I've been asked to do this type of how to for almost 2 yrs now. I finally had a chance to spend a few days in the woods ! Weather and my hunting buddies were great.

As I've said before this is only ONE way to do this and our way YMMV. I have dressed out game differently than this but due to some shot damaged areas we took the easy way. Those that have done this before will see what steps we left out and those that haven't I will leave notes below.


GRAPHIC DO NOT READ BELOW IF BLOOD BOTHERS YOU


Step one
Harvest your deer. Today was a good day, but enough meat was taken to feed a family for a bit if stored properly.
2- does and 1- 4 point.





Step two
After you hang the deer you want to start to skin it . To do this start but cutting through the hide around the knee area.




Note: Some gut/dress in field - we have a designated "gut" area we do all of this at.


Step three
After you complete cutting around the legs cut down the inside of the leg towards the belly area as shown.



Here you can see me cutting around the inner thigh around the anus area





breaking the tail off







Step four
The next few pictures show how once the above cuts are made you start to pull or work the skin downward. You will want to pull the hide all the way down and over the deers head. Cut the front shoulder's like you did the rear legs to expose them.






Here you can See where the hide has been pulled down farther.



end result




Step five

Run if you see this guy. lol


Step 6
If its a buck you will have to remove the genitals. To do so once you cut the hide away like step 2-3 shown, grab penis and pull it out ( as shown)



Then slowly cut around it


then cut



end result


Step 7
Since our deers had some bullet damage to the vitals and we had limited washing abilities we chose not to gut the Deer. But to do so all you will need to do is cut down the middle just under the skin and remove the innards.

Our step 7 was to now remove the meats that we wanted to keep.

Here are a few pics of us removing a front shoulder. First you want to rotate the shoulder and cut up through the arm pit area. Then around to the front of the shoulder. The back from the underside start to cut just under the shoulder blade. The shoulder will then pretty much just pull off.








Once removed you Can use several different tools to remove the lower part of the limbs. We used a machete but a large limb lopper for your hardware store is less effort and not as messy!

Next was the back straps. To do this you cut down the spine as shown.





Cut deep enough to hit the ribs and angle your knife along them. Then cut the outer edge. Once that is done you can the pull down or slowly cut the strap off the ribs as shown below.





Next is the rear ham's.
This is tricky and it helps to know how the muscles lay. It takes time but basically you are de-boning the meat. Later at home you can cut them up into roast and stew meat.
These pictures below will give you a basic idea of what was done.









Put the meat on ice on your way back to camp or home. Once there wrap and freeze or prep anyway you like.

As I stated above this is only one way to do this.
 
I  have found it easier and faster. Less mess at home the whole 9 yards.
I process my own meat also, so in a day or two after the stew/ sausage meat rest I'll be grinding it up for chili's and sausage! It's cheaper and I don't mind the work!

Sorry for any blurry pics or one that looked mix and matched I had to take pics and help clean the three deer.


Hope this helps out those that needed the info!

awesome thread!  Thanks!

TAG (both new and old style)

Quoted: TAG (both new and old style)

Tag my ass...this needs a TAC

Quoted: Quoted: TAG (both new and old style) Tag my ass...this needs a TAC

+1 for a TAC

TAG

Step 5

Threads like this make my day. Thank you

Isn't that the "poacher's technique"?  

Minimal time, minimal mess...

There is no need to gut it with this technique the buzzards will finish off what's left.

I don't like liver meat but I do like the heart so will open them up for that. If I drag it to the car I'll hang mine from the neck & cut around the head down the belly and around the legs. Then insert a golf ball in the loose skin from the neck & tie it off and attach to the winch or vehicle and zip it off. I need to take pictures this fall from bowhunt.

KICKASS!

my method varies slightly:

I gut the deer right after I shoot it.  this involves getting a little dirty, and breaking the pelvis... but it makes the deer a little lighter to carry around.
I don't know if there are any real benefits to this method, but it's the way my family has been doing it for over 100 years.

