Anal Concerns when Field Dressing

[MattM37]

Field-dressing a deer, do you do the cut-around-anus-and-tie-it-off, or use a Butt-Out device, or just not worry about it? I've foregone the whole thing a few times, just being careful down around there once the deer is opened up, and never had any tainted meat.

[FirstBubba]

Too each his own MattM37.

Several years ago, I got invited to a "cull hunt" on the Ford Ranch in Brady, Texas. They don't allow gutting in the field so provide a "shed" so gut piles won't accumulate around camp.
They provided "gutting cradles" and "lopping shears". Until then, I'd never seen such.
Works great!
It takes two snips with the lopping shears to open up the pelvic bone to facilitate the easy removal of anus, lower bowel and bladder with no muss, no fuss!

Just above the "Other" category, I posted a video showing the "lopping shear" method.

I use a set of loppers (see below) like this.
The guy in the video uses a set you can cut timber with! They're huge!



The video is under "Outdoor and Wilderness Survival".

[MattM37]

Too each his own MattM37.

Several years ago, I got invited to a "cull hunt" on the Ford Ranch in Brady, Texas. They don't allow gutting in the field so provide a "shed" so gut piles won't accumulate around camp.
They provided "gutting cradles" and "lopping shears". Until then, I'd never seen such.
Works great!
It takes two snips with the lopping shears to open up the pelvic bone to facilitate the easy removal of anus, lower bowel and bladder with no muss, no fuss!

Just above the "Other" category, I posted a video showing the "lopping shear" method.

I use a set of loppers (see below) like this.
The guy in the video uses a set you can cut timber with! They're huge!



The video is under "Outdoor and Wilderness Survival".

I typically do the pelvic-bone thing myself.

[jhjimbo]

I use a small, very sharp, flat sided hatchet to split the pelvic bone (similar to a kids Red Ryder hatchet). Hold it to the bone and one tap and it is through.

[CD2]

Use knife and cut around. No need to mess w bone or tools.

Its easy.

Don't understand it needing to be easier.

[FirstBubba]

I use a small, very sharp, flat sided hatchet to split the pelvic bone (similar to a kids Red Ryder hatchet). Hold it to the bone and one tap and it is through.

I've gutted older does that have had several fawns and the pelvis (actually, the "aitch" bone) popped right open.
I've gutted big old "hoary" bucks that the pelvis was like trying to open a soup can with a dull spoon!

NO pelvis (aitch) bone is immune to those lopping shears!

cd2
I've known lots of folks that do the cut around, tie off and pull through.
It's your deer, gut it (or not) any way you wish.
...but then, I don't understand shooting whitetail deer with a .300 Win Mag ... or "Mag" anything for that fact. LOL!
Guy I know in E. Texas shoots a .338 Win Mag!
That great big slug never opens up!
Punches a .338" hole in and a .338" hole out! Very little blood shot meat.

To each his own!

[CD2]

I dont tie it off either. Its all where iy is until detached and a simple pull through. Im not seeing how it gets messy or difficult. But ive never gut shot one.

Im a nobody and find the task no big deal. I have a bud thats killed proly 100 deer and he struggles a bit with each one. I find it odd.

[FirstBubba]

I dont tie it off either. Its all where iy is until detached and a simple pull through. Im not seeing how it gets messy or difficult. But ive never gut shot one.

Im a nobody and find the task no big deal. I have a bud thats killed proly 100 deer and he struggles a bit with each one. I find it odd.

Guess that's why we're not all cardiac surgeons! LOL!
...or pool sharks!

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I always cut around the pooper but never tie it off. There's nothing down there to get tainted. I don't eat the hip bones. A turd drops inside, big deal. Throw/wash away any pellets that get squeezed out. The only thing inside body cavity that gets eaten is tenderloins and they are up out of the way of any poo that might come loose. A bit of meat is exposed when the muscle is separated between the hind legs but that stuff usually gets dirty or dried up during curing and has to be trimmed anyway. I have Texas heart shot a elk and moose (follow up shots on wounded animals) and don't recall any "tainted" meat. No more than usual anyway.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Too each his own MattM37.

Several years ago, I got invited to a "cull hunt" on the Ford Ranch in Brady, Texas. They don't allow gutting in the field so provide a "shed" so gut piles won't accumulate around camp.
They provided "gutting cradles" and "lopping shears". Until then, I'd never seen such.
Works great!
It takes two snips with the lopping shears to open up the pelvic bone to facilitate the easy removal of anus, lower bowel and bladder with no muss, no fuss!

Just above the "Other" category, I posted a video showing the "lopping shear" method.

I use a set of loppers (see below) like this.
The guy in the video uses a set you can cut timber with! They're huge!



The video is under "Outdoor and Wilderness Survival".

Yeah, like I'm going to drag those things around with me when I'm hunting! Guess they would work fine for someone like you who shoots deer out of a blind over a feeder. Just set the loppers out of the way ... on top of the beer fridge next to the TV.

[Amflyer]

Guess they ould work fine for someone like you who shoots deer out of a blind over a feeder. Just set the loppers out of the way ... on top of the beer fridge next to the TV.

I thought everyone was polite in Canada?

[fitch270]

I thought everyone was polite in Canada?

He’s not from there originally 😎.

[PigHunter]

Yeah, like I'm going to drag those things around with me when I'm hunting! Guess they ould work fine for someone like you who shoots deer out of a blind over a feeder. Just set the loppers out of the way ... on top of the beer fridge next to the TV.

I don't see where you've got a leg to stand on. You use a dog instead of finding birds on your own. You don't even retrieve them yourself but have the dog do it for you. A real man would do it all himself.

[Amflyer]

I don't see where you've got a leg to stand on. You use a dog instead of finding birds on your own. You don't even retrieve them yourself but have the dog do it for you. A real man would do it all himself.

Don't be h8tin on no hunting beasts, now, hear?

[MattM37]

I dont tie it off either. Its all where iy is until detached and a simple pull through. Im not seeing how it gets messy or difficult. But ive never gut shot one.

Im a nobody and find the task no big deal. I have a bud thats killed proly 100 deer and he struggles a bit with each one. I find it odd.

Didn't mean to imply it was particularly difficult, I was just curious about the different ways people do it. For the reasons OHH mentions -- big deal, a solid turd or two rolling out, and not really anything down there to worry about -- I've always wondered why it's often mentioned as an important first step, in articles or guides.

It is funny, how some guys have trouble and others don't. I've had my days, admittedly, but usually it goes pretty smoothly. With some, I think they're still so pumped from the kill and rush in, maybe even without realizing they're rushing. Others, I think they think it's such a daunting task and so it becomes a daunting task.

But yeah, it's just odd. I've even watched guys cleaning fish and wondered why they were making such a job of it. (Says the guy who once got home with a couple of nice walleyes and realized, at about age 35: I've never actually filleted a fish! Always just ate smallish trout, and the few times I kept some panfish, I just scaled and gutted them. I didn't waste any of those walleyes, but I ended up frying quite a few little strips and chunks along with the bigger fillets.)