Gutless method deer breakdown

[Dinsdale]

29 minutes ago, Enigma said:

 

Anyway - back on track . . . I'm just trying to think of ways to get from point A to point B, dead animal in the woods to a cooler of meat on my deck in the least amount of time and with the least amount of effort. I'm getting old and weak and lazy. So at this point in I'm just trying to rethink the steps.

 

Go for it.

Taking the tenderloins out from a slit takes less time then to type this sentence, you dont even need a knife other then the slit, just run your fingers under to the ends and they pop right off.

I carry 2 pieces of house wrap about 6 ft square. Carcass goes on one and meat tossed on the other. If you hunt when its warm, get some cloth meat bags, they'll stop any flies.

Quarters I like bone in, boneless is like packing jello in a bag.

I learned caribou hunting (try and find a tree on the tundra with a block and tackle/gambrel. LOL)

20 minutes from start to walking out all cleaned up on a deer sized animal. All with a Havalon Piranta if you know anatomy and dont use a knife as a pry bar.

 

15 minutes ago, crappyice said:

It’s hard enough simply gutting a deer at night, let alone trying to butcher it all the way through.

 

You're not butchering, just remove full sections at the major attachments.

A hot carcass skins by hand once started. One thing I've learned watching both professional slaughter guys and game skinners doing hundreds of animals a year; average joe uses way to much knife time on a carcass. It leads to hair and cuts in hides. They do however make strategic hand holds in hides at the edges and muscle quarters to assist handling and pulling.

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Dinsdale

[Don_C]

Just so I'm clear, the deer are brought out intact (no field dressing), hung and then skinned, quartered and deboned correct?

No, we don’t debone. This is exactly what we do... it works well for us.

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[suburbanfarmer]

1 hour ago, Don_C said:

No, we don’t debone. This is exactly what we do... it works well for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bone shards everywhere..no thank you

[Enigma]

1 hour ago, Don_C said:

No, we don’t debone. This is exactly what we do... it works well for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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TY. That gives me an idea or two on the "hanging gutless". I'll give this guy props for speed but I'm focusing more right now on being methodical and as someone says on here surgical when doing this. 

I'm just hung up right now, no pun intended, on hanging the carcass. I doubt I'll be hanging it in the field. I'm thinking of the breakdown horizontally now, not vertically. 

 

[Enigma]

13 minutes ago, suburbanfarmer said:

Bone shards everywhere..no thank you

Good point. Not for me to criticize how someone does it but you're correct. Alot of edibles went into that blue barrel as well with one cut of that saw.

[suburbanfarmer]

1 minute ago, Enigma said:

Good point. Not for me to criticize how someone does it but you're correct. Alot of edibles went into that blue barrel as well with one cut of that saw.

I agree a lot of meat was wasted. To me that is unethical or wanton waste.  I even take the meat of the ribs and neck to add the to the grind bucket. Like you said its their choice.

[Don_C]

TY. That gives me an idea or two on the "hanging gutless". I'll give this guy props for speed but I'm focusing more right now on being methodical and as someone says on here surgical when doing this. 
I'm just hung up right now, no pun intended, on hanging the carcass. I doubt I'll be hanging it in the field. I'm thinking of the breakdown horizontally now, not vertically. 
 

I’ve done it both ways, decades of knee and back surgeries have a way of making one look for other ways of doing things. For now, hanging works for me. To clarify, we don’t use a sawzall and hack at it like these guys did, but the steps are the same. I use a 3” Havalon and a small bone saw if needed, and we don’t waste any more meat than when gutting in the field and butchering in the garage.


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[Robhuntandfish]

8 hours ago, Enigma said:

TY. That gives me an idea or two on the "hanging gutless". I'll give this guy props for speed but I'm focusing more right now on being methodical and as someone says on here surgical when doing this. 

I'm just hung up right now, no pun intended, on hanging the carcass. I doubt I'll be hanging it in the field. I'm thinking of the breakdown horizontally now, not vertically. 

 

i would think the hardest part will be skinning it without hanging it as it will be harder to pull the hide and cut without tension from it being hung up, plus more deer hair from it not being able to fall.  Ive done one on a tailgate once (gutted already) and it was def harder.   Let us know how it goes - always up for some new techniques if they work out. 