ETA:  nice pictures and tutorial!

Great info and pics!  This should really be a sticky!  

Thanks. It's a good write up and the pics are good too.

excelent.

Thanks!

tag

Great thread.

I do all of my deer the same way, basically.  The only thing I do different is that I cut the whole ham off at the end, so that the legs are left hanging from the rope I use to hang the deer with, and the body drops into a bucket I use to clean deer.  Then I proceed to cut up the ham.  BUT, the way you did it looks much easier than the way I do it.

Thanks, I will use that last tip about the hams if I kill a deer this season.

ETA:  You didn't get out the tenderloins?  They are hard to get to if you hang the deer up like this, but worth it, IMO, for the small but tender meat it has.  It does take some practice to get the tenderloins though, took a couple of deer before I could figure out where to grab inside the cavity.

Great write up!!!

There's also good meat along the spine on the inside. There's not as much as a backstrap, but there is enough to make it worth while. And it is very tender.

ETA - Chizzle already said something about it.

My buddy always used to say "Hunt the off-season.  There's less competition."

tag

Quoted: my method varies slightly: I gut the deer right after I shoot it.  this involves getting a little dirty, and breaking the pelvis... but it makes the deer a little lighter to carry around. I don't know if there are any real benefits to this method, but it's the way my family has been doing it for over 100 years. ETA:  nice pictures and tutorial!

The only problem wit 'field dressing' or gutting in the field is the probability that you will puncture a gut or bladder and expose additional meat to the fecal/urine material.

On most deer/hogs the gut accounts for about 25-35% of the weight.  

IMHO, it is not worth the trouble to remove the guts until I have ample water nearby.

I did harvest a buck once that I did not hang to debone.  I left him laying exactly where I shot him and carried the empty ice chest to his location.  

I skinned one side, deboned the meat.  Rolled him over and skinned and deboned the opposite side.  When I was finished, I found it was easier to carry the 30 pounds of meat in the cooler back to camp than it would have been to drag the whole deer.

TRG

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: my method varies slightly: I gut the deer right after I shoot it.  this involves getting a little dirty, and breaking the pelvis... but it makes the deer a little lighter to carry around. I don't know if there are any real benefits to this method, but it's the way my family has been doing it for over 100 years. ETA:  nice pictures and tutorial! The only problem wit 'field dressing' or gutting in the field is the probability that you will puncture a gut or bladder and expose additional meat to the fecal/urine material. On most deer/hogs the gut accounts for about 25-35% of the weight.   IMHO, it is not worth the trouble to remove the guts until I have ample water nearby. I did harvest a buck once that I did not hang to debone.  I left him laying exactly where I shot him and carried the empty ice chest to his location.   I skinned one side, deboned the meat.  Rolled him over and skinned and deboned the opposite side.  When I was finished, I found it was easier to carry the 30 pounds of meat in the cooler back to camp than it would have been to drag the whole deer. TRG Damn shame.  I'm sure someone will miss thier great dane.......

Yup, is it wrong that I had him ground up and made in to hotdogs?

TRG

Interesting.

When I took Hunter's safety in Michigan they told us that you had to take the deer to the DNR before you started processing it. In fact, in the guide they had instructions for gutting the animal that told you to cut around the genitals so that the DNR could verify the sex.

I had no idea that in other places you could just skin the deer and start cutting meat off of it right there. What do you do with the rest, just leave it hanging?

