Large game gutless method

[tbpollard]

Anyone using the gutless method for Elk? I did it the first time last year, and I had pretty good results. I quartered, did the back straps / loins, and then went back for brisket, neck etc. I would have preferred to bring the entire animal to the processor, but the area we were in it was only accessible by foot.

[GregLaROCHE]

It probably depends on the state you are in, but in Alaska you need to harvest just about everything including the meat between the ribs. It’s not mandatory to harvest the organs, but for me they are a valuable part of the animal.

[M-Tecs]

It probably depends on the state you are in, but in Alaska you need to harvest just about everything including the meat between the ribs. It’s not mandatory to harvest the organs, but for me they are a valuable part of the animal.

Alaska is the most stringent that I am aware of. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm...nting.meatcare

[hoodat]

I've never done it, but I'm interested. I usually bone everything after I get home anyway. I've also gotten away from hanging carcasses until they "crust up" before cutting. To me, all that crust is just wasted meat. jd

[tbpollard]

While I agree with the ban on motorized vehicles on some of the public land I hunt; It always makes me wonder how much meat is wasted due to the fact people are packing it out on foot. I'd like to think if you allowed ATVs in some areas for retrieving game only that it would help, but I could just see that being abused.

[GregLaROCHE]

I've never done it, but I'm interested. I usually bone everything after I get home anyway. I've also gotten away from hanging carcasses until they "crust up" before cutting. To me, all that crust is just wasted meat. jd

I think waiting just 24 hours, makes the meat much easier to cut and work with.

[Markopolo]

yep.. alaska is pretty stringent about its rules on game animals.. waste not, or risk an infraction.

[1Papalote]

I shot a nilgai bull in 2009. The ranch hands were in the habit of keeping the quarters and bsckdtraps. I insisted they package the carcass for me. Once home, I boned the carcass and came out with 41# of hamburger. If you kill it, you need to eat it. Our group killed 18 nilgai that werkend, 17 carcasses were taken to the dump for the buzzards and caracara.

[Pepe le PewPew]

1papalote, that is unfortunate that the other hunters waste so much. I understand not everyone (unfortunately) eats organ meats, but to throw away 40+ lbs of straight up muscle shows people are not in touch with reality of life. Stories from my mom living in refugee camps in WW2 on 1 potato a day, and my grandfather on USA during the depression living on cornbread and beans made me appreciative of what God provides.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

My wife and I started using the gutless method a couple years ago. Front and rear quarters come out whole, backstraps, tenderloins, strip the neck and ribs about the only thing left is bones. Much easier to get to the heart and liver without the elk wrapped around it and avoids wresting with a couple hundred pounds of elk or moose gut. In our 70's, we no longer care to pack all those bones that mile or two to the truck.

[1Papalote]

1papalote, that is unfortunate that the other hunters waste so much. I understand not everyone (unfortunately) eats organ meats, but to throw away 40+ lbs of straight up muscle shows people are not in touch with reality of life. Stories from my mom living in refugee camps in WW2 on 1 potato a day, and my grandfather on USA during the depression living on cornbread and beans made me appreciative of what God provides.

Yessir. It irritates me to see meat wasted, raw or cooked. Growing up we butchered everything we ate. We cleaned the stomachs of hogs for stuffing sausage. Chicken killing ...hearts, livers, gizzards, undeveloped eggs were all kept, cleaned and eaten. We ate most everything the woods provided and all barnyard critters. We picked the quail, pigeon or dove, kept the heart, cleaned the gizzards. Rabbit liver, beef tongue and check meat ......... I'm not a fan of the gutless method.

[yeahbub]

Hmmmm, never heard of it. Okay, somebody educate me on what this gutless method is and how it's done. Why is it better than conventional field dressing?

