Removing A Whitetail's Entrails
Gutting Out A Whitetail Deer
Removing a whitetail's entrails is not a complicated task. But gutting out a deer is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. It should be done as soon as you locate your whitetail deer and have taken any pictures for your deer hunting memories, or albums.
No Mess
Removing a whitetail's entrails, gutting a deer for some
hunter's, doesn't have to be a messy job. Done right and efficiently this
process should only take 5 to 10 minutes. A sense of responsibility,
duty, knowledge, and the right hunting equipment is all that's needed.
Check out the video on how this is done.
Responsibility
As ethical whitetail deer hunters we need to know that this is as much a part of deer hunting as the act of shooting a deer. In most advanced hunting courses this is taught through diagrams and or pictures. It is not pleasant for the squeamish or those who have weak stomachs. If you have shot a buck you will first need to cut off the testicles and penis, discard them. I then open up the chest cavity by pulling up the stomach hide, so the internal organs fall back as the deer is laying on its back, I now cut through the hide careful not to cut the rumen. Decide now if this is a trophy deer in which you want a shoulder mount done by a taxidermist. If so, you will not cut any further then where the legs would pass standing. Note the picture above. No further then this. Now while holding the rumen down, with knife blade facing up, I cut the hide open all the way up through the chest cavity. On a large deer you may need to use a bone saw to cut the brisket to get at the esophagus. You will then need to reach up and cut the esophagus off as far up into the throat as possible. After this, note the membrane lining each side of the rib cage, cut that as close as possible to the ribs all the way down to the backbone.
Now you need to go down to the pelvic and tail area. Cut
the hide back to the anis while holding any entrails down away from the knife.
You will now need your small bone saw again to saw through the pelvic bone.
Now go back up into the chest cavity, get a good hold of the esophagus, pull out
and towards the anis or tail. Everything should come right out with a
little effort. Once done roll your deer over to drain. Tag your deer
and plan how you will get it back to camp.
Duty
When deer hunting, it is a hunter's duty to accept this part of the hunt. We owe this process of removing the entrails to the game we hunt and those hunters that we have fallowed and been mentored by. By removing the whitetails entrails as soon as possible, we allow the venison meat to start the process of cooling down.
Knowledge
Many articles and diagrams have been written and published on the process of "gutting out a deer". There may even be a good video of removing a whitetail deer's entrails. If you're lucky you have been taught by your father, an uncle, a brother, or a hunting partner. Note the type of hunting equipment they have used.
Hunting Equipment
All that is really needed to gut out a deer is a good sharp hunting knife, bone saw, and field-dressing gloves. Both "Buck" and "Gerber" make good deer hunting knives and are reasonably priced. It is important to keep your hunting knife razor sharp. You can do this with a good knife sharpener like "Chef's Choice" or a "Smith's" sharpener. It is also wise to have in your daypack a foldable bone saw or a small bone saw made to cut through the pelvic bone. Type of gloves to use are latex, rubber, and other medical gloves found in drug stores; if allergic to latex materials. These gloves will help protect a deer hunter from potentially harmful bacteria and viruses that may be present.