To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

[lowkee]

So I'm heading out to pick up a new washing machine the other day and out of a corn field runs a good sized doe. Not even seeing her, she runs barely in front of my truck and I plow right into her. She flails around, obviously badly injured, for a few minutes and settles in to die. I turn around and head back to my house to call the sheriff to make sure shooting a deer I just hit isn't going against some hunting law and got the okay. The kicker of the situation.. I just killed a roughly 200lb doe and have zero idea how to gut one. I had to leave it on the side of the road for the coyotes.

Time to learn gutting 101. What a waste of perfectly good future deer jerky.

As a side note, apparently 200lbs in a grill does some major damage. The ins company is on the fence as to whether my truck is getting "totaled" by them.

You can be sure I'll be riding with full gear on my motorcycle from now on. I'm just glad it was with my truck.

 

[Cofe]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

One thing to know about dressing any kind of animal at this time of year is that they carry ticks, fleas etc. They know when their host animal dies, and look for the next warm blooded thing they can find. Usually you.
If you are to tackle this job, the first thing to do is use rubber gloves, and spray yourself head to foot with some good DEET bug spray. Here is a link to field dressing deer. http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/HuntingWildlifeHabitat/deer_field-dressing.pdf

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

Check you tube..... there are videos.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

We've tried cleaning a couple of fresh{yes there is a difference in defining 'road kill' } car hits in the past...always seem to end up... not worth the trouble, busted bladders/stomachs taint, shattered bone fragments everywhere, time limited by temperature etc etc...not saying we couldn't salvage some...just saying, that's all.

 

[BF]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a dear!

I've never butchered a road kill myself, but you might be better off just taking off either one or both hind quarters and leave the abdomen closed. You'd get some steaks, but not have to deal with guts/organs. Cool it down asap to keep it good, and keep it cold, but not frozen for a few days to "age it" (=allow rigor mortis to come and go). Then debone it, cut your steaks and enjoy! BTW, it'd be a waste to make sausage or jerky out of the hindquarters... it's way too good for that. That's what the neck and shoulder meat is for!

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

Do not puncture the "Poop" sack, If you do, it will spread everywhere. That's not if it's already been punctured by the impact.

It it is/does happen, You can still get the meat and cook it, But it will taste very gamey.

 

[lowkee]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

Hmm, right about now I'm wishing I paid better attention during anatomy. When it was all happening I was all gung ho wishing I knew how to gut it, now I'm thinking just how icky it all is. Having read what everyone's experience is with road kill, I think I'll plan for getting a tutoring during this fall's hunting season instead. It sure still feels like a giant waste of meat hitting a deer, though. I think my wife is scarred from the whole experience (city girl)

 

[rbh]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

MMMMMM road kill, LOL
We hit a deer once on the way to Banff national park with a K-car.
The front end was totalled, but the funny thing was the hood was covered in hair, looked like it needed a shave!

 

[lowkee]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

Wow, after reading the material in the "how to field dress a deer" link Cofe posted I'm a bit scared to even attempt gutting one. Seems more like surgery than slice and dice. How many times did you guys have to do it before you fully understood the process? I guess my real question is.. is messing up expected the first time or two or is this something you can get right the first time without issue?

 

[Philip_G]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

in most states I don't believe it's legal to anyway.
Sadly I would have shot it without the call.

 

[j_martin]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

Field dressing a deer, especially a road kill, can be messy. You know as soon as you open it up if it's worth it. I carry a 2 1/4 inch Buck pocket knife, and that's all I need to get the job done. The bigger your knife, the more likely you are to cut the wrong thing, like the paunch. If I were responsible for a bunch of em, I'd invest in a specialized knife with a blade called a gut hook, but it's definitely not needed.

One of the nicest deer I've gotten was a 200 lb. 8 point buck that got broad sided by a Durango at 60 MPH. It had been launched about 100 feet, and the collision totaled the Durango. The sheriff called me and I went and picked it up. When we opened it up, the right shoulder was literally smashed, but the same impact severed the aorta, and it bled out almost instantly. All the rest of the dear was perfect steaks and roasts, and even most of the smashed shoulder was recovered into hamburger, as it had very little blood in it.

 

[roscoe]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I got lucky when I hit mine with the Safari van.
It jumped onto the road, then tried to turn and go back. Hit it square in the butt with the bumper, mid thigh, launched it into the ditch where it came down head first and broke its neck. Salvaged about 85% of the meat.

A huge trophy 13 pt that went 190 dressed.
A used headlight/turn signal from the junkyard for $30 and I was good to go. I decided to live with the slightly crinkled fender around the light as the van already had 200k miles on it.

Anyway, its common to hit them around here, and people often just take 10# of good meat off an area that wasn't damaged.

 

[roscoe]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

And as far as learning goes, it is best to have a patient and skilled teacher to show you how.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I am way too much of a city boy to even think of that.

I can't believe people eat deer meat?

 

[j_martin]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I am way too much of a city boy to even think of that.

I can't believe people eat deer meat?

I believe there's room for all God's critters.....
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Right beside the mashed potatos and gravy.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I am way too much of a city boy to even think of that.

I can't believe people eat deer meat?

Deer meat... Cow meat.. Buffalo, turkey chicken......

There were put on this planet to do certain jobs.... After there job is done... Tasty.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

lowkee..... if you learn to gut a deer....... you need to put an extra knife in your glove box to carry

 

[mscher]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I field dressed and processed my first deer this year, learning from Youtube videos. Actaully when better than exepected. My new Buck knife, with the gut hook, payed off for me.

If it's not too far away, I'd go back an look for a fawn. If she had one, It will need a mom.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I field dressed my first deer last fall and it was much easier than I thought it'd be.

It helps if you don't puncture anything you don't want punctured as mentioned. Long gloves up to the armpit and it's like cleaning a big hairy fish

I even used my rapala fillet knife and it worked great. I'm hoping to get one for bow and one for rifle season this year if the freezer isn't too full of fish.

BTW...Jeffski it's called venison, not deer meat

 

[Philip_G]

Re: To-do list: Learn to gut a deer!

I am way too much of a city boy to even think of that.

I can't believe people eat deer meat?

it's certainly not my first choice but it's cheap and lean, so why not? certainly I'm sure healthier for you than beef