1Papalote, 17 animals wasted?!? How did that come about? Anything I bring down comes home with me and gets made use of, but there are no vehicle restrictions on the private land I hunt. I hate to see waste too. Once in a great while, I'll happen across a deer that was shot and ran off that the hunter couldn't find. I suppose coyotes and vultures have to eat as well, but I keep thinking how full someone's freezer would be. I saw a deer hit by a car that staggered off to the roadside and died a few minutes later, not a scratch on her. I took her home too.

[DougGuy]

Hmmmm, never heard of it. Okay, somebody educate me on what this gutless method is and how it's done. Why is it better than conventional field dressing?

I'm not real sure how they do it on elk or moose, but we have German Shepherd sized deer here in the coastal Atlantic region, I used to hang them gut them, etc.. Now I lay them out flat on a table or top of a gangbox, skin them down to the knees on one side, then harvest the backstrap, carve all the meat off the hindquarter leaving the bones, take the shoulder if you want it, and take the tenderloin. You can do all this without breaking into the abdominal wall except for the tenderloin. Turn the deer over and do the same to the other side.

If the deer is of any size, you can harvest the neck and brisket, but usually there is a high fascia to meat ratio in the smaller deer making it not worth the amount of meat you will gain.

[Red River Rick]

I am in partnership in a Outfitters Camp in northern Canada, we cater to Caribou hunters. We've always done the "gutless" method on all the animals harvested. Removing the quarters, back straps, brisket and finally the tenderloins is about as simple as it gets. Once the back straps are removed, I cut the ribs close to the spine and reach in and pull the tenderloins out. There really isn't a whole lot of meat on the ribs and belly anyways. If you go back the next day, there isn't much left after the scavengers get thru with it. So, there really isn't any waste.

[HWooldridge]

I was raised to remove the guts quickly or they would taint the meat - also the blood can't drain. I'm sure the gutless method works well in some climates but would need to peel all the meat off in short order. Not saying it can't be done but you need to move along and git 'er done.

[yeahbub]

I see, so it's butchering without field-dressing first. That makes sense. Unfortunately, that won't work so well where I hunt. Getting the animal out and chilled soon enough to keep the meat fresh makes weight reduction and dragging it to where it can be picked up a necessity. I used to look for a place to hunt where I could drag the deer down to the house, but here, the house is on top of the ridge line and it's an up-hill fight every time. A much easier drag when they weigh less, even better when there's some crusted snow.

[1Papalote]

Yeahbub, The 17 Nilgai "wasted" after the ranch hands took only the steak meat leaving the neck, rib and flanks to be fed to the buzzards.
Red River Rick, at least you recover the tenderloins. I've seen those that don't.
I have seen many poorly butchered animals over the years. Meat left on the bone, meat taken covered with hair, poor shots taken so entire shoulders discarded.

[Powersgt]

I personally like to hang my meat for a week or so, gut it out fairly quickly and drag it to the garage; I am fortunate enough that I can hunt literally in my back yard. I try and use what I can, a lot of that depends on if my wife will help me out; Its tough to get her to put the effort in.

[Polymath]

I've never done it, but I'm interested. I usually bone everything after I get home anyway. I've also gotten away from hanging carcasses until they "crust up" before cutting. To me, all that crust is just wasted meat. jd

Talking around the table a few weeks ago one guys suggested using warehouse shrink wrap for pallets. Hang for a few day at the right temp and then cut it off prior to cut and wrap. No crust.

[DougGuy]

I lay my deer out on my gangbox, it has a stainless top. I split the hide down the backbone, make a cut along the spine on each side, peel it enough to harvest the straps, and those I usually work off the bones by hand. I don't sweat the neck, we have German Shepherd deer here, more snot in the neck than is worth fighting for what little bit of meat you get.

Next split the hide down the hams and shoulders, peel the hide away and cut the white lines on the hams, reaching between the big muscle groups to get down to the leg bones, take all the meat off the leg bones, take the shoulder, flip the carcass over and harvest the other ham.

Ends up with all the meat from the hams, both shoulders and both backstraps. You can reach in and carefully take the little tenderloins. The deer is never gutted, and the bones still intact, dispose of like you wish.