I'll be hunting for deer with a outfitter this month. This will be my first time deer hunting. The outfitter said from morning till 4pm they don't want people driving around in their vehicle or ATV to get their game. So my question is, when you take your deer and recover it what do you do? Do I drag it back to my blind or under a tree away from the sun? Do I need to field dress the buck? How fast does the deer start to spoil if I don't field dress it right away? If I need to field dress what type of knife do I need? I have a Bark River GamesKeeper.
You would think the outfitter has a means of contacting them in you have game down, rather than let it sit all day????
Field dress the deer.
I field dress game as soon as possible.
Depends on whether you need to bring the carcass out whole or not. I don't field dress, I field butcher. All meat comes out boneless except for the quarters. The rest can stay in the woods.
Depends on state regs, though. Some do require you to check the whole carcass. If that's the case, you need to field dress it as soon as you recover the animal.
If I'm hunting on my own...which is always, I take care of my kill right away. Field dress or bone it out...
Since you are hunting with an outfitter, ask him. Most have certain ideas about how they want to go about dealing with their game taken in the field....they may have reservations about gut piles, or carcases left in an area where clients are hunting, and you may spoil an area where you can return to hunt yourself later that day, or the next. Ask the outfitter, he'll spell out his wishes!
Explain to the outfitter that you are a "new guy" and need some coaching. I'm sure they will give you instructions on what they would like you too do.
Mike
I always field dress ASAP.
I doubt leaving your animal for a few hours will hurt it in December weather.
We don't hesitate to leave animals overnight, I don't know why leaving it for part of the day would hurt this time of the year.
Besides, according to your post, he didn't say to not field dress, he said not to drive.
Decomposition starts when the heart quits beating. The best way to slow that down is to cool off the body as soon as possible.I like to gut mine as soon as I can and get it off the gound if only six inches. That being said I've had to leave a three overnight in 39 years of bowhuinting and two were fine (one was a bear) and the other one wasn't. Just to be safe I don't waste any time getting them gutted.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Is there a certain style knife you use to gut or any knife will do.
I field dress as soon as possible. Some guides and or areas don't like to have field dressing happen. As to knives I think you will be fine with most anything as long as it is sharp.
As long as you have a saw for the pelvis, any sharp knife will work. For strictly gutting I actually prefer a small pocket knife with a blade of about 3". It let's you get in tight spots, and its less clunky than a big blade.
ASK THE OUTFITTER weather you should or not! As stated above he may not want gutpiles.
Scott
I field dress all of my game.
if you have an animal down every thing stops... taking care of it is #1. gutting and cooling the meat is #1. getting the animal out and hung for skining no matter what time of day is #2 what are you paying for. sounds like you need to call them and ask alot more questions. if not get a new outfitter.
Field dress it once the animal is down.Period IMO. I use a simple Buck Knife with a gut hook on it.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
Depends on whether you need to bring the carcass out whole or not. I don't field dress, I field butcher. All meat comes out boneless except for the quarters. The rest can stay in the woods.
Depends on state regs, though. Some do require you to check the whole carcass. If that's the case, you need to field dress it as soon as you recover the animal.
x2
Field dress immediately. There are many good videos on this on UTube.
A good knife obviously would be a sharp knife. A Buck 110 would be a good choice. The Buck folder up top is a titanium version and an excellent knife for dressing deer.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Hunting/Buckknives.jpg)
Its your hunt & your animal-let the outfitter know it will be field dressed right away,either by him or by you,but it will be done.
Hard to find a sharp knife that won't work. More than one animal has been dressed with a broadhead (not convenient). Any sharp knife with a a 3"-4" blade should work great. Gut hooks work well but really only save a minute or so. I like a blade with some thickness to it for disassembling joints.
Have a second blade of some sort. If you misplace your main knife during dressing, or it gets dragged across too much hair and dulled, a second blade is nice to have. I usually have a Leatherman in my pack and its blade will take a whole elk apart with no issues if need be.
Do you guys worry about predators coming around for your game or sniffing around after your field dressed?
I field dress all game asap.
another for field dressing as soon as you can, depending on temps.
I have field dressed many deer by lifting and wedging the skull in a small tree fork formed by a branch coming off the trunk. If you can get it high enough for the hams to be off the ground you're good to go. I don't like field dressing deer on their side. I like it all to fall out cleanly.
Any sharp knife will work. Bark River makes great knives (I have some). I believe there may be a tutorial for field dressing a deer or elk on the site, or Google search it. It may help you when it is time, and eventually, it will be time.
Good Luck
ChuckC
Pose your question to the outfitter. If you are not satisfied, field dress it. A good knife for the job is the swing blade by Outdoor edge. I like the bright orange one so I don't lose it.
asap then ya can get back to hunting :thumbsup:
bolo,
If you're hunting in FL, you need to worry about the heat much more than a lot of the lucky northerners on this site. As you know, it was close to 80 today. That said, "immediate" field dressing is relative. Don't rush so much that you end up with a pile of sand inside the carcass. Immediate is better, but an hour or so won't hurt you. I would suggest bringing some ice and stuffing a full bag inside the cavity as soon as you've field dressed it.
Don't worry about predators. We've killed most of the big ones in FL already.
You really should get the outfitters take on all this too...
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
Explain to the outfitter that you are a "new guy" and need some coaching. I'm sure they will give you instructions on what they would like you too do.
Mike
Mikes spot on and Insist that you do it. much better to learn with a pro than fumble around on your own.
