How to Field Dress Large Game Animals - Written Narrative

FIELD DRESSING LARGE ANIMALS
(Example Used Here is a Deer)


Once you’ve congratulated yourself on a good “hit”, it’s time to get to work!

Make sure your knives are always sharp. It makes life much easier for this task. Roll the deer onto it’s back. Stand over the deer with your legs straddling his rear legs. Steady it. Lean part of the deer against a tree, your legs, or have your partner hold it so the stomach area is entirely exposed to you.

If the deer is a buck, grab a hold of his penis and scrotum. Make an incision in the groin area, above the penis, just into the skin. You don’t have to puncture the underlying muscle. While pulling his penis and scrotum towards you, carefully move the knife slightly in and downward removing them entirely from your work area. You’ll have to pull somewhat hard towards the end and cut a bit to make it easier. Throw the handful off to the side.

While you’re at this end of the animal, you need to cut around his rectum. You’re going to cut a complete circle around the entire thing. Take your knife and from the outside of the deer, start cutting. Keep the knife against pelvic hole, so as not to puncture the bladder. Go all the way around. Now, (a saw works best here) carefully cut through the pelvis bone to splay the legs wide open for ease in removing everything. Being very careful not to cut yourself or cut open anything that will “spill” onto the meat you plan to eat.

The pelvis bone is cut. His legs are splayed, lying apart. You’ve cut a circle around the rectum.

Now, make a small, delicate, slow incision in the groin area. You only want to get “just” on the other side of the muscle. Not into the guts. While your cutting this incision, take your time. You’ll be glad you didn’t puncture the guts. That makes leaning over and field dressing an animal miserably smelly.

Now, you’ve got your first hole in the body. With your index and middle finger on one hand spread the hole open as wide as possible. With the other hand, steadily move the knife upward towards the center of his chest cavity. Use fingers as a guide and to keep muscle away from guts. All the while, tilting your knife slightly upwards, as not to puncture the guts. Get an angle to the knife; upward and forward. Aim towards the center of the chest cavity. Now, all the organs and guts will start to give you a bit of trouble. Just try to keep them contained in the deer for now. We’ll deal with them later. The closer you get to the chest cavity, the more resistance your knife will meet. Once at the chest cavity, make sure no one is standing in front of you, as you will have to use CAREFUL FORCE to continue splitting the cavity upward through the sternum. (If you plan on having a shoulder mount done on this deer, do not go too far up the sternum, you’ll want that cape in good condition)

Slowly reach in and cut diaphragm all the way around the inside. Be careful with your knife not to cut yourself.

Now, you should have a large, long incision splaying the deer open about halfway up his chest cavity with intestines teetering on falling out. Carefully reach in for the esophagus and trachea. Be careful, as that breast bone is very sharp and will cut you for sure. Once you have the esophagus and trachea in your hand, pull it in a downward fashion towards the body. With your other hand, cut this as high up as possible. Sever it completely.

Now, you’re going to remove everything from the body.

Once you’ve got everything “loose”, start from the top area by the chest cavity, pulling the esophagus and trachea first, then gently pull the entire mess towards you. Pull the rectum poop shoot from the inside and start to gently, but, firmly pull inward. Once free, quickly move it all to the outside of the cavity. If any fecal matter or urine gets onto your meat, flush with water as soon as possible. Get those contaminants off that wonderful meat.

Keep bringing everything towards the back end of the deer and pull it entirely out and away from your work area. If you have areas which are still sticking to the membrane, simply use your knife to cut it free.

This job is best kept as clean as possible.

Once everything major is out, trim up the inside. Remove the extra fat and tissue. Clean things up a bit. Now, flip the deer onto what used to be his stomach region. Let this drain for awhile.

Now, get this deer home. When home, prop the entire cavity open. Oftentimes, we use a couple of sturdy sticks or short branches. This will help cool the meat down faster.

If you are going to butcher him yourself, hang the deer up in a cool dry place overnight. Otherwise, now, take it to a butcher.

Congratulations on a job well done. Next time you field dress, you’ll be a pro!