gutless opinions

[stalkin4elk]

Great method we have used for years.I've done top-down and bottom-up and for me bottom-up is easier and gets less hair on the meat.Bring about 6x8 piece of painters plastic for a clean work area if no snow. It only is a few ounces. The neck and rib meat is as easy to take as the rest of it(no excuses). To get the tenderloins go behind the last rib,forward of the hip under the spine and blindly finger(no knife) them out --- it's easier than it sounds and yes you can "see" by feel.Heart and liver rescued last to stay clean as possible. The best is the mess stays in the field,drastically lightens the load, the meat cools fast, when home a little fine cutting and cleaning and you are done. I'm amazed by people who nearly kill themselves dragging game.Bring a full size pack,gamebags,painters plastic and make one trip out for deer and antelope. 2 or 3 trips for elk depending on terrain.After a couple practice runs it should take 30-45 minutes alone and less with an experienced partner.It would really SUCK for this to be illegal in my state!  

[Steve H.]

"Gutless" is most applicable for larger animals and in remote locations.  Some of us have been doing it for many years, unknowing that it wasn't just common sense I guess.  You can get ANY part of the animal it just changes the order in which you arrive at certain parts.

I suspect most people don't mess with elk hearts and liver because of the generally extreme locations these critters live and fall but there is no reason not to eat them (an ungulate, is an ungulate, is an ungulate)except of course no way would I eat the liver cause that's just nasty!

Ok, Muddy, calling a fillet, a "catfish"?  That is just wrong and a new all time low!

[SpencerL]

My friend started doing the gutless on elk, and then it just translated over to deer. I think with practice you shouldn't be leaving hardly any, usable meat behind(99%). He said he would teach me, but has yet to get his elk or deer.

[oz]

thanks guys, I think next time I will try the back bone down method, sounds cool, and I am excited it is as easy as you say to get the tenderloins.  I just left them it was well after dark by this time and I had a couple of miles to go.  I had a game bag with me and put the quarters in the game bag, then wrapped them in the hide to drag lotttssss of snow so things stayed clean.  Doing it alone, I will definately do this on deer again. I'm going to go watch the video now ltr.

oz

[Mudd]

I'm just bad Ole "Jack in the Box"...lol

[Brad Arnett]

i'll do it to avoid dragging a deer any considerable distance.

[sagebrush]

It's the only way I do mine. Been doing it since the eighties. I shot an elk once and it died in a beaver pond. I floated it to the bank and cut it up on the bank. No trees within about 100 yards. After that I never hung another one. Gary

[Pruneemac]

I did that on a moose once. Used an axe! I worked pretty good

[John Havard]

Is there any other way to harvest the meat off of an animal?  Split the belly skin, peel everything up to the backbone, and every bit of meat is right here (including tenderloins) to be taken.  Especially on an animal the size of a moose why in the heck would you ever choose to crawl inside of the gut cavity when it's not necessary?

I've never used any other method on game animals ranging from Dall sheep to caribou to blacktail deer to moose.  Of course, everything I've ever killed has been a backpack trip so I guess things could change if you can drive something up to the animal.

[CG]

My favorite aspect of this method isn't the convenience-although it certainly is handy-but the meat quality. IMO, less hair sticks to the meat in the absence of all the blood, so it's easier to get it cleaned off. Plus, you can get it all cooled down quicker.

[Bobby Urban]

Stand the deer up like it is sleeping or posing for photos and split down the back one side at a time.  Take off the strap, shoulder and quarter then do other side.  Use the inside of the hide to keep the meat clean.  I hang the pieces from tree branches to cool quickly as I work and use a backpack and trash bags to get them out.  I take all the meat - not sure why you need to leave anything.  I also gut in the end because I like to do a necropsy on all my deer and get out organ meat.  If you do not want to get into the guts the t-loins come out easy from the top like described above.  It is illegal on public land in Michigan and you need to take the head with a tag on it if you are transporting in your auto so the sex can be identified.  Leave the rest for the song dogs.  Beats the heck out of hauling the whole deer when you only weigh 125lbs.  

Bob Urban

[kpete]

TSP, Yep, fresh elk liver and heart is good eating.  Once frozen I don't think I like it so well.  Once was in camp with a guy who didn' like liver.  When one elk was down, he hid the onions and we never got them back.

I kind of agree with Wingnut, the remains of the "gutless" method dcan look pretty wasteful-even if it is not.  Here in Wyoming the sometimes call it "quick quartering". As with anything some leave more than is helpful to our image.  
I once shot a Buffalo-not legal to do it with archery gear in Wyoming at the time.  I wish I would have used this method rather than wrestling innards around in the cavernous body cavity.  Gut-pile outweighted a good buck deer.