Quoted: Interesting. When I took Hunter's safety in Michigan they told us that you had to take the deer to the DNR before you started processing it. In fact, in the guide they had instructions for gutting the animal that told you to cut around the genitals so that the DNR could verify the sex. I had no idea that in other places you could just skin the deer and start cutting meat off of it right there. What do you do with the rest, just leave it hanging?

at the MWA's etc, you do have to have your deer "checked" per say. long as you have evidnece of the sex(  head and nads on hand) your good to go.
FLA used to actually give you tags for the deer. not anymore. Our tag limits are alot different than what they were  15 yrs ago  or to other states.
Limits here are
2- bucks per day possesion 4

you can dismememer the deer in "camp" as long as each portion is tagged etc. we put each amount of meat per each deer in seperate bags. so buck one goes in xx bag,,  buck 2 goes in xxx bag. labeled and in their truck/cooler car or back to camp.

which is a reason why ive had to chuck a few heads in my apt. compleze dumpster along with some genitals...
ymmv per state

never seen it done before so that was very informational to me. Thanks alot

You need to gut that bitch.  Your missing out on the front straps, the best meat!

Quoted: You need to gut that bitch.  Your missing out on the front straps, the best meat!

As I've said before this is only ONE way to do this and our way YMMV. I have dressed out game differently than this but due to some shot damaged areas we took the easy way

front straps?
never heard of that before. Unless your talking where the back straps pass up and into the neck area.. Which we get. along with a bunch of neck meat, an dthe complete shoulder's
We normally do gut the deer. But besides the tenderlions. Which due to our deers size down here it is almost a worthless effort. alot mess and work to get maybe  1/4lbs of meat......

Im always open to different ways that are easier,faster ..and have tried most, upside down hung, hung by the legs, on the ground, on its die... gut on spot, drag out none gutted. complete use. to  dressing like in this thread. there's 10001 ways to do it im sure. This is just ONE way to do it as i sated in the begining.....

Quoted: My buddy always used to say "Hunt the off-season.  There's less competition."

I let a guy hunt our lower 120 acres.  He always used to say the same thing.

Now he's facing 19 counts of misdemeanor poaching and trespassing.

Quoted: Quoted: Interesting. When I took Hunter's safety in Michigan they told us that you had to take the deer to the DNR before you started processing it. In fact, in the guide they had instructions for gutting the animal that told you to cut around the genitals so that the DNR could verify the sex. I had no idea that in other places you could just skin the deer and start cutting meat off of it right there. What do you do with the rest, just leave it hanging? at the MWA's etc, you do have to have your deer "checked" per say. long as you have evidnece of the sex(  head and nads on hand) your good to go. FLA used to actually give you tags for the deer. not anymore. Our tag limits are alot different than what they were  15 yrs ago  or to other states. Limits here are 2- bucks per day possesion 4 you can dismememer the deer in "camp" as long as each portion is tagged etc. we put each amount of meat per each deer in seperate bags. so buck one goes in xx bag,,  buck 2 goes in xxx bag. labeled and in their truck/cooler car or back to camp. which is a reason why ive had to chuck a few heads in my apt. compleze dumpster along with some genitals... ymmv per state

Oh my! Do you guys grow them quick and small down there?

Offhand remark:  My neighbor went down to MS to hunt deer with a couple of friends. He received 10 tags and thought, holy crap, they must have  alot of them. Then for the next week, he saw them past by and said they weren't much bigger than a full grown German Shepard and refused to hunt them. He hasn't left the upper midwest since for deer hunting.  

one reason i invested in a dehydrator, meat grinder,meat slicer and sausage stuffer

I go hunting up in Mn each year. We always field dress using the wind pipe to haul out the guts i think i'm gonna get one of them butthole cutters for up there this year. We also only need to have the head to identify the sex of deer and we can register them at gas stations or any designated registration station they don't ever chek the deer though.

