To gut or not to gut?

[BackCountryHNTR]

Hey guys, another tread got me interested/ courious

Seems like many hunters do not waste time/energy gutting their kills. Instead they skin and butcher the kill from the back of the animal.

What's the way you usually do it? and in your opinion/experience what are the pros/cons of each method?

I my self have never done the gutless method, but I can see it could be faster and less messy...

Thank you!!

PS. In case I did not explain my self clearly, here is a link that explains the "gut-less" process:

LINK

(HD, I edited the link so it would work. -PowDuck)

[DEERSLAM]

If I'm on a backpack hunt I'm going to be boning the animal out so there is no point in gutting the animal and making a big mess. Unless of course I have to leave the animal over night or can't bone it out at the moment and have to come back for it.

[barel74]

I do, only to get to the heart, liver, and tender loins.

[Glass eye]

Even if I kill an animal where I can drive right up to it, I'll never gut another animal again.
Why make a nasty mess and risk getting urine, feces and other nasty fluids on the meat.
You have to cut it up sooner or later anyways.

[Glass eye]

QUOTE (barel74 @ May 22 2008, 01:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do, only to get to the heart, liver, and tender loins.[/b]

I don't like liver and for the tenderloins I saw through a few ribs along the spine to reach them.

[easymoney]

I usually use the gutless boning out technique. Especially on pigs...

[Arrowslinger]

Unless you have to get the guts out to either move an animal or leave it overnight, i go with the gutless method.

[Oregon Archer]

skin and quarter it, then debone it. its pretty easy to get the tenderloins out without having to gut it.

[JNDEER]

if i am far from camp or vehicle no gutting.....if i am close to camp (family camp not backpacking) or close to vehicle i will gut...bring back to camp and use the vehicles to skin...hang until i go home than de-bone at home...just the way i was taught and what our family has always done.

[barel74]

no heart or liver eaters out there?

[jindydiver]

90% of the time I go gutless

[Arrowslinger]

QUOTE

no heart or liver eaters out there?[/b]

No sir, not a big fan of organs.

[jhuhtala]

My dad got sent back to a gut pile by my mom because he forgot the kidneys once. I'm all about kidney and heart, you can keep the liver. That said, if I had to pack out a long ways again I think I'd go for the gutless method, heck with that dragging crap.

[BackCountryHNTR]

Yep! Seems like "gutless" is the way to go.

If you guys have pictures, please post them...it will definitely help my learning process!

Also any tips/technique will be greatly appreciated

[suavegato]

so many factors can influence which you do, notwithstanding personal preference...

1. Do you like heart, liver, kidney’s etc.
2. Are you packed in or truck camped near a road or camp?
3. Do you have help to pack it out whole?
4. Do you have help back at camp to help skin / share in the tradition after the kill?
5. What is the terrain like?
6. What size is the animal?
7. How long will it be before you can get it to a meat locker?
8. How hot is it?
9. Do you have equipment to bone it out or just gut & drag?
10. Do you do your own butchering?

So many factors… depends on the situation, they each have their pro’s & con’s… You could probably do one or the other 100% of the time but it would probably be “better” to do both depending…

JMHO YMMV

[richardoutwest]

Always de-bone! Once you have done it, you will never gut again. Beware, states have laws for waisting game meet, so watch that whatever you do - be legal!

[bzzboyz]

As most of you know, Audad is not the best of meat, but i did manage to haul out the head, backstraps and hind quarters, and of course it was gutless.

[DEERSLAM]

Did the same with my Aoudad bzzboyz. But it was taken on BLM land so I had to take pretty much all the meat off the mountain. Gutless was the only way to go on that hunt and for that matter most of my hunts.

[buckfever07]

QUOTE (barel74 @ May 22 2008, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no heart or liver eaters out there?[/b]

I can eat the heart all day long, but you can have the liver.

[bzzboyz]

Caped out.



I wish now that I had gone past the feet like you did for a half mount. Maybe next time. It turned out pretty good though.



They sure aren't like toten out a whitetail, thats for sure. I have never been happpier to see my truck as I was when I got out of the woods with that sucker.

[BackCountryHNTR]

If I got one this season I will be trying the gutless method for sure!!

Thanks! If you have any pics of the actual process will be very illustrative.

I did found a video of this method, but they start from the belly instead the back (???!!!)

