Let me first say that i have never skinned a large game animal such as an Elk. But recently i had seen a post where one of our fine members killed an Elk and did a gutless skinning. Question i have is, using this method of dressing out an animal how do you get to the strips of muscle on the inside of the spine which are on the side of the internal organs? Honest question, and if there is a way PLEASE tell me and save me some time. Thanks again.


P.

Those little strips are the tenderloins and very much worth going after.  You can go in behind the last rib and work them free with your fingers and slide them out without having to really open the gut.  I've never done it with an elk, but have with caribou and it isn't going to be much different.

I use a sheet with elk and put all my meat on it to cool, I don't have a pic of it.

On this boar the tender-lions are in black, all you do is push the guts down away from the tender-lions and puck them out, you might need your knife on the ends to cut it out.

On an elk there about a foot long by 3-4" wide and are the best of the best meat.

we just make a slit behind the last rib near the spine and stick your hand in there.  the tenderloin mostly peels away and is pretty simple to get out.

I've done it many times with moose and caribou.  Just reach in under the guts and gently cut the tenderloin away from the inside of the backbone.  You NEVER have to open up the guts with this method.  Harvesting every bite of edible meat including the rib meat does not require removing the guts.  On a big animal it's the only way to go.

thanks again for the all the advice, i'll definetly be giving it a try.

I never gut elk any more, and tenderloin removal is the last procedure. Perhaps others arms are longer than mine, or they are more dextrous with one hand, but I find I need both hands and arms into the elbows, so use a small folding bone saw to cut out the last four or so ribs right below the spine, slice down along the forward rib a ways with a knife and pry the ribs back, so that you have a big square opening to work through. You still wind up getting the lower loin by Braille. By pulling the carcass around so that the belly is downhill, all the blood and guts pool in the belly and give you plent of room to work in. I once had photos of all this but lost them.

Hey Paul,

It's a little off subject but it's easy to take care of a big animal without boning it out. Here in parts of Alaska they have outlawed boning your meat in the field because of waste. I sure agree with that, at least let it hang overnight and you'll have a much better product.
On a big moose I gut first (I'm obsessed with getting it cool as quick as possible) you don't have to, laying on their side just skin back the top side,cut the legs and that side of ribs off and hang them or lay out on a clean tarp,or even better throw in the back of your pickup, spread the hide out roll over the rest and repeat, cut the back up in reasonable pieces and hang.

You'll end up with a lot better meat, not just a ewy gooey bloody mess in a bag.

John

http://home.att.net/~sajackson/guttless1.html

The tenderloin removal in these photos is a little confusing or he is calling the back straps the tenderloin.

Good info guys!  i got my first hog ever in January and almost killed myself dragging him out even using a plastic sled!  i vowed right then to never do that again...i can't wait to use this on my next hog.

I tried this for the first time on Whip's elk last Sept. It really worked well. Our biggest challenge was the fact we were working on a 50 degree slope with over 1,000 feet below us. Good thing we had some ropes and a few extra hands. It got easier once we got a couple of quarters off!

QuoteOriginally posted by Dave2old:
I never gut elk any more, and tenderloin removal is the last procedure. Perhaps others arms are longer than mine, or they are more dextrous with one hand, but I find I need both hands and arms into the elbows, so use a small folding bone saw to cut out the last four or so ribs right below the spine, slice down along the forward rib a ways with a knife and pry the ribs back, so that you have a big square opening to work through. You still wind up getting the lower loin by Braille. By pulling the carcass around so that the belly is downhill, all the blood and guts pool in the belly and give you plent of room to work in. I once had photos of all this but lost them.

Dave it does take opposing thumps       LOL , it really is quite easy, I never go deeper than mid palm.

On Lost Arra post the link shows it on pic 9a & 9b, look at his hands, the tenderloins are siting right there, Dave maybe your picking the left one from the right side going all the way across, I am laughing with you my friend