Field Dressing Preference - Do you split them?

[crappyice]

Loved my deer taco this year made with an old ad sign from Ashley Furniture ...more for friction reduction then debris prevention.
Not much water to cross for me so floating sleds aren’t needed



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[Pygmy]

3 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

One tip I got from Rinella was to make the long cut from sternum to pelvis and not the other way around, hardly any hairs get cut


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I LOVE it when you talk dirty.....

[Hock3y24]

And this is the first year I used my jet sled to drag deer. What a difference that thing makes. Also I never wear gloves, keep a gallon of water in the truck to clean up, if it’s cold I wrap it in a blanket to keep from freezing.

[wolc123]

I have been using gloves for the last three seasons.  I like the thin rubber ones from Home-Depot that extend about half way to the elbow.   When I am done gutting a deer, I walk to the nearest standing water, or use snow to rinse the gloves off.  They definitely help out with hand cleanup, saving a few minutes on each deer.   I have used the butt-out tool for the last four seasons and that saves about 4 minutes on each deer and results in a cleaner job.  I waited until the price dropped to $ 4.99 on Amazon, before I bought one of those, but it has definitely been worth it.   The 6 minutes total saved on each deer don't sound like much, but it is a big deal because that is a savings at "prime-time" when the bulk of my family's venison must be secured.  It is especially important, when you consider that I usually only have (7) days, over a 2 week stretch in early November, to secure the 3-4 deer that my family needs to provide us with enough red meat for a year.

For those who are only looking to kill an occasional trophy, are vegetarians, are content to get most of their meat from "cooped-up" livestock, or have every day of the season(s) available to hunt, I can understand why the time savings from gloves or the butt-out tool is no big deal.   If you are looking to get the most wild, free-range meat, in the least amount of time however, those two things are well worth carrying.        

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by wolc123

[monahmat]

I'll be investing in a Jet Sled for next year with the modifications in this video.  I'm a little skeptical when the time comes if I'll go back to the car to get it or just tough it out but at least I'll have the option.  

 

 

[nyslowhand]

21 hours ago, Hock3y24 said:

And this is the first year I used my jet sled to drag deer. What a difference that thing makes. Also I never wear gloves, keep a gallon of water in the truck to clean up, if it’s cold I wrap it in a blanket to keep from freezing.

Is the Jet Sled really that much harder to pull across grass (lawns) compared to on leaves like the video mentioned?

[crappyice]

I'll be investing in a Jet Sled for next year with the modifications in this video.  I'm a little skeptical when the time comes if I'll go back to the car to get it or just tough it out but at least I'll have the option.  
 
 

That’s why I like my burrito drag...I roll it up and it it fits nicely in the bars of my climber that I hunt from 90% of the time. I doubt I would walk back without the game to get a dragging aid....seems redundant (and repetitive!).


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[Hock3y24]

On 1/25/2020 at 11:54 PM, nyslowhand said:

Is the Jet Sled really that much harder to pull across grass (lawns) compared to on leaves like the video mentioned?

It was extremely easy for me through fields and woods. 

[Hock3y24]

Just now, Hock3y24 said:

It was extremely easy for me through fields and woods. 

Also none of my properties I have to drag far, half the time I can drive my truck to the deer. So i go to truck and get my camo gear off before dressing anyway.

[Rattler]

I've had to field dress a hundred deer in my life.  I've come to know how to do it quickly and with as little blood on me as possible.  I put the deer on it's back with it's head uphill on a slight incline.  I wear gloves that are thin rubber with a gauntlet.  I get a box that are made for doctors at a medical supply store.  I think there are 25 individually wrapped sets in a box and they last a couple of years.  I can really feel things with them.  I always cut the sternum all the way, unless I'm mounting the head, then only half way.  I find I can do it with my knife using both hands and cutting slightly off center.  I can grab and cut the esophagus with little trouble.  I don't get blood on my arms this way either.  Being able to prop the chest open after gutting also helps to cool it faster.

I always cut the pelvis using another knife that I can hammer through the bone with a rock I find nearby.  This makes it easier to get things out and allows all of the guts to roll out the bottom of the deer after everything is cut from the back inside and pulled down with one hand holding the esophagus.  

Very little blood gets on me or the deer this way and I don't need to carry a lot of extra stuff.  I then take my drag rope, which is attached to a strap that goes over both shoulders, allowing both hands to be free when dragging, and use it to hang the deer in a tree, propping the chest open with a stout stick for better cooling.  This allows all the blood to drain out of the cavity.  Now I rest for a while drinking coffee and smoking my pipe.  When I'm ready, I drag the deer out.  It works for me.

[wolc123]

13 hours ago, Rattler said:

 

I always cut the pelvis using another knife that I can hammer through the bone with a rock I find nearby.  This makes it easier to get things out and allows all of the guts to roll out the bottom of the deer....

 

That's why I cut it also.  It makes makes it easier to get "things" (piss sack, etc), out.  The only difference is, I use a folding Gerber saw, but the cut takes under a minute.  That saw gets used for lots of other things, mostly clearing branches from shooting lanes, so I need it in my pack anyhow.    With the butt-out tool, most of the other "things" are already out, by the time the pelvis is cut.   I like to get that part of the deer wide open, for the final rinse (using the blood which has collected forward of the diaphram), and cutting the pelvis is the only way to do that.     

Edited January 27, 2020 by wolc123