I grew up in northern Wisconsin and everyone I know or have known field dresses their deer basically where it lays for its final breath. I have watched TV shows and have even seen some of you move your deer either to a different location or home before you dress the deer out. I was wondering why? I mean dragging a deer dressed is much easier (I would think) than one that has not been dressed out. How many of you wait to dress your deer at a different location and why?
I always like to take photos with a deer before it's field dressed. I also live really close to my hunting grounds. So, I ick up all my deer with the ATV and take them home for a photo....then drive them to field dress them............................IF I field dress them. Unless it's a buck, I RARELY field dress a deer.
GMMAT...what do you mean you rarely field dress a deer? What do you do with your doe's you shoot before you hang them and skin them? You have piqued my interest....
Its funny how things are different around the country. I have rarely field dressed a deer and don't know many people that do. Most deer camps have a "skinning rack" where all the dirty work is done back at camp. Its nice to have the luxary of the deer hanging and running water.
I field dress where it lays for the most part, but i dont if its on or near major trails. If it crosses the property line ill drag it back over and then gut it. One major reason i field dress the deer right away is because i like to do some celebratory drinks at a local tavern and i dont want the guts to ruin the meat.
If I shoot a Doe in a spot where Ill still be Buck hunting Ill drag it out and dress it somewhere else to keep unwanted scent away from drawing predators like yotes. If I have already killed the one Doe I like to take, and then shoot my 1 Buck that Indiana allows, and know im done, then its right on the spot. Alot of the reason you see them not dressing on the spot on TV is probably because its on an outfitters property. They will have more clients and dont want to stink up the area to much.
I dress them where they lay.. usually. I've dressed them after hanging them and I thought it was much messier then doing it in the field.
I normally gut them where they fall. My buck was gutted out at home this year though. It was already drizzling on us when the wife was trying to take pictures. It was ready to cut loose and I didn't want to be caught out there if it did. Right after I gutted him at home it drop over an inch in about 15 minutes. The doe I shot this year was gutted right where she went down. Tim
We always gut them where they lay, but take them home to skin them and get them ready for the butcher. If we move the animal it's usually to move them to a small slope or something like that where once you open them up the guts and everything go downhill from you and come out a little easier.
On my lease property the famer has four huge spot lights and a water hook up right under the lodge. We just drive the deer there and gut them there. One added bonus is we leave the guts right there so if we're bored we can get some coyote hunting done.
I usually drag it onto a slope, it makes it easier. Last weekend the buck ran onto property that wasnt ours so we got it back onto ours and put it in the truck and took it to the road so we didnt have any more yotes around since there are already too many.
I try to get it done as fast as possible while keeping my general stand area clean to avoid coyotes. We have a ton of them here in northern Illinois. I usually won't hunt a stand for a week or two after I tag a deer there, just to give some time for my scent to wash away and the area to calm down.
I do it where it lays. Honestly, I don't personally know anyone that doesn't do it that way...except one guy who the landowner asks him NOT to do it there. Not sure why anyone would NOT gut one at all, how do you get out the loins? I'm sure it can probably be done, just seems like it would be more difficult all the way around to butcher one without gutting.
