-
- Species
- Whitetail
- Rut Reporters
- Duck Reporters
- Deer Camp
- Big Game
- Small Game
- Birds
- Special Methods
- Bow Hunting
- Gun Dogs
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
- Deer & Turkey Expos
-
- Species
- Bass
- Trout
- More Freshwater
- Saltwater
- Catchbook
- Special Methods
- Fly Fishing
- Hook Shots
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
Print
Email
Share
How to Field Dress a Deer for the Best Venison
How your venison tastes is directly linked to how quickly you field dress your deer, so you'd better not procrastinate. Be sure to separate the liver and the heart and put each in individual zip-seal bags for later consumption. Here's the best way to get it done. —DAVID E. PETZAL
-
[1] MAKE THE FIRST CUT Horse the deer over on its back. Its head should be uphill from its hind-quarters. Grab a handful of belly skin, make a nick in it with your knife, and slide the blade in, edge upward, not letting the point ride down into the body cavity. Slit the belly skin from crotch to sternum, taking extreme care not to puncture any of the innards.
-
[2] REMOVE THE ORGANS When the body cavity is open, reach inside and haul everything out, cutting carefully to free stuff where necessary. If you like to eat the heart and liver, set them aside.
-
[3] DRAIN THE BLOOD Reach up into the throat and cut out the windpipe. Cut around the anus, free the lower intestine, and remove it. Now, get behind the deer and lift it as though you were doing a Heimlich maneuver; let all the blood run free of the body cavity. If there's snow on the ground, shovel it into the cavity and let it soak up the blood.
-
[4] KEEP IT COOL If you're ready to drag, tie the critter's forelegs alongside its head and start pulling. If you have to go for help, prop open the body cavity with a stick so that heat can escape. That's all there is to it.
November... Jerry's Tips (p.44) Beer-Battered Walleye (p.46) Free Snagged Lures (p.48)
ADVERTISEMENT
Need an Answer?ASK A QUESTION
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Commented
Top Rated
Deer Hunting
- Deer Knocks Woman Out at Beach Boys Concert
- Gun Fight Friday: Walking Guns for Deer and Hogs
- Does anyone have experience using trail cameras on public land? I hunt 2 areas. One that's 2,400 acres, another that's 16,000. I
- An inexpensive solution to knowing the wind direction
- Food Fight Friday: Venison Kabobs vs Elk Backstrap
- what is the best time of the day to go coyote hunting and what are the best calls to use.
- Check out what the people of NY did in response to the "SAFE Act"...
- Gear Review: Zippo 4-in-1 Woodsman
- Do any of you know a good bow that: Comes in a package deal with sights. has at least a 29in draw length. is camo. is no mor
- im thinkng about getting a new treestand either a muddy a rivers edge or a gorilla what do you guys think?
Deer Hunting
- Score Some Bucks, Win New Bowtech Experience Bow
- Bowtech Experience Buck Scoring Contest: Round Two
- Gun Fight Friday: Walking Guns for Deer and Hogs
- DEER30 peaked my interest. Has anyone seen or know anything about the "mule-foot" feral hog? I understand they're only found alo
- What calibers do you know of that can shoot big game up to and including moose and black bears, and then with sub-100gr bullets
- Ive been looking for a deer rifle in .30-06 or larger, bolt action, with a nice wood stock. It needs to be under $1,000. Ive loo
- New Bill Would Allow Crossbows During Bow Season in Wisconsin
- 1st off, Sorry you guys won't be getting those nice new guns but you can continue dreaming! I went out Saturday morning turke
- Does anyone have experience using trail cameras on public land? I hunt 2 areas. One that's 2,400 acres, another that's 16,000. I
- I'm debating on switching my deer hunting location to where I turkey Jutes this spring. The farm was loaded with turkeys, but al
Message Boards
ADVERTISEMENT
Today on Field & Stream
Loading...
