Field Dressing Tips

[mtnmutt]

I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty. Because I have puny hands, I rarely find gloves that fit. I frequently do without gloves for many tasks.

Also, I do not go out of my way to keep things clean. I will eat food that falls on the forest floor, kitchen floor, etc. It hasn\'t killed me yet.

Thanks for all the tips and guidance.

 

[WW]

My so called kill kit consist of gamebags and a knife. Guess I haven\'t figured out a purpose for all that other junk you people talk about.

 

[elkmtngear]

My so called kill kit consist of gamebags and a knife. Guess I haven\'t figured out a purpose for all that other junk you people talk about.

Bill, are you jackin\' through the skull plate with your knife...or are you packin\' out the whole head :eh:

 

[Swede]

I skinned and gutted a complete mature elk with my pocket knife. It has a 2 1/4 inch main blade. I did not have anything else to work with until I carried out my first load over my shoulder.

 

[WW]

My so called kill kit consist of gamebags and a knife. Guess I haven\'t figured out a purpose for all that other junk you people talk about.

Bill, are you jackin\' through the skull plate with your knife...or are you packin\' out the whole head :eh:

Jeff, my first priority is to get the meat taken care of and packed out. Antlers can wait, they won\'t spoil. I can always return for the last load and saw them off then.

 

[elkmtngear]

My so called kill kit consist of gamebags and a knife. Guess I haven\'t figured out a purpose for all that other junk you people talk about.

Bill, are you jackin\' through the skull plate with your knife...or are you packin\' out the whole head :eh:

Jeff, my first priority is to get the meat taken care of and packed out. Antlers can wait, they won\'t spoil. I can always return for the last load and saw them off then.

Very good point! :clap:

 

[WW]

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Here is how I do it mtnmutt. Fred does the whole elk in 10 minutes. It takes me about twice that long. :wtf: Anyhow, if you don\'t like leaving the hair on, you can easily peel it off before you detach the legs

 

[mtnmutt]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate it.

Bill, Yes, I have viewed that video and many others over and over again. Removing the quarters with skin on is faster for getting it broken down. Plus, it will allow me to move the quarters to another place where I have more room to work on skinning and deboning. That may work best since I hunt solo. The elk may go down in a difficult spot.

 

[Swede]

The problem with cutting apart an animal with the hide & hair attached, is that you expose more meat to the hair. In the long run it is easier to skin the animal first.

 

[elkmtngear]

The problem with cutting apart an animal with the hide & hair attached, is that you expose more meat to the hair. In the long run it is easier to skin the animal first.

I was always told that leaving the hide on would keep the meat from cooling (early Season). Maybe it\'s just an urban legend (or a \"rural legend\"). Anyway, I always skin it as soon as I get on it.

 

[Swede]

Jeff, you are right. Hair and hide are great insulators. Another good reason to remove them right away. It the hair and hide will keep the elk warm in the winter, it will keep the meat warm in the Summer and Fall.

 

[WW]

The problem with cutting apart an animal with the hide & hair attached, is that you expose more meat to the hair. In the long run it is easier to skin the animal first.

I was always told that leaving the hide on would keep the meat from cooling (early Season). Maybe it\'s just an urban legend (or a \"rural legend\"). Anyway, I always skin it as soon as I get on it.

I\'m pretty sure nothing is going to spoil in the 10 minutes for Fred (20-30 for me) to finish the elk. But an easy way to get the hide off of the legs is to make your cut down the outside of the leg and peel it to the under side. Then lift the leg as shown in the video, cut it off and place in a game bag. And actually it\'s much easier to get the hide off then than to hang it a wrestle it around. It would probably only add another 5 minutes or so to your time.

Give it a try this year and report your findings!

 

[Deertick]

I\'ve tried the \"hide-on\" gutless method several times (not with elk) ... the \"theory\" being that it kept the meat clean until it was hung and I was working on just one quarter.

So, it did get skinned, just not at the carcass, and I think it did keep it a little cleaner (I\'m pretty messy) ... but not really enough for me to say it\'s the way to go now. Now, I skin/gutless quarter all at once.

 

[mtnmutt]

Good feedback on skinning. I may play it by ear. Depending on room to work where the elk dropped.

Flipping it over after doing one side is a concern to me. I can only lift 50 lbs. I have strong legs and have used my legs to push things. During my recent move, I moved some heavy items by myself by being cleaver. Hopefully, gravity will give me a lift on that part. Plus, I carry those lightweight pulleys that may give me an extra hand if needed.

 

[cnelk]

mtnmutt
Last fall I had one helluva time turning my bull over to the other side by myself doing the gutless method.
The antlers kept the head stationary so that didnt help. And rigor mortis is not your friend.
I didnt have enough rope to tie off, I was tired, it was dark.
I took a break, ate a snack, and then mustered the elk to its other side.

When field dressing an animal, the conditions are never \'controlled\'.
It seems that there are always a few things that keep it from going smoothly, especially when doing it by yourself.

 

[cohunter14]

To Brad\'s point, along with the last few, just be sure to take your time. The same thing has been said with tracking an animal as well. There is no hurry to get everything field dressed. Saving 10 minutes is not going to determine if meat tastes one way or another, and you never really want to be in a rush with a knife in your hand.