Gutless Field Dressing and Care of Game Demonstration

[Ben Lamb]

Helena Hunters and Anglers Association Meeting Announcement

General Membership Meeting:
October 3, 2012
7-9 PM
Montana Wild Education Center
2668 Broadwater Avenue
Helena, MT 59602

Gutless Field Dressing and Proper Care of Meat:

As more and more Montanan’s take to the early season archery hunts for elk and deer, many have discovered that packing an animal is a lot of work. Join Helena Hunters and Anglers on October 3rd, starting at 7 pm, for a presentation on how field dress an elk or deer without removing its intestines. The Gutless Field Dressing method is popular with archery hunters and backcountry hunters and could just end up saving you from a bad back or even worse, spoiled meat!

Thomas Baumeister, State Education Program Manager for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks will demonstrate this method of field dressing.

Animal parts such as bones, hide and other non-edible items can be left in the field in order to salvage as much meat as possible, while reducing the amount of weight you have to pack out of the backcountry.

The Meat is the Treat

We all hunt for various reasons, but for most of us, laying in a supply of healthy, organic meat is our primary concern. That means we don’t just drag the animal out of the forest and chop it up. Proper meat handling techniques will increase the palatability of wild game.
We’ll also discuss the proper way to handle meat, from the field to the table. Topics will include aging, butchering and packaging your kill. Our guest speaker for this portion of the program is Larry Copenhaver. Larry has been cooking wild game since he was old enough to carry a gun and served as Montana Wildlife Federation’s lobbyist and Conservation Director for 10 years. Larry’s intimate knowledge of wildlife biology and the culinary arts are a perfect match when it comes to learning how to properly care for the meat you’ve just harvested.

Please join Helena Hunters and Anglers in learning how to be a successful hunter after the harvest!

 

[Muskeez]

Meat Care

Very interesting! Wish I was closer for MANY reasons! If anyone films please let us know where we can view it on-line.
THX!

 

[Corax]

Sounds like an excellent event. Ditto on Muskeez comment - I am too far from Montana.

Here is a detail question on the gutless method - do you make the long cut along the spine or along the belly / leg line? If you will be taking the cape, there is an obvious advantage in cutting along the spine. If all you want is the meat (and the antlers for a Euro or horn mount) I believe it is easier to cut along the belly - helps keep the meat cleaner. THe other issue is that the spine cut requires less lifting of the legs.

What do you all do?

 

[sagebrush]

Muskeez +3!

 

[Sytes]

Nice. Sounds like a valuable event.

I followed the video on elk101 it it has gone great! If I was able, this would be something i would attend simply to re enforce skills and the butchering aspect is interesting as i typically take my meat sacks to the butcher however, the topic on getting the right cuts when field dressing would be great as i typically just try to cut as much meat off as possible w/o regard to cutting tactics. (Aside from backstraps and tenderloins.)
On that note anyone have a good youtube link for dressing proper cuts?

 

[Ben Lamb]

I've only done this on a deer, and we skinned from the spine, so I'm hoping to learn a lot from the demonstration!

FWP is doing the demonstration so if anyone is part of a Rod and Gun Club, or other organization, I'd suggest calling Thomas Baumeister at 444-9946 to ask him to come and do this. Thomas is the Education Program Manager and is a fantastic resource for hunters and anglers.

 

[Big Fin]

We are in the process of editing out a clip of how to do this on a whitetail deer, so people can practice on deer-sized critters, prior to having a big elk as their first attempt.

How long of a video would you watch on this topic? It took me 60 minutes, when stopping for pointers and filming every cut. I am sure we can drop some of the cutting and carving sections to make it shorter. I am curious if guys would reject anything over 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or what length.

Also, would you be offended if it was surrounded by advertisements of all the products we use to do this gutless method, if that allowed the video to be provided free of charge.

If we made it available for download at a nominal fee, say $1, would you download it for reference in the field?

Just curious, as we have an editor working on it right now. We will also be doing the full version on an elk when we get one down this fall.

 

[Oak]

It took me 60 minutes, when stopping for pointers and filming every cut.

And you did a fine job. Thanks.

 

[gman82001]

I would be glad to pay a buck elk 101 has a download and its 6 bucks just not enough on theirs though for 6bucks imho we were gonna try it for our first time but chickened out and gutted then qtr just got nervous we would take to long in the warm weather I guess ....

