Gutless Field Dressing?

[XD45 7,124]

A question for the hunters here.

 

I have always used the traditional field dressing method but this year I heard about gutless field dressing.  I know it's not new but new to me.

 

After watching some vids about it I still question whether meat is being wasted.  Anybody here have actual experience with processing an elk?  How much meat is left on the ribcage, spine, and pelvis after a properly done gutless field dressing?

 

I've heard opinions on both sides, and not to be a dick but opinions are like assholes.  I need to know how much meat is really wasted.  A pound or 2 is not worth hauling out the whole carcass.  

 

 

[RobRez 1,895]

I think it depends on how far you are packing out the meat. If I'm in an easy pack situation, I do the traditional "clean-out". Lots of good stew meat in that neck. But if it's miles and miles, in the snow, uphill or whathave you, you can still get most of the meat going the "gutless" route. Depends how much time you take to cut it up. I never bother with Ribs much.

 I always butcher my own meat, so I'm pretty handy with the knife and I can get most of that meat off the bone in the field...no meat on the pelvis, that all comes off w/legs. Backstraps come out completely.

[IndyArms 10,186]

So... the tenderloins are left inside, then, correct?? The 4 legs are quartered off, and the backstraps removed, and thats what ya get?

[XD45 7,124]

Starting at 6:55 in the second video he shows how to get the tenderloins out without gutting the animal.

[Deadeye 325]

We usualy end up gutting the elk but we have done it that way too.  During  bow season it is usualy hot out and it's important to get them guts out fast as possible.   Hardly any meat is left on the bones when we are done.    Also for long pack outs we have removed the bones from the quarters too.   All them leg bones are heavy.  Done  with care almost no hair on the meat.    Hair is what makes it shitty and a pain in the ass later when prosessing.

[RedChallenger 149]

We usualy end up gutting the elk but we have done it that way too.  During  bow season it is usualy hot out and it's important to get them guts out fast as possible.   Hardly any meat is left on the bones when we are done.    Also for long pack outs we have removed the bones from the quarters too.   All them leg bones are heavy.  Done  with care almost no hair on the meat.    Hair is what makes it shitty and a pain in the ass later when prosessing.

I was told that hair is what causes that gaminess that everyone complains about. Is this true?

[YOT 3,743]

 

We usualy end up gutting the elk but we have done it that way too.  During  bow season it is usualy hot out and it's important to get them guts out fast as possible.   Hardly any meat is left on the bones when we are done.    Also for long pack outs we have removed the bones from the quarters too.   All them leg bones are heavy.  Done  with care almost no hair on the meat.    Hair is what makes it shitty and a pain in the ass later when prosessing.

I was told that hair is what causes that gaminess that everyone complains about. Is this true?

 

 

Actually is the scent glands in the hind legs, just above the knee joint. 

 

[XD45 7,124]

Not cooling the meat fast enough will make it gamey as hell.

[Deadeye 325]

 

 

We usualy end up gutting the elk but we have done it that way too.  During  bow season it is usualy hot out and it's important to get them guts out fast as possible.   Hardly any meat is left on the bones when we are done.    Also for long pack outs we have removed the bones from the quarters too.   All them leg bones are heavy.  Done  with care almost no hair on the meat.    Hair is what makes it shitty and a pain in the ass later when prosessing.

I was told that hair is what causes that gaminess that everyone complains about. Is this true

 

 

Actually is the scent glands in the hind legs, just above the knee joint. 

 

 

in my opinion yes  and yes     hair and also the scent glands  can effect taste.   also timeing    some people hang there meat longer than others.  I prefer to get it in the freezer as fast as possible. In the video above.  hair is flying all over the place and he just cuts the piss and shit tubes when he guts it.  also just stabbing his  dirty knife where ever.     he may be fast but that's not the way i learned.  

Edited November 3, 2013 by deadeye

[RobRez 1,895]

Not cooling the meat fast enough will make it gamey as hell.