[chrisw]

I'm not really seeing a benefit of going through all of the hassle of processing out in the woods in NY. I've dragged deer a LONG ways but it still sounds easier than what some of you are talking about. On paper I'm sure this sounds adventurous but after dark in the rain or snow and wind, freezing cold. Not for me. I'd rather drag, carry, cart that deer back to my garage and do the processing in a clean, manageable environment. Not to mention I'd have to carry even more crap in with me to accommodate this. How far are you guys truly from a road that this is necessary?? I hunt some big blocks (3,000 acres) of state land and am never generally more than a mile from a road or access path...

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[The_Real_TCIII]

13 minutes ago, chrisw said:

I'm not really seeing a benefit of going through all of the hassle of processing out in the woods in NY. I've dragged deer a LONG ways but it still sounds easier than what some of you are talking about. On paper I'm sure this sounds adventurous but after dark in the rain or snow and wind, freezing cold. Not for me. I'd rather drag, carry, cart that deer back to my garage and do the processing in a clean, manageable environment. Not to mention I'd have to carry even more crap in with me to accommodate this. How far are you guys truly from a road that this is necessary?? I hunt some big blocks (3,000 acres) of state land and am never generally more than a mile from a road or access path...

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Agreed but it might be a cool adventure to try once. Maybe have a fire going and get the tenderloins on it immediately 

[crappyice]

Agreed but it might be a cool adventure to try once. Maybe have a fire going and get the tenderloins on it immediately 

We did that once.....only once.
The tenderloins were chewy as all hell straight from the critter. If I remember it was a morning harvest that we grilled up for dinner so not exactly what you speak of but we were disappointed


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[The_Real_TCIII]

1 minute ago, crappyice said:

We did that once.....only once.
The tenderloins were chewy as all hell straight from the critter. If I remember it was a morning harvest that we grilled up for dinner so not exactly what you speak of but we were disappointed


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This might be blasphemous but I think theyre always a bit chewy/stringy and wildly overrated

[Steuben Jerry]

5 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

This might be blasphemous but I think theyre always a bit chewy/stringy and wildly overrated

They truly are. I like to help out where I can, so I'll take those lousy cuts of meat and dispose of them for you! 

[Enigma]

2 hours ago, Don_C said:

 . . decades of knee and back surgeries have a way of making one look for other ways of doing things.

I've not had the surgeries but we're thinking along the same lines. 

[Enigma]

2 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

i would think the hardest part will be skinning it without hanging it . . . 

My thoughts as well. I'm trying to picture myself hunched over working at my feet with the deer on the ground versus having it hanging at eye level in front of me. You make a good point about losing the leverage advantage while skinning horizontally vs. vertically though. I'm banking on past experience and some thoughts Dinsdale reinforced that a warm carcass and some strategically placed hand holds cut into the skin will make quick work of peeling back the hide. We'll see!

I too found myself skinning a deer horizontally at one point in time. Mine was on a picnic table though, not a tailgate. You really don't get the full effect of how much fun that process can be unless your deer is frozen solid like mine was lol. Skin an inch at a time, pull hard and then pick up deer off the ground, return to table. Repeat lol. Deer fat meets icy table top = fun fun times. In all seriousness, I just don't see it being that bad if the carcass is still warm. 

 

[Kmartinson]

On 8/19/2020 at 10:56 AM, catskillkid said:

I've done it on moose, stone sheep and mountain goats. It is usually done in wilderness area where you need to breakdown the quarters, backstraps and tenderloins. We also de-boned the quarters at the kill sites. This lessens the load for the pack out. 

Not sure why someone would need to do this in NY, unless you are hunting remote areas inn the Daks.

its good for the earth to leave the carcasses.  Also they won't rot in my garage. Lol

[The_Real_TCIII]

1 hour ago, Enigma said:

My thoughts as well. I'm trying to picture myself hunched over working at my feet with the deer on the ground versus having it hanging at eye level in front of me. You make a good point about losing the leverage advantage while skinning horizontally vs. vertically though. I'm banking on past experience and some thoughts Dinsdale reinforced that a warm carcass and some strategically placed hand holds cut into the skin will make quick work of peeling back the hide. We'll see!

I too found myself skinning a deer horizontally at one point in time. Mine was on a picnic table though, not a tailgate. You really don't get the full effect of how much fun that process can be unless your deer is frozen solid like mine was lol. Skin an inch at a time, pull hard and then pick up deer off the ground, return to table. Repeat lol. Deer fat meets icy table top = fun fun times. In all seriousness, I just don't see it being that bad if the carcass is still warm. 