[cam188]

I did the gutless method on my first deer(a doe) last year. The only way to fly. Oh and who says you can't grab the liver, heart and so on by doing the gutless method just reach on in lol.... I used an emergecy blanket to lay the animal and the meat on when I did it but some other hunters recommended bringing a twin matteress sheet as well. So you don't get anything dirty.

[Oregon Archer]

this link has a pretty good picture reference with step by step instructions.

http://home.att.net/%7Esajackson/elk.html

[Cold1nhand]

QUOTE (suavegato @ May 22 2008, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

so many factors can influence which you do, notwithstanding personal preference...

1. Do you like heart, liver, kidney’s etc.
2. Are you packed in or truck camped near a road or camp?
3. Do you have help to pack it out whole?
4. Do you have help back at camp to help skin / share in the tradition after the kill?
5. What is the terrain like?
6. What size is the animal?
7. How long will it be before you can get it to a meat locker?
8. How hot is it?
9. Do you have equipment to bone it out or just gut & drag?
10. Do you do your own butchering?

So many factors… depends on the situation, they each have their pro’s & con’s… You could probably do one or the other 100% of the time but it would probably be “better” to do both depending…

JMHO YMMV[/b]

Couldn't aree more!

[Barkoff]

QUOTE (Oregon Archer @ May 22 2008, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

skin and quarter it, then debone it. its pretty easy to get the tenderloins out without having to gut it.[/b]

So do most of you leave the rib meat, is leaving rib meat legal?

I'm new to hunting, so excuse the ignorance, but isn't there a good chance of puncturing some organs trying to cut the rib meat out?

Thanks.

[bzzboyz]

QUOTE (Barkoff @ May 23 2008, 07:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Oregon Archer @ May 22 2008, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

skin and quarter it, then debone it. its pretty easy to get the tenderloins out without having to gut it.[/b]

So do most of you leave the rib meat, is leaving rib meat legal?

I'm new to hunting, so excuse the ignorance, but isn't there a good chance of puncturing some organs trying to cut the rib meat out?

Thanks.
[/b][/quote]


I wouldn't think that leaving the rib cage and meat is considered wanton waste in any state.

[suavegato]

QUOTE (Barkoff @ May 23 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Oregon Archer @ May 22 2008, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

skin and quarter it, then debone it. its pretty easy to get the tenderloins out without having to gut it.[/b]

So do most of you leave the rib meat, is leaving rib meat legal?

I'm new to hunting, so excuse the ignorance, but isn't there a good chance of puncturing some organs trying to cut the rib meat out?

Thanks.
[/b][/quote]
depends on the animal? I don't know anything about legalities but for a little columbian blacktail, I don't usually use the rib meat... sometimes if I bring a whole animal home I will croc pot up the ribs, but if I'm cutting it up in the field or camp, I don't usually use the rib meat. On a big old Mule deer, now there's some good rib meat for jerky, burger, ribs what ever... I'd "guess" that if you were packed in on foot and took the backstraps, hind quarters, shoulder & loin fillets, you'd be fine to leave the neck & rib meat... just mo op. not the law... I use as much of the meat as I can but I doubt I'd make a second trip 5 miles in for neck & ribs... If I had to go back anyway, then sure i'd grab it...
JMHO YMMV?

[bobby7321]

QUOTE (Oregon Archer @ May 23 2008, 03:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

this link has a pretty good picture reference with step by step instructions.

http://home.att.net/%7Esajackson/elk.html[/b]

i've checked this out before. but i think hes calling the loins the tenerloins. so he's not even bothering with the actual tenderloins??

besides sawing through the ribs, how do you guys get to the tenderloins?

[cam188]

QUOTE (bobby7321 @ May 26 2008, 12:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Oregon Archer @ May 23 2008, 03:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

this link has a pretty good picture reference with step by step instructions.

http://home.att.net/%7Esajackson/elk.html[/b]

i've checked this out before. but i think hes calling the loins the tenerloins. so he's not even bothering with the actual tenderloins??

besides sawing through the ribs, how do you guys get to the tenderloins?
[/b][/quote]

Just make a cut in the body cavity near the tenderloins and reach on in.

[suavegato]

*IF* the situation allows and I remember, I think I will try to do one this year and take a ton of pix and document it to post here... In fact, if we all try to remember to do it, i'm sure one of us will and then we will have a good toutorial to post...