Yes! Obviously the scent glands are bad, but in general, high body temp. is what causes more bacterial growth in the animal and a "Gamey" taste in the meat. The circulatory system that would normally cool the body is no longer functioning and the internal temp can actually rise several degrees.

[XD45 7,124]

The first deer I ever shot I was 16 and I didn't know any better so I never field dressed it.  I just drove around for 4 hours with the whole deer in the bed of the truck showing everybody I knew before I took it to the processing plant.

 

Needless to say that meat was ruined.  Absolutely inedible.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Darth Saigus

[YOT 3,743]

Yep, gotta get the guts out. Outdoor temperature matters a lot with cooling, and aging. I've actually speed cleaned deer to get it quartered and in the cooler, away from the flies. I also let them hang with the hide on at 34 degrees for a week. That was one of the best eating deer I ever had.

[RobRez 1,895]

I find a week is optimal aging for big game.

 Also, have you guys heard of "Air Skinning?"

[YOT 3,743]

Blowing them up with air? Seen it done with smaller animals for taxidermy, but it's kind of impractical.

[RobRez 1,895]

I've only seen videos......for deer, if you skin em fresh, it peels right off anyway, so it seems like an unneeded step. Just curious about its use, myself.

[storm6490 2,768]

If you ask me, I'd say you're fucking nuts to not eat the organs and ribs. I have always had dogs that love all the scraps. Packing out is a bitch so some will leave the rib cage with the rest of the bones or more out in the field. I hunt in areas where I can use the whole elk quartered up.

 

You arent expected to take the whole animal like a deer hunter does but some people do waste a lot and focus more on the points. To each is own.

 

If this system was superior, I would have learned it as a child in hunting camp.

 

Ever skin an elk witha rope, rock and a pickup?

[storm6490 2,768]

 

We usualy end up gutting the elk but we have done it that way too.  During  bow season it is usualy hot out and it's important to get them guts out fast as possible.   Hardly any meat is left on the bones when we are done.    Also for long pack outs we have removed the bones from the quarters too.   All them leg bones are heavy.  Done  with care almost no hair on the meat.    Hair is what makes it shitty and a pain in the ass later when prosessing.

I was told that hair is what causes that gaminess that everyone complains about. Is this true?

 

Several factors. Rut chemicals, adrenalin, age, nutrition, glands, piss, shit, bullet shock, hair, dirt, temperature.

[gunfun 3,931]

Well, I don't hunt yet, but this thread is informative. I'd heard that diet mattered a lot, like if they eat acorns or certain other things that would make a big difference in flavor. I live in WA, so I don't know what makes the difference around here.

 

Also, maybe you guys could tell me whether certain cuts taste gamier than others?

 

 

All I know is that I've had elk & deer and loved it and also had it and hated it, and that I don't want to shoot an elk and decide on my first meal that I don't want to eat the rest. That's one of the main reasons I haven't been big game hunting. I love caribou and moose though.

[storm6490 2,768]

prime beef is aged. learn how to hang and age meat and you can make a gnarly old buck taste great. cant age and then custom cut, gotta butcher it yourself for the good stuff. back straps and tenders are least best. Neck is worst.

[Deadeye 325]

freezer  burn can taste like crap too.    We wrap in saran wrap and then freezer paper and it seems to keep real well.    Aother tip   when cutting hide   cut from inside out as to not cut as many  hairs loose also dos'nt dull your knife as much. 

Edited November 3, 2013 by deadeye

[mancat 2,368]

I am also surprised by how many do not cut out the scent glands at the hind legs when dressing.. They definitely will make the carcass musky as hell, and it will get into the meat if the carcass is left for some time before processing. Cut them out and throw them away ASAP.

 

As far as WA deer go Gunfun, a lot of west-side deer (black tail, white tail) are sometimes pretty bland or simply gamey-tasting by nature. A lot of them just eat scrub brush and leaves, doesn't make for the tastiest meat.

 

The eastern-side deer (including well into Idaho and Montana) tend to get into a lot of open cattle ranges and hay feed.. They can get really fat and tasty feeding on that stuff. They have a pretty good gig going for them in a lot of areas of the state.

