What do you do after the kill?

[Mitch Edwards]

Gut
Drag out
Take home
Put in meat locker
Drink beer lol

[nhbuck1]

When you guys quarter them up do you put them in bags so water doesent get on it?

[Schmidty3]

i don't. im not sure if it matters either way. But I think the melting ice helps draw out some of the blood in the meat.

[Schmidty3]

I will say that if you have some meat that is contaminated with gut matter then you want to clean it off asap and you may want to segregate it.

[CRM_95]

Originally posted by Bisch:
It's too warm to age one hanging here in Tx. I quarter my deer, put them in an ice chest with the plug out, and leave them there for 5-7 days, adding ice when needed. Do not let them soak in water. Then either process yourself, or take to a processor. I take to a processor because I hate butchering them.

Bisch

This is what I do, with the exception of the processing part. I normally take one per year to the processor for smoked sausage, everything else I do myself. I keep the backstraps to grill or fry, and have a grinder and make burger with the rest. Most processors will skin it, so you could probably just field dress and take straight to the processor. It'll just cost you a bit more if they do the skinning normally.

[Car54]

I only put my tenders(fillets)& back straps in white plastic bag, the rest I just throw in the same cooler with ice.
Heard a long time ago to only use white plastic bag, not black. Can't remember why.
Water doesn't hurt, just changes color of meat a little pale color.

[drewsbow]

The first thing I do is send smoke to the great spirit and give thanks to and for the animal using a special pipe given to me by one of my brothers

[huronhunter]

I have it pretty easy. After gutting and getting it to my truck I bring it home and rinse out the cavity . Then I dry it out with paper towels ( pat dry ) . Being in Michigan during October it's normal in the 40s at night so this will allow us to hange and age the meat . If we have warmer than normal temps I simply take it to my processors 2 miles away . The processor stays open till 9:00 pm during the season .

[Horne Shooter]

First thing I do is say a prayer over the animal thanking God for his life.  In some cases, I'll even put some vegetation in the animals mouth to share his last meal.  Like most of the guys here, I cut him quickly (with multiple knives) but carefully-no guts or bladder contents on the meat.  I do have a cooler at my place so I like to hang him for a few days before final processing.  If I'm somewhere warm and there is no cooler, I quarter and ice him quickly- adding some water.  I then pour off the water for the next couple of days and add more ice each time.  Like the other guys have said, this is probably the most critical time in getting good flavor from your venison.  Mess this up and you'll have a "gamey" steak.

[screamin]

I use the gutless method as well and do reach in and grab the heart as well. Back at camp it goes into garbage bags that have been turned inside out and into the ice chest. If its a short trip home I don't bother with ice at that point, just get it home, wash the meat off then throw it in the ice chests until I get to it.

I will grind, bought a grinder years ago, half the meat and like to throw in one pound of bacon per 10 pounds of meat. The bacon gives it a little fat so it doesn't dry out when cooked. The rest is made into 2lb chunks of meat, roasts if you will. However, once thawed I cut into steaks, flat pieces for rollups, diced for sweet and sour, or whatever.

None of this is a big deal, just do it and before you know it you'll be a pro.

[BelegStrongbow]

Wow guys a lot of great information here. Defiantly need to expand my knowledge, fortunately with technology these days it's easier for the new hunter with no experience to learn the basic.

Looks like it's time to invest in a bigger cooler.

[dbd870]

After the shot I watch the animal's reaction, if it falls in sight then I watch it until it stops moving and glass it to see what kind of a shot it looks like I made. If I believe it's heart - lung I'll give it ~20 min and then climb down and make the approach. If it looks like it's more of a liver shot and it's just bedded, not moving but still likely alive if I can get down and get out I will and leave the area and won't come back for several hours.

If I loose sight of it then I wait a half hour -45 min and then get down go to the shoot site and examine it. If I have a lot of blood and it looks like heart - double lung I'll trail it. If I heard the crash then I'll give it a half hour and go to the shoot site; odds are it's down, site will look good and you can go get it. If it looks like darker liver type blood I back out and do the waiting game; same if there isn't really good blood. Just because you see bubbles in the blood don't assume it will die quickly, deer hit in one lung can go a long way.

I'm sure there are guys on here who have killed more deer than I have but I have a fair number under my belt and you get a feel after a while when you look at a shoot site as to if you should go after it or back out.