 

I remember having to bring one into my basement to thaw so I could skin it lol

[Enigma]

2 hours ago, chrisw said:

I'm not really seeing a benefit of going through all of the hassle of processing out in the woods in NY. I've dragged deer a LONG ways but it still sounds easier than what some of you are talking about. On paper I'm sure this sounds adventurous but after dark in the rain or snow and wind, freezing cold. Not for me. I'd rather drag, carry, cart that deer back to my garage and do the processing in a clean, manageable environment. Not to mention I'd have to carry even more crap in with me to accommodate this. How far are you guys truly from a road that this is necessary?? I hunt some big blocks (3,000 acres) of state land and am never generally more than a mile from a road or access path...

Different perspectives that's all. The hassles to me are the dragging and manhandling of the carcass during the process.

I'm not looking for the adventure, just an alternative approach to get the meat home. I realize the chances are high that I'll be doing this in the dark, cold or snow. I'm factoring in those contingencies as well. I'm also pretty confident in being able to keep the breakdown area in the field as clean and manageable as you do in your garage. 

What extra "crap" to carry while hunting are you talking about? The only extra items I see needing to do this in the field, in addition to what I already carry, are a couple pieces of house wrap and some game bags. I won't be hunting with a pack frame, that'll stay in the car until I need it.

With respect to how far away the field processing site is from a road or trail or access point ie., drag distance, my view is any distance is too far at this point in my life.  Dragging 50 yards or a mile is the same to me. They both suck lol. Let's say we kill an average NYS doe and it goes 100# dressed. And for the sake of simplicity let's agree that we get 50% of a dressed deer's weight in red meat when we're done butchering said deer. I do a field breakdown and carry 50# clean meat back to my car loaded on a pack frame. Those that gut, drag and haul the entire carcass home are moving 50# of in-edible bones, hide and hooves for nothing! It could be argued that we both end up with the same thing, 50# of meat, but have you not done twice the work that I have to get to the same result? Moved an extra 50# for what? Not to mention additional time and energy (work) to properly dispose of the 50# of "waste" generated. Like I said I'm just trying to plan out a more efficient way to get the protein home and am now seeing the traditional dragging and hauling as an inefficient means to do it with respect to the extra work involved. To each there own I guess. 

 

[crappyice]

This might be blasphemous but I think theyre always a bit chewy/stringy and wildly overrated

I’ll go one step further!!! Mine end up in the GRIND PILE! I feel like they always smell like guts! But now bad enough to ruin my ground!

 

 

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[BowmanMike]

35 minutes ago, Enigma said:

Different perspectives that's all. The hassles to me are the dragging and manhandling of the carcass during the process.

I'm not looking for the adventure, just an alternative approach to get the meat home. I realize the chances are high that I'll be doing this in the dark, cold or snow. I'm factoring in those contingencies as well. I'm also pretty confident in being able to keep the breakdown area in the field as clean and manageable as you do in your garage. 

What extra "crap" to carry while hunting are you talking about? The only extra items I see needing to do this in the field, in addition to what I already carry, are a couple pieces of house wrap and some game bags. I won't be hunting with a pack frame, that'll stay in the car until I need it.

With respect to how far away the field processing site is from a road or trail or access point ie., drag distance, my view is any distance is too far at this point in my life.  Dragging 50 yards or a mile is the same to me. They both suck lol. Let's say we kill an average NYS doe and it goes 100# dressed. And for the sake of simplicity let's agree that we get 50% of a dressed deer's weight in red meat when we're done butchering said deer. I do a field breakdown and carry 50# clean meat back to my car loaded on a pack frame. Those that gut, drag and haul the entire carcass home are moving 50# of in-edible bones, hide and hooves for nothing! It could be argued that we both end up with the same thing, 50# of meat, but have you not done twice the work that I have to get to the same result? Moved an extra 50# for what? Not to mention additional time and energy (work) to properly dispose of the 50# of "waste" generated. Like I said I'm just trying to plan out a more efficient way to get the protein home and am now seeing the traditional dragging and hauling as an inefficient means to do it with respect to the extra work involved. To each there own I guess. 

 

Whatever works for you,right? I bet you can get pretty fast at field butchering with some practice. I think i will give it a try in the right situation,and i know it will take me a while. Anything does the first few times,except for sex maybe,that is the opposite if i remember correctly.