Edited November 3, 2013 by mancat

[gunfun 3,931]

Well, if I'm on east side still by next fall, maybe I'll think about getting a small one. After the damage to my car this year from a wheat fed buck, I wanna reduce the population just for public safety. They are positively an infestation around here.

[Deadeye 325]

I agree the east side muel deer bucks taste a lot better than the blacktail around sw Oregon

[IndyArms 10,186]

I butcher my own deer. ( at my friends house they taught me! ) in order of operation:

 

Kill deer

 

Gut Deer immediately!

 

transport deer to friends house for rest of procedure...

 

Hose out deer gut cavity, and entry and exit wounds with garden hose till absolutely as clean as you can get it

 

Hang deer by neck in outside temperature garage, overnight, until ALL excess water has drained from carcass, use spanner board to keep gut cavity wide open, use fans to speed cooling and drying time.

 

( Don't bother lecturing on the rear leg gambrel hanging method. I know it, and its pointless as there is ZERO blood flow in a dead animal, hang it however YOU prefer... its just easier for us with a loop of thin cord, and a block and tackle on the rafters in the garage )

 

cut off all 4 lower legs at knees

 

Move carcass to walk in cooler set at 37 degrees F. Place on rack to age for appx. one week.

 

return deer to garage, hang by neck, skin, quarter and take meat pieces to basement to processing table.

 

Hand cut and de-bone ALL meat.

 

package in vacuum seal bags, and label accordingly.

 

Place in sub-zero temperature deep freezer to quickly freeze solid.

 

Enjoy the best tasting venison for the rest of the year.

 

I have had venison I " discovered" in the bottom of my chest freezer that was several years old, and after a slow thaw in the fridge, was as delicious as it it were just butchered a few weeks before.  Processing, and proper packaging will keep venison perfect for a LONG TIME.

 

Bandsaw processing will coat all surfaces with one marrow and THAT will VERY QUICKLY spoil the flavor of ANY meat, in a freezer... beef, and pork included... its just that typically folks dont keep beef and pork for 8 to 10 months... they can by it all the time, so why would you!?!?

[Sim_Player 1,939]

This thread is making me hungry for red meat.

[DLT 1,646]

Philipinos use ginger to get the game flavor out of food. It really works. I will admit, when I saw the title of the thread I had visions of someone shoving a high powered vacume cleaner up some dead deers ass.

[sccritterkiller 473]

I have noticed three different things that effect the taste of wild game...1 is what they have been eating...animals taken in ag fields always taste better...2 Time of year havested....deer I shoot in late august/sept always taste better then those havevested in late Nov/Dec. Pigs not in a breeding cycle tastse better than those that are. 3 is hang time..minimum 5 days. A given is processing has to be done right all hair and tendons removed. You give me a doe shot out of a peanut field in late August.....I can fixit up so good it will make your babaies come out necked.

[Sim_Player 1,939]

Philipinos use ginger to get the game flavor out of food. It really works. I will admit, when I saw the title of the thread I had visions of someone shoving a high powered vacume cleaner up some dead deers ass.

That's just masking bad flavor but, if that's all you can do, to make it edible. I prefer salt.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Sim_Player

[PFerris 76]

I have noticed three different things that effect the taste of wild game...1 is what they have been eating...animals taken in ag fields always taste better...2 Time of year havested....deer I shoot in late august/sept always taste better then those havevested in late Nov/Dec. Pigs not in a breeding cycle tastse better than those that are. 3 is hang time..minimum 5 days. A given is processing has to be done right all hair and tendons removed. You give me a doe shot out of a peanut field in late August.....I can fixit up so good it will make your babaies come out necked.

Kill it quick,  gut it right and clean it out well,  and HANG IT IF YOU CAN 10 to 14 days.  

 

I try to hang it a week and then skin it and butcher it.  I then hang the hams another week if I can.  

 

If you cannot hang it because of the weather,  butcher it and age the meat after you thaw it out.  Good meat needs to age.