Some Beginning Hunter Questions

W

Wabajack

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Jan 16, 2007
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I am just beginning to get into hunting and have a few beginner questions I would like your assistance with. Unfortunately, I live in the city and none of my friends have any experience on the subject. I am a city folk and until very recently have known absolutely nothing when it comes to field dressing, caping and butchering of game. I have read as much as I could find on the subject online but am unable to find some answers that are of a great importance to me.

I would like to say that before I post my questions that I will intend to do interior wilderness hunting almost exclusively, and that I am a minimalist who believes in packing light but being prepared. Taking that into consideration, here are my questions;

1.) During field dressing is it necessary to saw through pelvic bone? And if not what other methods can be employed?

2.) When deep in the bush many miles of the nearest road what are the most effective ways of keeping meat fresh until a freezer or cooler may be accessed? This question is especially important because I plan on spending several days in the bush before making a kill and a few days after, time enough to eat some of the kill and fully butcher it and enjoy my stay. :)

3.) After immediately field dressing and butchering/removing tenderloins is it alright to immediately cook and eat them without giving time to age?

4.) What is an effective method of preparing hide in field? Will -lots of- table salt work well?

5.) What tools do you suggest for field dressing and butchering deer sized animals?

6.) What tools do you suggest for field dressing and butchering moose and bear sized animals?

Well, I think that’s all the questions I have at the moment, and my apologies for there being so many, much appreciation for any and all help given. :D

Thanks in advance,
 
What state are you in and where are you planning on doing you hunting? You can eat anything you want to immediately after getting it. Many states require that you check your deer or bear at a check station prior to significant butchering. You can check this requirement in the publication that comes with your hunting license.

For whitetail deer, it is not a requirement that you break or cut the pelvis. Many do (I do) in order to remove the last little bit of the intestine. All you really need is a good sharp pocket knife. It depends on what you are most comfortable with. But most skinning and butchering is somewhat detail work, although a larger blade is useful once the hide is off. Keeping the meat fresh is more difficult especially if the night time temps are above freezing or 40 degrees or so. You can salt down meat to preserve it. You can take along some dry ice in a cooler. Depends on how far you are from your vehicle. Deer cart may come in handy for lugging your stuff to and from your camp site.

I would have a small sharp hatchet, one good pocket knife, and one longer bladed fixed blade with a 5-6" blade. You need backups in the knife department in case you loose one. A saw blade is useful for bones. Large bags are good for putting the meat in after it has been de-boned and prior to into the cooler.

Never tanned a deer hide. You need to scrap the fat and any meat off too. But yes, you rub them down with salt.

I just take my deer to the butcher whole and they deal with it.

Most places in the US require you to check in your bear pretty much intact at a check station. But, you can use the same knives and tools as you would a deer. Larger the animal, larger the knives and tools.

The key is that your knives are VERY sharp. Take a sharpening stone with you to touch up the knife edge if it dulls.
 
Why would any one want to go all the way out there??? Then kill a bear that didnt bother you in the first place in your house. Then you are going to cut him up into small chunks with knifes and saws. Start a fire and cook his body parts and eat them with blood and body fat driping down your hands and elbows. It sound more like a horror movie. Now explain that to me?????????? I realy think the people on this forum have more class then going out there and killing other living things.... You should be ashamed to even mention that over here. How low can some people go???????????

Sasha is walking away from his computer shaking his head from side to side. On the way to the car he is grabing a shootgun an axe and start looking...........................................
 
Thanks for sharing rimfire, much appreciated. The more the better. :D

For further reference I plan on doing most of my hunting in northern and western Ontario. Wabakimi, and around Algonquin Park will be my main hunting ground. :)
 
Sasha, your opinion is incorrect for so many reasons... I am not even going to begin explaining why.
 
The most important thing is to cool the carcass quickly which means immediately [after death] dress it out. That requires a decent knife about 4" blade. I also use a saw.Aging is not necessary .For butchering at home I use a 10" butcher's knife ,a butchers saw. This would be more of a necessity for larger animals .
 
First off...Welcome, Sorry some people let thier opinions get in the way of a warm welcome...we are in general an accepting and acoomiodating bunch..so welcome and enjoy the outdoors.
 
Tools:Rope block and gable stick, knife, some kind of saw (wire saw will work)

You dont need to saw the pelvic bone, and you really dont even need rope or a gamble stick for field dressing.