[NY Yankee]

Gut the deer and save the heart and liver if possible, they make good eating and someone will want it. Cut a stout stick to jam in between the ribs to prop open the chest cavity to promote faster cooling. Take the carcass home and hang it up by the back legs if you can hang it. I like to skin the carcass while it is fresh. After skinning I like to take the garden hose and wash off all the hair and blood from the carcass and let it hang to dry, if there are no flies around. Otherwise, get an old towel and dry the carcass as good as you can and get it hung inside to butcher the meat. If you are confident, you can gut your own meat. If you want it done a certain way, take it to a processor with the hide on and let him do it. I just take the best cuts off and grind the rest. Not really that much meat on an adult deer.

[1Longbow]

Gutless method. This shows an elk, easier for a deer.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGCAY5Amvn4&feature=player_embedded

[Gdpolk]

The first thing I do is pray and thank God for his blessings.  After that, it really depends on where I am hunting, how deep it is in the woods, weather, time of day, and what cut's I want out of the animal.  

Sometimes I gut it and drag it out.  Sometimes I quarter it and take that out.  Sometimes I bone the meat and only take the meat.  If I'm on my grandfather's farm we scoop them up in a tractor front end and bone them out while hanging (that's my favorite way).  

However, I ALWAYS get the meat as cold as possible as quickly as possible from there.  I typically do the ice baths for 2-4 days, changing out the ice 1-2 times a day.  Letting the meat age like so makes it a little more tender and the ice helps draw the blood out making for a milder flavor which some of my house guests prefer.  I butcher the meat depending on the cuts that I'm hoping to get out of it.  I typically have a list that I go for and anything that doesn't make the list gets ground into burgers.  Often the age and size of the deer will determine which cuts I take out of it as well.  For instance, I like one set of chops with the ribs and the backstraps hanging off them like lamb chops.  For this cut, I'll use only small and tender deer.  For grilling a stuffed backstrap, I prefer medium sized does.  For extra lean steaks to fry and ole buck will do.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I just dont kill deer....

Seriously, I have learned how to field dress and process deer from my dad.

You tube is a great resource but knowing someone who can show you is even better.  Once you get basics down you can make changes as you see fit.

If you get one before you know what you are doing, you can always find a processor.

[KSdan]

Great info here.  I too have went to an almost exclusive gutless/quartering method.  

I don't want to start a debate on your thread.  But I am from the school that says water on meat is bad business for bacteria growth.  Further, water unfortunately helps the bacteria get deeper into areas of the meat. You do not want that.  Once the deer is hung up, quarters in a cooler, whatever- I always make sure it is wiped down so as to make it dry.  I do not want water on it.  It is not the blood that makes meat taste stronger- it is blood that is spoiling due to bacteria.  Cool the meat ASAP and keep it dry. ALSO- plastic bags are helpful but BE CAREFUL that the meat is completely cooled down before using them- otherwise you are trapping heat in the deep muscle and again allowing bacteria growth, aka rotting meat.

Dan in KS

[Doc Nock]

I read all this with great interest...so many ways to skin the cat, so to speak, er deer!  

All I shot were mostly in the NE so weather was hot to start the Oct season but cooled after.

I too read that water, especially dunking in creeks, is bad biz as many bacteria in at least NE streams...

I have hosed out some that were messy inside from gut juice, with baking soda, then dried as others suggest.

Regardless, guts out as soon as possible to drain blood and get some heat out.

Next Is peeling the "bark" off (skinning) to further cool and I take off excess fat from farmland deer as my experience is deer fat turns rancid in freezer in short order.

3rd, I use blade to scrape off hair, leaves or any dirt and wipe on paper towel

4th, I then "grease" inside and outside of the body cavity with Crisco (vegetable shortening) to seal the meat and eliminate that awful hard dark crust of dried meat when you age the carcass.

5th, it goes into a cooler to age 2-3 days

6th, I debone and cut up my own meat and vacuum seal, while cutting away blue skin, fat qnd any debris to ensure great meat

last, I take all the burger meat and get it ground without adding fat...deer is healthful meat and why add domestic fat where all the nasties hang out in domestic critters?

of course, that is just one ole fart's method!

YMMV

[mnbwhtr]

Like Horne Shooter, first I thank God, then process.

[Bowwild]

Never heard of #4 Doc! Cool.

I hate getting hair on the meat. It certainly happens but I try to plan my cuts to reduce the possibility and amount.

I've seen folks skin squirrels and afterwards the beast had more hair on the flesh than it started with.      

One of the things I love about rabbits. Stray meat hairs are so easy to remove, much easier than on deer and squirrel.

I quartered without gutting one pronghorn and one whitetail.
 
The white-tail because it was 1.5 miles from the truck and I didn't want to drag it that far -- I had planned on this and had bags and a frame with me...the only time in 4+ decades of whitetail hunting I've ever made such a plan.

The antelope because the rancher told me i'd ruin the meat otherwise. I don't believe that now but I did what he suggested anyway.