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
| Active Interest | SKI | Skiing | Skiing Business | Scuba Diving | Sport Diver | TransWorld Ride BMX | TransWorld Business | TransWorld Motocross | TransWorld SKATEboarding | TransWorld SNOWboarding | TransWorld SURF | TransWorld WAKEBOARDING | WaterSki |
|---|---|
| Travel | Caribbean Travel + Life | Destination Weddings & Honeymoon | Islands | Florida Travel + Life |
| Lifestyle & Epicurean | Garden Design | SNOW | Saveur |
| Marine & Aviation | Boating | Boating Life 360 | Cruising World | Fly Fishing in Salt Waters | Flying | Marlin | Marlin University | Sailing World | Salt Water Sportsman | Sport Fishing | Yachting |
| Outdoor | Field & Stream | Outdoor Life | SHOT Business | Cycle World |
| Parenting | Babytalk | Parenting | Conceive | Working Mother |
| Technology | Popular Science | Science Illustrated | Sound + Vision | Popular Photography | American Photo |
| Entertainment/Events | Warren Miller Entertainment | World Entertainment Services | World Sports & Marketing |
Fieldandstream.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2012 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Comments (6)
Remember,if you used a bow to down a deer, use caution while gutting if the arrow is still inside the deer.
This makes it sound so simple. I have killed two dear in my life. One when I was younger and my dad field dressed it and the other when I was out of state and I had someone do it for me because I had to ship the meat. I have not hunted by myself for fear that I would have problems with this part. This gives me a new courage that I can do it!!! Thanks !!
an easy way to get all the guts out is to cut all the membrane holding the organs in place, then reach up and grab the esophagus, cut it, get a good grip on it and pull and everything should come right out.
I just did it Sat. for the first time by myself and it's as easy as described in this article.
Not to question the "legend" Mr. Petzal, but I have found it better to start a small incision at the base of the sternum angled towards the chest cavity...then saw the sternum (for a meat animal, trophy animal would be altered), cut the windpipe, then make your cut down to the pelvis, saw the pelvis in half, cut a finger hole in the rim of the anus (helps with pulling the "butt" out! then cut the diaphragm loose as you pull the windpipe and innards out of animal. The reason you don't start at the crotch is because if you make a slip of the blade and puncture the guts then you have a mess that will sit in the animal longer and will be on your knife. If you do it this way... more space to work, especially if you spread the sternum with a stick or tool,less mess, less meat contaminated. The rest is spot on...cool the critter down. More than one way to skin a cat...or deer!!!
Isn't it a good idea to make your first step cutting out and tying off the anus to avoid any bacteria-filled excrement contaminating any of the meat, and only then commencing with the removal of the innards?
Post a Comment
Remember,if you used a bow to down a deer, use caution while gutting if the arrow is still inside the deer.
This makes it sound so simple. I have killed two dear in my life. One when I was younger and my dad field dressed it and the other when I was out of state and I had someone do it for me because I had to ship the meat. I have not hunted by myself for fear that I would have problems with this part. This gives me a new courage that I can do it!!! Thanks !!
an easy way to get all the guts out is to cut all the membrane holding the organs in place, then reach up and grab the esophagus, cut it, get a good grip on it and pull and everything should come right out.
I just did it Sat. for the first time by myself and it's as easy as described in this article.
Not to question the "legend" Mr. Petzal, but I have found it better to start a small incision at the base of the sternum angled towards the chest cavity...then saw the sternum (for a meat animal, trophy animal would be altered), cut the windpipe, then make your cut down to the pelvis, saw the pelvis in half, cut a finger hole in the rim of the anus (helps with pulling the "butt" out! then cut the diaphragm loose as you pull the windpipe and innards out of animal. The reason you don't start at the crotch is because if you make a slip of the blade and puncture the guts then you have a mess that will sit in the animal longer and will be on your knife. If you do it this way... more space to work, especially if you spread the sternum with a stick or tool,less mess, less meat contaminated. The rest is spot on...cool the critter down. More than one way to skin a cat...or deer!!!
Isn't it a good idea to make your first step cutting out and tying off the anus to avoid any bacteria-filled excrement contaminating any of the meat, and only then commencing with the removal of the innards?
Post a Comment