 

[npaden]

Randy, one thing that I've seen done on some How To videos is using a fast forward type feature on the repetitive type parts of the process. i.e. on taking a bolt off they show it getting started and then fast forward the part where they are just wrenching on the nut and slow it down when they get the nut off.

Thinking it through there aren't a ton of repetitive type parts on quartering one up, but maybe do a lot of fast forward through the 2nd side after you flip it over or something.

 

[Big Fin]

And you did a fine job. Thanks.

Any credit goes to the guy who made such a fine assist on that deer, especially for doing the kind act of shooting such a fine deer.

 

[devon deer]

On that note anyone have a good youtube link for dressing proper cuts?

Not youtube but this is a good site.
Basically just pull the muscle groups of and joint/steak up.
http://www.bestpracticeguides.org.uk/carcass_butcher03.aspx
Cheers
Richard
ps if i get lucky and get an elk i will have a try at the gutless method

 

[npaden]

Sounds like an excellent event. Ditto on Muskeez comment - I am too far from Montana.

Here is a detail question on the gutless method - do you make the long cut along the spine or along the belly / leg line? If you will be taking the cape, there is an obvious advantage in cutting along the spine. If all you want is the meat (and the antlers for a Euro or horn mount) I believe it is easier to cut along the belly - helps keep the meat cleaner. THe other issue is that the spine cut requires less lifting of the legs.

What do you all do?

Just like you said. Belly cut if not caping it works easier and cleaner.

If you are caping it I do the cut along the spine and it is much harder to keep the meat clean because of that long hair that ends up getting cut.

Curious if the game and fish is showing it whether they will take the rib meat or not. On the elk I quartered up last week he had some really thick rib meat and I really thought about trying to take it. In Arizona and Alaska I think it's required.

 

[THWAK1]

I've been doing the gutless method on elk for many years now. It works great, although I've never done it on deer or antelope.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Curious if the game and fish is showing it whether they will take the rib meat or not. On the elk I quartered up last week he had some really thick rib meat and I really thought about trying to take it. In Arizona and Alaska I think it's required.

Not sure. It will depend on whether or not we have an elk for the demonstration of deer.

 

[Corax]

Just like you said. Belly cut if not caping it works easier and cleaner.

If you are caping it I do the cut along the spine and it is much harder to keep the meat clean because of that long hair that ends up getting cut.

Curious if the game and fish is showing it whether they will take the rib meat or not. On the elk I quartered up last week he had some really thick rib meat and I really thought about trying to take it. In Arizona and Alaska I think it's required.

Thanks for the response, npaden.

I don't usually bother with the rib meat from an elk, but last year I did, and ground up some a month or so ago - it made great spaghetti sauce. There are a lot of membranes in that meat, but they are thin enough that my grinder (an old hand model) cuts them up fine.

From now on I will be taking it.

 

[Sytes]

If you get cutting right, i can quickly cut out the rib meat. Just extra for the burger meat.

I'm no expert just done it twice since whomever a couple years ago threaded the elk101 video. Someone here say it was 6$ for the download? It was free to watch w/o download. I just watched it over and over. Had an elk that year and it went like clock work!

Randy, i would not mind adverts surrounding so long as i can hit the darn oause/play without finding myself at some amazon site. Tried using my pm box and no matter what damn amazon kept covering my screen.

As for a $1? How about adding it as a bonus on season 4 discs or make a promo... when someone buys your products for 1-2$ more we'll throw this great field dressing video! Or use it to promote as free w/4 purchase of product(s) I'll buy another shirt for that over paying a dollar for a disc... less tou mean a download? Honestly, i do not think I would though elk101 had me checking their items ans site out offering it for free to view.

 

[devon deer]

Sorry Sytes, missed out the link on my original post which i have now edited, here it is anyway http://www.bestpracticeguides.org.uk/carcass_butcher03.aspx

 

[bjtc_brian]

I'd say advertise the crap out of it. 15 - 20 minutes with the fast forward feature. I would think also offer the full 60 minutes for the people that want the full details. Sometimes the fast forward misses things.

 

[CasperOutdoorsman719]

Fin - I would absolutely watch a video on skinning a deer. Would be willing to pay $1 for it and/or see sponsorship information.