cleaning deer - need help please 6A

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Lots of good input here... Kudos to you in your efforts to be "correct". However... there is only two things you have to do... KEEP IT CLEAN and Get It Cool (cold). There are many ways to care for game meat... but if you keep it clean and get it cold then then you have succeeded on your first attempt. Even if you completely "hack" it up, Big deal... that just means you get more burger this time. LOL. The detail you desire will come easier and faster if you already screwed it up once...hahaha... Meaning if you aren't making mistakes you aren't doing anything. There is lots of good videos out there look at them all and use what you like and improve from there... honestly you will do better on your own with no one else to count on than you are giving yourself credit for, I think! Good Hunting!!

[6ANut]

Well said coues n sheep. Hands on and making mistakes is the only way to learn. Both sides of the animal are exactly the same so what u did on one side that might have been a bad cut or a mistake try on the other side to correct your problem.

[CouesWhitetail]

There is truth to what CouesnSheep is saying. Some people get hung up on cutting the meat up like a professional butcher. You don't have to make perfect cuts to get great meat. Just keep it as clean as you can and get it cooled down ASAP. Frozen water bottles/gatorade bottles work great to cool meat without letting ice melt and leaving the meat soaking in water in a cooler. Or put ice in ziplock bags so when it melts your meat wont get wet.

 

I would love to come help you if you get one down, but I would be hours away from you and it's better to get it processed ASAP. I have complete faith you will do a great job even if you are all by yourself.

[naturegirl]

You all are so helpful! Thank you, thank you!

 

Thanks Amanda for your vote of confidence

[buffhunter]

Not the gutless method but a good video.

Dont cut through the chest if you would like to mount your animal.....other then that good video.....

[trphyhntr]

I use the, "could you show me that one more time?" method.

[naturegirl]

That was very educational. Cabela's had a field dressing class today. The description said it was visual and that it was. I started off in the back row, but moved myself to the front row when I realized how visual it would be.

 

They brought in a very stinky goat. I got past the smell and the rest went well until she was skinning the face. The smell and the eyeballs were my least favorite part.

 

I believe John was the name of the instructor (a hunter and guide). He did the gutting and actually made a backpack out of the goat itself to carry it out. It was very interesting and something that would for sure work on a Coues.

 

They also had a second half to the class that went over DIY butchering, but I couldn't stay for this part.

 

I'm glad I went. Thank you to a fellow CWT member for pointing this class out to me

[Edge]

This sounds like a lot of afternoons I spent in the Philippines. Add a little pansit, some lumpia and a keg of San Miguel......

 

On those rare occasions where my father-in-law would shell out 60 pisos ($1) to have the goat processed for him, he'd still show up and reassemble all the goat parts to make sure it was all there.

[awatson]

I've done both gutless and traditional field-dress and butcher. Ultimately, I'm an old school bone-in, traditional butcher guy. I think gutless leaves a lot of meat on the ground.

 

Almost all of my bone-in cuts go in the crockpot, and come out clean of meat. All those meaty bones left behind are a waste, in my opinion, unless you are in the middle of nowhere, alone and there is no other option but to cut the weight.

 

Whenever I have the opportunity and the means I will butcher bone-in, at my house, at my leisure, after it's aged a week or so in my garage fridge.

[MattMan]

One mistake some people make is touching hair, then touching meat. That's a good source of "gamy" tasting game meat. We use cheap nitrile gloves from harbor freight. They're light and you can stuff a BUNCH in a ziplock. Once a glove touches hair, it only touches hair... if you have to hold a skinned portion or bare meat again, get a new glove. Doing the gutless method alone on the ground this can be an issue.

 

I also use a pair of lightweight cut proof gloves under the nitrile. I ordered them from Amazon.com. They make them for butchers, and can be had pretty cheaply. Typically I'm alone, and a slice to a hand or finger could be downright dangerous. My brother used my knife last year and right as I told him to be careful, and asked how come he didn't have the cut proof gloves on, he sliced his finger to the bone in an instant.

[naturegirl]

Good point. The lady taxidermist had I think she said a mylar glove that she was using.

 

I know myself. I need this.

[Str8Shot]

Make sure you get air between you and the animal when opening up if gutting... Seen many guys toss their cookies getting hit by the gas that escapes the body cavity. A bone saw will help on splitting pelvis and sharp knives make it much easier and quicker. As all have stated proper handling of meat and getting it cool/cold quick will limit the gamy taste, but so does getting a good shot and dropping them in their tracks! Rutting Bulls and Bucks will always be a little more gamy due to the hormones in the body... Lots of good advice but the best is getting your hands dirty and practicing.

[MattMan]

Most of the gloves are kevlar... the amazon link above will give you what you need.

[PRDATR]

I have a pair I use around the kitchen on occasion after chopping the top of my finger off one Saturday night a few years ago.

Toughest part was trying to keep my son from freaking out as I stitched it back together.

[naturegirl]

That's crazy stitching yourself up.

 

I'm on the glove situation. I like my fingers.

 

Had to laugh about the mylar.