I have a quick question on field dressing. I have only ever field dressed 6 deer. I have seen people trying to cut the anus out with a knife or using a butt out tool etc, and then tie the poop tube with a zip tie and pull it back through the cavity and out. That seems like a lot of unnecessary work, I usually just grab the tube from inside the animal as close to the butt as I can and pull it out. Is this a problem? Should I cut the butt out or just let er rip? I usually take my deer to a processor asap, and I always use local guys that can get my deer back within 24 hours.(depending on how busy they are)
Lot of different ways to gut a deer and most are neither wrong or right. I usually cut around the anus and leave it attached to the gut but I am far from an expert. Have to get rid of it some time so why not take it right from the get go. I also like to remove the scent glands before gutting but have seen a lot that leave them on.
I never dress in the field, quick transport to the shop and hang the deer. It is much easier to do it in a well lit shop, at the optimal angle, I just cut around the anus and let gravity do the rest.
I've never cut "scent glands" when gutting a deer. Assume you mean tarsals? Why do that? Far as the pooper, I like to carry a wire saw and cut thru the pelvis, then around and out. But a lot of time I don't have with me so I cut around the anus and pull it out. Watch you tube. Like chief said there's a lot of ways, some ways are better than others but more than one way to skin a cat.
Right, I know I am not hurting anything by doing it the way that I am, I just wanted to know why everyone else does it that way. If I were to leave the deer hanging for days then I would remove it completely. I just hope the processor does his job lol, makes me wonder which parts ended up in my hamburger
Just make sure you don't try cutting the pelvis toward yourself like my buddies little brother. Sawing the pelvis toward him, the knife slipped, and went right into his thigh. He's still young but unfortunately he learned the hard way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yikes! The best thing I've found for cutting the pelvis is a pair of lopping/pruning shears. You can hook them right under the pelvis and just snip once.
https://www.amazon.com/Rothco-8312-Commando-Wire-Saw/dp/B000WDPGW2 Those work great but don't exactly fit in my fanny pack. I use https://www.amazon.com/Rothco-8312-Commando-Wire-Saw/dp/B000WDPGW2
99% of the time I hunt my own land, so I never have to pack anything in for field dressing. I'd be willing to be a pair of the hand pruners with the 1" cut would cut through the pelvis pretty easily, even though I've never tried them. If I remember, I'm going to try them out next year. https://www.amazon.com/Corona-Forged-Aluminum-BP-6250/dp/B000IC0GJA/
You don't need to saw through it, if you have a sharp knife and find the center of the pelvic bone it will slip right through. Put your finger at the top of the bone, it comes to a small point, you just get it right on the tip of that point. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
I don’t field dress deer. I don’t even gut them. I only open the chest cavity sometimes to check out the heart on a heart shot. It’s a lot cleaner not having to gut them. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Ok I have to throw my 2 cents in on this one. I am the resident gutter and butcher for my crew. At this point I've gutted and processed +50 deer as an amateur. Add 7 more today from this weeks harvests. I always carry 2 small, but razor sharp knives in the field. One regular blade with a gut hook and a small filet knife. The gut hook is to gut and unzip the cavity and remove my "keeper" organs.(heart, kidney, liver). To get to your question on the anus. I take the small filet knife and I cut around the anus. It may require some more cutting from the inside as you remove, but it should pull right out clean. Best way to describe cutting from the inside is cut the esophagus and diaphram then pull out all the top parts. There will be a couple places it is attached around the kidneys and then all the stomach and intestines will pull out. Now while avoiding the bladder, cut the remaining attachments around the colon and it will tug thru. Purely my method and not the only one. With a little practice and sharp knives, you can field dress in 5 minutes (or less) Happy to answer any questions and happy hunting!
I use the buttout tool. You stick it in twist and pull. It takes 5 seconds and it pulls it all out. No cutting or mess to deal with.