For field dressing: Lay the deer on a hill, head down, and split him open, all the guts will be in the chest cavity. Cut out the colon out and tie in in a knot. Spin the deer, head up hill, roll the guts out of chest cavity and cut them loose at the neck. You can also stitch the hide back to gether to take it back to camp without getting a bunch of dirt inside of it. Once at camp, take the hide off and salt him. You might want to have a rope to bone it out.

Salting: You must use salt with out iodine! Plain salt, then roll the hide with the salty side to salty side, fold it in half and roll it. Put it in a bag, to keep the bugs off.

You can "brain tan" the hide.
1-make a rectangular rack large enough to stretch the hide in all directions at the same time, use pieces of cord to attach the hide to the rack, punch small holes in the hide every few inches and tie the cord to the holes. Once its stretched good and tight, let it dry then scrape it.

2- you have to scrape the fleshy side with a sharp edge to remove as much fat and meat as possible, but dont cut the hide. Hold you knife at a 90 degree angle and scrape it like that. At this point you have "raw hide"

3- to "brain tan" you need to cook down the animals brains, while this is cooking soak the hide in water unitll its soft. Once thats done dry off the hide and rub the brains all over the inside, and then back on the rack to dry. Once its dry you have to smoke it, you can build a fire with green branches and hang the hide over the fire IN THE SOMKE NOT FLAMES, this sets or cures the brians.
If you want it soft like "buck skin" you will need to work it after it has dried.

This is a long process usually taking several days. If you dont have an ice chest for the meat, probbably shouldnt plan on this.

As for the meat, red meats should hang for a day or two, white meat like pork can be eaten the same day. However, you would probably be alright, thats just my families rule of thumb.

As for keeping the meat with out a ice chest, there is one thing we have done. you will have to suspend the deer on a pole over a creek or slow running river. Then cover it with a tarp or plastic that goes into the water, this keeps bugs off it and keeps it about as cool as the water. Also make sure its in the shade. If you in a cool area you can hang it from a tree and leave it if the tempature, but it better be in the 40's.

For bugs, wipe it down with white vinagar. Keeps flies and bees off and has no after taste of vinagar.
 
I suspect Sasha is being sarcastic as he heads for his vehicle with shotgun and knife in hand. If not, he still needs a knife to cut his vegies.

Do the field dressing immediately after getting the game. As was said, this gets the stuff out that might contaminate the meat, but also allows the carcass to cool down quickly.

If allowed, an ATV and small trailer would come in real handy to get in and out of the area. That of course assumes that you are driving to the general area you are planning to hunt and camp.
 
RescueRiley said:
First off...Welcome, Sorry some people let thier opinions get in the way of a warm welcome...we are in general an accepting and acoomiodating bunch..so welcome and enjoy the outdoors.
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well said riley....:thumbup:

waba- get out to the woods and have a good time.....:D
 
Hi Wayback,

Important considerations will be the time of year and the expected daytime temperatures. To prevent microbe growth, meat should be kept under 40 degrees F. Sometimes this can be accomplished by hanging the meat in the shade. Some people will place their game bags of meat in a cold stream.

One of the first concerns is to get the animal's skin off of it so as to let the heat out. You also want to open the animal up and get the guts out. Unless you are in reliably cold (freezing) weather or a BIG ice chest, I think it may be unrealalistic to plan to stay in the bush for several days after you have taken an animal and still have usable meat to take back home.

NON-IODIZED table salt can be used to start drawing moisture out of the hide. This is not tanning it for use, but rather protecting it until you can get it home or to the tanner/taxidermist.

There is no problem at all with eating some of the meat right away. Celebreting success by feasting on the filets or backstraps is a time honored ritual with legions of hunters.

I'm a really visual learner, so it is much easier for me to "get" something if I have seen it done. If you were stateside, I would suggest you rent some of the DVDs we carry on game processing. ;) Unfortunately, the Huntflix DVD rental program will not be available in Canada until some time in 2008. :grumpy: Take a look at the various Game Care DVDs we carry. If you cannot find them locally, PM me and I'll be happy to ship them up to you. I particularily like Deer Processing 101 and Quarter and DeBone Big Game, but I ended up learning a thing or two from all of them.

As a beginning hunter, you don't want to make things harder than necessary. It is good that you are thinking about what to do if/when you get an animal down.

