (so it\'s got a little dirt on it) and hang it in a tree for a while (so that it has exposure to whatever other dirt blows on it) and then strap it to the side of a horse or toss it in the back of my pickup -- well, I\'m not going to be using hand sanitizer just because I sneezed and I\'m worried some respiratory pathogen will end up on my dinner table.
Click to expand...

I\'m coming out of the canyon nasty. I earned it! :clap:
 
I too am more than grubby after cutting up a critter. part of the deal. Saw a cable saw at walmart for about $4.
 
This is what I carry in my freighter pack: game bags, two knives including one for skinning, cord, Wyo. saw, water to drink and if any is left over, to wash my hands of when done. If I plan to quarter my elk, I like to split the backbone with a hatchet. I do not hunt with a freighter around, so I retrieve it after I kill the elk. I do not use rubber gloves, but they are a good idea. Sometimes I carry a knife sharpener, but with good knives it is not necessary.
My advise it to not be afraid to get your hands dirty.
 
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