My opinion is to field dress or bone out asap. but you'll need to discuss with the outfitters. I know some don't want the animals field dress in the woods and have a pit specifically for the 'goo'
near the main camp.
Getting it cooled ASAP is a priority. So I field dress as soon as I can. And rinse the cavity with cold water as soon as possible. A sharp old Buck 105 fixed blade knife is hard to beat for the work.
dittoing Field dress or bone it ASAP. Make sure you have ziplocks for the liver and heart. Any knife is fine, just don't cut too deep. Stay out of the intestines and stomach.
The advice to be totally up front with the outfitter is good. Sometimes when you've done something a gazillion times you forget what it's like to be a beginner.
google field dress this deer in under one minute and buy the video. Its about $18. and worth it.
QuoteOriginally posted by bolo7735:
Do you guys worry about predators coming around for your game or sniffing around after your field dressed?
Nope. That gives you something else to shoot while you wait.
i never field dress. waiting a couple hours won't hurt (most of the time). i take every deer i kill back to the shop and hang them up, skin and then gut right into a large tub.
i have always thought field dressing looks messy and for my situation, unnecessary. like everyone else has said, talk to the outfitter.
if i paid to hunt, i wouldn't expect to have to do any of the dirty work.
I field dress and cool ASAP and have found that although a gutpile is unsightly it doesn't last long at all. A friend dressed a doe last Monday before we took a break for lunch and when we came back the only thing left was the paunch. This was 1 hour after we went out. Check with your outfitter as some don't want something dressed where other game might come across it-although it has been my experience that a gutpile doesn't spook deer as much as one might think.
I always field dress it right away. Then take a short break and start dragging it out. Where I hunted coyotes would be on it in a short time unless you took it out.
What Mark said is a good start.
While taking proper care of meat is a top priority, the need for speed really depends on where you are hunting.
I just reread your original post and my bet is what the outfitter meant was that from mid-morning to four pm IS the time he has scheduled to recover game. Most likely he is protecting pime morning and evening hunt time for everyone hunting the property.
I suspect we should really know where you are hunting. FL and late season IL are waaaayy different in temps.....
I know you are really new at this so you need to ask questions of your outfitter as others have said.
As to the knife.. For me small is better than medimum, but then all I am doing is getting the guts out after which I will likely drive to the animal and haul it to the barn and hang it etc...
This year were dragging our little Sika deer out to where we parked the tractor and gutted them there. My friend shot two one morning literally walking past the gutting area. Didn't phase these deer at all. Gutpiles don't last long in the woods anyway.
Speaking as someone who was a butcher for the better part of a decade - Field dress immediately and be sure to remove the entire intestinal track. Make a circular incision around its bum bum then it will just come right out when you gut it. Makes all the difference in the world. Waiting anything more than 20 minutes will make the meat taste gamey. Once you get the goop out, if you do it right, conditions permitting, you're good for as much as a day.
oh and the knife- the sharper the better and personally I prefer a good 6 inch blade. Unless you dont mind being a bloody mess, a longer blade helps keep the blood off you. Just watch your fangers and the hide if your intend on saving it.
I'll be hunting up around Marianna. It is near the panhandle of Florida close to the Alabama border. I will speak to the outfitter about field dressing. I was just concern with more then a dozen hunters on this 4000+ acres property it might take them time to come get my game. I don't want to sit around and let the deer get spoil. I know since it is a paid hunt I should let the guide do everything. But I have to learn sooner or later so why not now. If I am careful I should be able to remove all the inside guts without contaminating the meat.
*
QuoteOriginally posted by bolo7735:
Thanks everyone for the advice. Is there a certain style knife you use to gut or any knife will do.
Your Barkie is fine. I prefer a shorter blade, to be honest but yours should work just fine assuming it's nice and sharp.
I personally use a Becker BK11. I like that the blade is juuuuust long enough for me to cover the spine with my index finger. That way when you are up to your elbows in the gooey bits, you can feel exactly where your blade is and can hopefully avoid cutting any of your own tender flesh.
You'll be fine. As has already been mentioned, tell the outfitter that you are a new hunter (or new big game killer anyway) and they should be able to help you out.
As to splitting the pelvis - some do that that and some don't. It's not mandatory and you don't need to bring an ax or saw if you don't want. Certainly, don't try to break that with your Barkie - that's a nice knife.
QuoteOriginally posted by bolo7735:
Do you guys worry about predators coming around for your game or sniffing around after your field dressed?
No. They worry about me. :D
I like to drag the deer out of my stand area before I field dress. Ive had deer be startled by lots of blood on the ground. Critters will clean it up soon enough, I still like to field dress away from where im hunting.
Field dress it, drag it into the shade if it isn't already and prop the cavity open with a stick that's 12-14 inches long. A sharp pocket knife will work just fine for deer or any other North American game animal.
QuoteOriginally posted by bolo7735:
I'll be hunting up around Marianna. It is near the panhandle of Florida close to the Alabama border. I will speak to the outfitter about field dressing. I was just concern with more then a dozen hunters on this 4000+ acres property it might take them time to come get my game. I don't want to sit around and let the deer get spoil. I know since it is a paid hunt I should let the guide do everything. But I have to learn sooner or later so why not now. If I am careful I should be able to remove all the inside guts without contaminating the meat.
The deer won't spoil in a matter of a few hours. I never field dress deer. I load them up and skin/quarter at camp....I'm betting the outfitter will do something similar. They are probably set up with a nice skinning station. That would be the place to learn. Ask the guide to walk you through it and let you try skinning/quartering yourself.