Gutless spine down or legs up?

[Bob-WY]

The picture from MTPUBLICLAND is exactly where I end up:
- rim around the leg below the knee
- slice up to body and skin that leg
- slice across belly to other leg and down that leg
- now just peel up towards the spine
- remove front/back leg, backstrap, rib/neck meat
- You can actually use the hide to put things on, no hair, no mess
- flip/repeat

Keeping in mind my experience is exactly 4 antelope, nothing bigger, this takes me and my wife around 30 minutes to have it in the backpack ready to hike out. First one took over an hour, but it was time spent taking my "video knowledge" to reality, while in parallel talking her through her half. We each take a leg and work on up the body, then start taking it apart. 3rd one together was around 30 minutes and the one I did alone was "knife out to pack on back" in just under an hour

Position it fell was never a concern, they were antelope, don't like how they are, pick em up and move em. Cleary that won't work with an elk!

 

[ntodwild]

This is generally what I like to do.View attachment 129247

This concept works well but I stay completely away from the gut. What I do is start at the spine and work down so the hide would end up down near the feet. It keeps you completely away from the belly (specially zipping the hide at the belly and running the risk of puncture). By zipping at the spine first and working to the knees eliminates this possibility. cuff around the knees and lay the hide out down at the belly end. Either way will work just fine it's just my way of justifying working from the spine down. Backstrap comes off first, then front quarter, rear quarter, loins, neck meat, rib meat, break two ribs off, reach in and take heart and liver if so desired, flip and repeat. Once done, drive a knife into the base of the skull and separate C1 and tendons from the skull, leverage the head off, skin the skull and done.

I can't see maneuvering an animal onto their back such as the moose above. Seems like a ton of work for the same result specially a solo hunter. Specially a moose size animal! The larger the animal the more benefit to using the gutless method processing (animals typically fall on their side). It saves all the maneuvering, holding legs open, tying legs out to trees or having a partner hold this or that. The only maneuvering theoretically should be to drag an animal in order to put it in a workable space. One person can do a full size elk in a relatively short period of time. Flipping an animal when one entire side of meat (quarters, backstop, loins, neck, rib meat) has been cut off is far easier than trying to flip a whole animal on to its back, specially a cow, doe or female with no antlers to stabilize.This doesn't even take into account slope or grade the animal may be on. Just my .02

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Always go spine down. I want to get the backstraps and tenderloins out as fast as possible before the animal bloats up.

I always use a tarp and don't worry about dirt. My goal is always to get it done as fast as I can. It can get pretty warm in the Sept muzzy hunt.