After the shot...

[growalot]

So I shot my buck and kept a close eye on that flickering tail as he baby stepped away ..back legs splayed out a bit....he'd gone 60yrds...I had to follow his foot trail ...shuffling leaves....until first blood...5 yrds from his body...he'd gone into a grape over growth and died in a depression there...

Try to never forget your gutting bag!!...I did the exact same thing last year with my 8pt bow buck....called Mr.B for help...but then had to drag the live weight 100yrds through wooded terrain to get them to where a vehicle could pick them up...

Thank God I'm either beyond stubborn or pretty strong..or both but against Mr.B telling me to stay put...I hooked him to my safety harness and began the drag...just getting him started was a struggle and I heard the harness tear...I took many breaks...and cursed he didn't walk up hill from me...lol...but made it to lane way as Mr.B was driving down with the tractor...I was sweating bullets....It was cold so I had the vest...outer jacket...a fleece jacket ....a fleece shirt all over a turtle neck...Then 2 pair of fleece pants under the outer hunting pants on...needless to say half of that went back on the tractor so I could walk the half mile back up the road to house.

Gutting him was awful...first I had a hard time finding the end of his breast bone......his chest was so deep...then he'd been eating well that morning or night...plus being tired from the drag....I hung and skinned him which was also a bigger chore than I'm use to...didn't realize how simple doe are...but he had ZERO fat on him and the hide ...even when pulling down ...was pulling out meat...with no fat it was slow skinning not to nick the meat or the hide..

I've never shot a deer that had absolutely no fat on them...and I'm talking the inside of the body cavity as well...how would he have survived the winter???

Well Today the lesson is in full deployment....my neck...entire ribcage...hips ...lower back and arms are....lets just say...hurts to take shallow breaths...killing me...so don't try to be nice to the ones helping...wait for the help!!!...lol

[WNYBuckHunter]

Whats a gutting bag?

[growalot]

Ohh lol........ it's a baggy that I place a pen wipe ups...paper towel...tye wraps...two pairs of rubber gloves and a folding knife...all fits in the ziploc and can easily fit in your pocket...It was sitting on the porch chair when I got home...

I had my knife I carry should an accident happen..... but no gloves...A neighbor gutted a deer one year with out gloves...2 days later he was in the hospital near death...they never did find out what was the cause of his illness????...but I'll NEVER gut a deer barehanded...2 full weeks and 5days in ICU at hospital

[WNYBuckHunter]

Gottcha. I thought maybe you put the guts in a bag and dumped them elsewhere or something lol.

[Doewhacker]

haha I was wondering too, I have that same bag that I put in my pack or back pack. It has all the esentials, compass, matches, bandaids ect.

I tried the old I forgot my knife trick saturday, my dad answered with the old I can't hear you trick..haha

-touche old man

[growalot]

Best laid plans ..lol...but my forgetting may be that lucky charm I need...both times great buck...actually another big 8pt...I had to hide....and come back with the gutting stuff...for everyone was at camp...but still had to call a neighbor for help...he was a struggle with a sled and 2 ppl pulling...we had 2 foot of snow fall the night before..and no tractor at the time...ATV was at camp....

[Doewhacker]

I drug one 1/2 mile down the side of train tracks Saturday solo, that was a treat.

We did get a little help with one Friday, the farmer got the tractor for the last 150 yards for us and we were greatfull, the rest of the drag was brutal even with help.

[Lawdwaz]

Gutting gloves are a great idea. I left mine in the truck..........

I've gutted well over a 100 deer without them and lived to see another day. Do you (growalot) think that the guys problem was really from dressing off the deer?

I'm sure many, many 100's of thousands of game animals are dressed each year with no ill effects.

[Doewhacker]

I like gloves for the simple reason of easier clean up although I always end up looking like I was involved in a crime after I'm done some how some way I manage to get splattered.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ive gutted a ton of them as well lawdwaz, all without gloves.

[growalot]

I really don't know...it was a deer his girlfriend shot...I heard the screams all the way down at our place...thought someone had been shot!...get there and he looks disgusted...she had never tracked a deer before ...so he and I went out to find it...lets say it wasn't the cleanest gutting...and I advised him not to expose his hands to that...but......

So getting sick so soon after...he looked really bad!!..and Strong not pin pointing an actual cause...what ever it was effected his blood count ...kidneys...the whole nine yards....

I just will not ever risk it....

Edited November 19, 2012 by growalot