[wolc123]

3 hours ago, crappyice said:

The tenderloins were chewy as all hell straight from the critter. If I remember it was a morning harvest that we grilled up for dinner so not exactly what you speak of but we were disappointed


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It sounds like you ate those right near the peak time for rigor-mortis.  Any red meat goes thru that.   The older the deer, the longer it takes the meat to go thru that stage.  Was that an older deer ?

6 month deer are not affected much by rm.  I learned last season, that the livers from mature (3.5 yrs old) are very tender after a week in the fridge, but tougher than hell, the evening of the kill. It bothers me a bit when I think of how many of those I left I'm gut-piles thru the years.

Liver and heart recovery seems like it would be difficult without gutting the deer and that is reason enough for me to never consider skipping that step.

[chrisw]

Different perspectives that's all. The hassles to me are the dragging and manhandling of the carcass during the process.
I'm not looking for the adventure, just an alternative approach to get the meat home. I realize the chances are high that I'll be doing this in the dark, cold or snow. I'm factoring in those contingencies as well. I'm also pretty confident in being able to keep the breakdown area in the field as clean and manageable as you do in your garage. 
What extra "crap" to carry while hunting are you talking about? The only extra items I see needing to do this in the field, in addition to what I already carry, are a couple pieces of house wrap and some game bags. I won't be hunting with a pack frame, that'll stay in the car until I need it.
With respect to how far away the field processing site is from a road or trail or access point ie., drag distance, my view is any distance is too far at this point in my life.  Dragging 50 yards or a mile is the same to me. They both suck lol. Let's say we kill an average NYS doe and it goes 100# dressed. And for the sake of simplicity let's agree that we get 50% of a dressed deer's weight in red meat when we're done butchering said deer. I do a field breakdown and carry 50# clean meat back to my car loaded on a pack frame. Those that gut, drag and haul the entire carcass home are moving 50# of in-edible bones, hide and hooves for nothing! It could be argued that we both end up with the same thing, 50# of meat, but have you not done twice the work that I have to get to the same result? Moved an extra 50# for what? Not to mention additional time and energy (work) to properly dispose of the 50# of "waste" generated. Like I said I'm just trying to plan out a more efficient way to get the protein home and am now seeing the traditional dragging and hauling as an inefficient means to do it with respect to the extra work involved. To each there own I guess. 
 

I'm not calling you out on trying it, I just don't really see the practicality I guess. As far as processing the meat cleaner than I can in my garage and kitchen is arguable at best. I'm eager to hear how it goes for you, I bet you try it and revert back to dragging. I suppose I'm putting this into my tree saddle category, interesting but in my research far from ideal. Good luck!

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[Fletch]

1 hour ago, crappyice said:

I’ll go one step further!!! Mine end up in the GRIND PILE! I feel like they always smell like guts! But now bad enough to ruin my ground!

 

 

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Interesting.... I always thought i was different lol. I have tried them fresh right out of a deer and was very disappointed. I actually think they are better after being frozen. I don't grind them but they are not my favorite cuts.

 

As for the processing in the field. Good to try and know but for me I'll process hanging in my neat setup or send to the butcher. I actually like dragging a deer, always have. I've probably dragged over 100 deer I would hate to think how far lol. It is part of the hunt to me.

[wolc123]

In near-laborotory conditions (like my insulated garage) it is not too difficult to recover most off the useable meat.  It seems like that would be much tougher in field conditions, without LED lighting, climate control, work benches, a hoist, or sharpening equipment.

After strikes one and two (no liver or heart), less usable meat makes the out for gutless in NY state.  CO is another story however.  My back still aches from dragging a mule deer carcass 5 miles thru the Rockies when I was in my 30's.

Edited August 20, 2020 by wolc123

[Enigma]

30 minutes ago, chrisw said:

I'm not calling you out on trying it, I just don't really see the practicality I guess. As far as processing the meat cleaner than I can in my garage and kitchen is arguable at best. I'm eager to hear how it goes for you, I bet you try it and revert back to dragging. I suppose I'm putting this into my tree saddle category, interesting but in my research far from ideal. Good luck!

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We're both trying to achieve the same goal. Just coming at it from different ways that's all. Practical for one person can be a hassle for someone else. All depends on time, place and resources in my opinion. I didnt think you were calling me out on the gutless.

But now I'm going to have to kill one from a saddle just to bust you twice . Thanks again for your input, in all sincerity all points are welcome.