Good hunting!

-- FLIX
 
Just to settle everything i got nothing aginst hunting....... But i dont mind having a good laugh.

It was meant for a laugh. Im sort of twisted. Its how you look at things. if you want i can even post pics of the gold fish i killed once.

sasha
 
Don't forget a GOOD powerful light like a gas lantern or such. You will most likely kill your first animal and it will run over the next rise and down into the bottom of a ravine where you won't locate it until after dark.:D There's nothing more frustrating than having your flashlight peter out on you halfway through the field dressing process...

If you can afford it, find yourself a guide in the area and have him/her help you out on your first hunt. It'll be MUCH more fun and you'll be more likely to do it on your own next year. What they can teach you over one trip will be invaluable!

There's really no "wrong" way to field dress or butcher your game and there are a lot of "right" ways. The key things that have not been shared are be VERY careful not to get digestive tract insides, urine, or fecal material into the body cavity. If you do, it's not the end of the world, just rinse the cavity out as well as possible.

Get the books or videos recommended and spend a lot of time learning about removing the backstraps, they'll be the best post-kill meal you can have!

J-
 
Wabajack,Your questions, while relatively simple, will spark some discussion and perhaps some answers that are less than fully helpful. Still, they are good, relevant questions.

As you are probably finding out, there is more than one answer to a question, and not necessarily every response will be the best answer for everyone. Take what you hear here as opinion, go get some more opinions by reading folks like John and Geri McPherson, try a few things on your own, and then form your own opinion, one that is right for you.

Everything you have asked about is "doable" IMO. Read, talk to folks, try to get some knowledge, try some challenges, etc. and I think you will truly be surprised at how things turn out. Sure, it takes effort, but the payoff is worth it. As an example, many folks would never "dream" of processing their own game, and for a variety of reasons. However, if you tried it, especially with someone who really knows what they're doing, I thikn you'd find it almost...dare I say???...too easy! Good luck and welcome!
 
Great thread for us as-yet-nonhunters. Thanks for starting it, Wabajack, and welcome to the forums! (be careful, this place is addictive as heck)
 
Here is how we do it when our group bowhunts for elk. We may have four to six hunters in camp but usually hunt in pairs or alone. I have a pretty extensive "butcher kit" but it is too big to carry while humping over hill and dale.

Outpak1.jpg


I put the skinner and caper on my belt, and the rest of the kit is kept in a small daypack strapped to a pack frame. In addition to the butcher kit, there is paracord, rope, surgical gloves, handdi-wipes, a small tarp, a collapsable bucket, a flashlight, spare batteries, game bags, a pen for filling out our tag, and a sharpening stone. We even keep a disposable camera in there in case our digitals crap out.

The bag is left in the truck and each of us has an FRS radio. If anybody gets an animal down, he radios the others to help. Whoever is closest to the truck stops by to pick up the "butcher bag." If we are in a dry area, he will toss in a bladder of water. If it is late in the day, he will grab a lantern.

-- FLIX
 
sasha said:
Just to settle everything i got nothing aginst hunting....... But i dont mind having a good laugh.

It was meant for a laugh. Im sort of twisted. Its how you look at things. if you want i can even post pics of the gold fish i killed once.

sasha
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Too late; I already issued an infraction. For future reference, the moderators do not have any sense of humor where that particular troll is concerned.
 
You've gotten some excellent advice already friend. But I'll toss in my own two cents worth.
Wabajack said:
1.) During field dressing is it necessary to saw through pelvic bone? And if not what other methods can be employed?
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I am of the school whose adhearants don't saw the pelvic bone. I don't eat the pelvis anyway, but sawing any bone leaves bone dust (grit) to contaminate your knife and meat. After opening the lower abdomen, I pull the lower intestine from the inside and "milk" it's contents back upstream away from the anus. Then I cut around the anus from the outside with a slim pocketknife, releasing the intestine and anus as one piece. Be careful not to puncture the bladder, a translucent sack containing the urine. I put the intestine end outside the abdomen, then roll out the rest of the digestive tract. It is only loosely connected along the inner spine.