Thanks for the pics. Its always fun to see how other folks do it. One thing I noticed is you didn't mention age-ing the meat. I've found that it's absolutly necessary unless the meat is to be made into sausage or jerky.
When I lived in Maine I just hung the whole deer w/skin on in the unheated garage. Sometimes for 7-10 days. Now that I live in the South, that's not possible.
I now quarter the deer up and put the meat in trash bags. The bags go in several coolers w/ice. New ice is added every two days and the water drained.
It drastically improves the taste and texture.
Do you remove the "silver skin" before cooking?  

slacker, due to my living area LOL. i dont have the means to hang/age the meat. what i do  is  get home, cleanitup, cut off any fat/sliver skin. then prep and frezze.  when i decide to cook a cut. i take it out ,put it in a tupperware marinade tray. i then let it sit for 3-5 days. 1-2 days before i cook it i will then drain and add my spices etc for 2 more days.  theni will cook it. I have yet to have any "gamey" issues per say.
the chucnks and cuts that are used for burger and sausage arent aged. i use a 50-50 (80/70 beef)mix on the  burger and a 2(pork) to 1(deer) on the sausage. if you go 50 /50 it seemed to taste like really good hamburger ! lol

tagged; thanks protus

good thread

Everytime I click on this thread I get so hungry that I eat everything within site of me.  Thanks Protus.

Quoted: slacker, due to my living area LOL. i dont have the means to hang/age the meat. what i do  is  get home, cleanitup, cut off any fat/sliver skin. then prep and frezze.  when i decide to cook a cut. i take it out ,put it in a tupperware marinade tray. i then let it sit for 3-5 days. 1-2 days before i cook it i will then drain and add my spices etc for 2 more days.  theni will cook it. I have yet to have any "gamey" issues per say. the chucnks and cuts that are used for burger and sausage arent aged. i use a 50-50 (80/70 beef)mix on the  burger and a 2(pork) to 1(deer) on the sausage. if you go 50 /50 it seemed to taste like really good hamburger ! lol

Correct on the aging.  I have used an old refrigerator as an aging /cold room... but, it does not seem to work as well as hanging them outside for a week or two.

Problem is that Texas seldom has a stretch of weather that will cooperate.

TRG

this way is much faster than i do it

if its cold we let em lay with the guts in em unless gutshot they get gutted asap and cleaned with water and then later pick the deer up with the 4 wheeler and trailor....or drag it out

we start like you do with the hide once its down to the neck we cut the head off

remove the guys
remove the diafram
remove the organs from the chest cavity
when everything is out sawzall down the middle and then hang the 2 halfs

our hunting group once cleaned and halfed 42 does in one night

Here is a .pdf of skinning a deer using the old "golf ball" trick. I've seen it done once and it did work. The prep work doesn't take long.

wildlife.tamu.edu/publications/TAEXWildlife/WILDPUBS/A011.PDF

height=8

Quoted: Great write up!!! There's also good meat along the spine on the inside. There's not as much as a backstrap, but there is enough to make it worth while. And it is very tender. ETA - Chizzle already said something about it.

yeah we call it the tender in texas. without a doubt it is the best part of the deer. it does require you gutting/field dressing the deer but trust me it is worth it.

The meat tastes a lot better and is more tender if you let it hang for about 12 days (its cold enough where i live) the natural chemicals in the deers body start to break down the meat so it's seasoned a little bit from the fall air and a lot more tender if you let it hang awile.

No pics of the unnatural sexual acts?

-1 for wasting the tenderloins.  

tag for after work when I have time

I bought a grinder and a dehydrator after getting back some bad meat from a processor. It had hair, bone, and grass in the ground meat.

I quarter and store the meat for a week in a cooler of ice, draining the water and adding ice when needed. It helps a little with the cold shortening of the meat fibers. I then wait for my wife to go to sleep, and debone and pack into ziplocks at the kitchen sink. I do my grinding a little at a time as I need it: a hand grinder is a lot like work.

No one will treat the meat the way you will.

My ground looks fresh and red, like it came from Publix, while the stuff I used to get from the processor looked greasy and brown like re-dated Food Lion beef. My father-in-law has started raiding my freezer when he is in town, so I've had to learn to hide the backstraps!!

ETA, the tenderloins can still be reached without gutting, you just have to hold the intesines away and be careful.