Wabajack said:
2.) When deep in the bush many miles of the nearest road what are the most effective ways of keeping meat fresh until a freezer or cooler may be accessed? This question is especially important because I plan on spending several days in the bush before making a kill and a few days after, time enough to eat some of the kill and fully butcher it and enjoy my stay. :)
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Here, we are required to leave evidence of the animal's sex attached to the carcass until it is checked at a game check station. Here on my farm, I will generally wait to field dress and butcher until this has been done, but I am close to my check station. Preserving meat for a few days in temps above the 40's is chancy at best without refridgeration of some sort. These gents have suggested several means... dry ice, a stream (not submerged).

Wabajack said:
3.) After immediately field dressing and butchering/removing tenderloins is it alright to immediately cook and eat them without giving time to age?
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Yes. On the Whitetail deer I usually hunt, the small meats along the inner backbone are the first cooked, tenderest on the critter. The "backstraps" are great filleted and fried, baked, roasted, etc. Remove the tough white ligiment membrane first. And any fat present. Liver is good if cooked and eaten right away as well.

Wabajack said:
4.) What is an effective method of preparing hide in field? Will -lots of- table salt work well?
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Yeah, salting with rock salt and rolling it will keep it from rotting until you can get it processed. But take steps to keep bugs and critters away from it. Porkeys and others can smell salt a mile off.

Wabajack said:
5.) What tools do you suggest for field dressing and butchering deer sized animals?
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I use a medium trailing point fixed blade knife, a small skinner (Sharpfinger) and a smallish stockman with a Turkish Clip blade. Any one of the three will do it is just easier to do with the three.

Wabajack said:
6.) What tools do you suggest for field dressing and butchering moose and bear sized animals?
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A moose is a horse. Bigger than some horses. I suggest several friends and a vehicle with a winch!

Wabajack said:
Well, I think that’s all the questions I have at the moment, and my apologies for there being so many, much appreciation for any and all help given. :D

Thanks in advance,
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Take a Hunter Education course and talk with the instructor. Many of your questions will be covered in the course materials. Read and memorize your game regulation manual. Watch some of the videos suggested here. And practice with your rifle until you are very familiar with it and have it's ballistics memorized, and know your own capabilities with it.

I hope you have a great time, a safe time, and remember that you can have a successful hunt even if you don't take an animal. That is when the work starts!;)

Codger :thumbup:
 
How far away from your vehicle do you envision being on this Canadian safari? :) Welcome to the forum by the way.

There are lots of places to see diagrams of field dressing a deer and everything else is just larger or smaller. You just have to plunge in and yes, pay attention to not cutting any of the entrails or the bladder. You'll see the bladder, don't worry. If you don't see it, it is probably empty.

If it is not going to be cold out and you think you might try dry ice, I'd buy a large block and put it in a cooler and see how long it lasts. Don't break it up into smaller pieces as the more surface area exposed, the quicker it "melts" (actually evaporates). Dry ice can be dangerous to touch as it is very cold (wear gloves). I never have to make such careful plans on most of my hunts.

I am a big deer cart user. It makes life so much easier if the terraine allows you to use one. Dragging a deer is pretty easy in snow, although a plastic sled might be quite handy as sold in Cabelas.

Take your basic "lost in the woods" gear with you. That may include matches (in dry container), cell phone, paracord, compass, topo map, some plastic sheeting (6 mil), space blanket, spare socks, flash light, knife or two, small first aid kit, duct tape, fire steel, plastic surveyors flagging, poncho for rain or wind break .... just search here (common topic), everyone has their preferred items.

You learn "how to hunt" mostly by doing it. But reading some books and magazines about the animals you are hunting for can be useful. Someone suggested a guide the first time. Maybe just go with a friend if possible. Be sure to give careful directions as to where you will be going and leave with people who care.
 
Thanks guys!!! :)

Great advice, and lots of it!

Well, the plan so far is to start slow and small, I’ll practice my technique on rabbits and squirrels before doing any larger game, I want to try to waste as least as possible. I’ll also start by hunting in much smaller and easier accessed local forests. but once I am confident in my abilities to properly prepare game (hopefully won’t take to long) I’m off to Wabakimi Provincial Park. It’s interior can only be accessed by floatplane so it‘s pretty rugged. This type of wilderness is where most of the problems will arise at keeping the meat fresh. :D

Right now am trying to learn what I need to (and a little bit more), and the tools that will best suit my needs, you have all been a very big help! :)

Thanks again,
Wabajack

:D :D :D
 
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