After you track the Deer what do you do 1st?

[LongStick64]

1. Thank God
2. Thank the Deer
3. Fill and attach the Tag
4. Get to work field dressing

[BuckyT]

If I may add this to the list of advice..

Read up on blood trailing.  Sometimes this can be the most difficult part after the shot.

Some deer bleed profusely and are easy to find, some deer fall within sight after an arrow has punched through both lungs, some deer are related to mummies and barely spit any blood from their wound, some deer pull energy from beyond and may run hundreds of yards after a moderate to bad shot.

Been there done it on all kinds of tracking jobs.

Tracking is an art in a sense.  It's a beautiful thing walking up on a deer that you've spent hours tracking.  Kind of bitter/sweet.  You wish you would have double lunged it and only taken 5 minutes to find it, but it's rewarding after looking for so long and putting your hands on it after a strenuous tracking job.

Gutting a deer isn't so bad.  My step granddad gutted my first deer for me.  Told me to pay attention because that 4pt would be the first and last he did for me!  LOL!  

You'll need a knife that can shave gnat's hair.  Makes life so much easier!  You want a "soft hand" for the initial "unzipping" of the deer.  I always start from the brisket and work down to the anus.  Some guys do it the opposite.  Doesn't matter.  Once you get the deer opened up, you'll notice the diaphragm muscle separating the viscera from the heart/lungs.  Cut through diaphragm and fold it out of the way.

Now for the fun part!  LOL!  You need to reach up into the chest cavity and find the deers esophagus.  Grab it firmly and cut through it.  This will free up the heart/lungs.  Now for the "Guts"  Don't cut the stomach or intestines.  You might end up emptying the contents of your stomach next to your deer. lol!

You'll need to cut the tissue holding the guts in place along the top of the deers back.  Work your way down slowly.  After doing this, everything should just roll out, leaving it's "poop tube" still clinging to the rest of it.  I normally grab it and stretch it as far as I can out of the deer and cut it near the bone where it's bladder is sitting under.

Some guys like to saw this away, but it's just extra work that's not needed if you ask me.

It helps if you lay the deer with it's belly facing  down hill.  Gravity will help out.

Once you roll the insides out of the deer, the only thing that should be clinging is the part of the diaphragm you haven't cut away.  Cut it off and your done!  Then pick it up by it's front legs (doe) or rack (buck) and pull the deer up right and flop it over on its belly.  This will  help drain the excess blood that has pooled up in the deers cavity.

Then on to the processor or the skinning rack.

Maybe someone else can post up about the skinning/quartering out process if you choose to go that route. lol

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

BuckyT made a good point in saying to start at the brisket and cut down to the anus. This way you are cutting with the directional flow of the hair and don't make nearly the mess avoiding getting deer hair all over the place!

[vermonster13]

Approach from a direction that will allow a follow up shot if needed. Make sure the animal is dead. Give thanks in a way meaningful to you. Dress it out and get it cooled as quickly as possible. Take pics through out if you didn't forget the camera(I always seem to make kills when I don't bring one)

[RC]

I have learned as I get older to enjoy the moment. No beating around the bush I hunt to kill stuff. I enjoy the outdoor experience and go home happy without meat a lot but I go to the swamp for blood. No nice way to put it.
  When I walk up to an animal I`ve just killed I sit back against a tree and thank the Lord for the whole adventure.From a Wife that understands to a critter laying dead.I may sit there ten minutes soaking it all up inside. Then I take a few pics and get started. I think my short wait helps keep it safe because when I pull out the knife I`ve had time to calm down and will go about the field quartering a whole lot safer.I don`t drag anything unless I`m hunting really close to the house. Then I get my Son...he`s strong as an ox.I field quarter the critter put it in the backpack and head for the truck/boat. Usually walking out I`m thinking about where to hunt next.RC

[NoCams]

Mason and I always thank God FIRST before we do anything. After that we try to remember to fill out the tag before all the excitement gets the best of us.

Hint on gutting does and bucks you do not plan on mounting..... when you get to the sternum, ( the bone the ribs connect to on each side ), move over off center slightly till you find where the ribs connect with cartilage. Your knife and knife sharpener will thank you later ! You can then seperate the ribs from the sternum easily without messing up your knife's edge. This allows you to gut the deer further up toward the base of the throat then simply reach in and cut the esophagus. Stick your fingers in for a firm grip and this is your handle to pull toward the rear taking everything along as you go.

[John Scifres]

I thank God.  Light a cigar and savor the moment (bring a cigar and lighter).  Call a friend to help drag, depending on how far and how heavy (bring a cellphone).  Take pics (bring a camera). Field dress it (bring a field dressing kit to every hunt that includes cord, a couple pairs of gloves, paper towels, baby wipes, gallon ziplocs for heart and liver, sharp knife and sharpener).  Fill out tag (bring tag, Sharpie, a piece of wire and small ziploc). Drag it out (bring a heavy drag rope).  Put it in my car (bring a tarp).  Tag it (Indiana doesn't require tagging animal until it is transported).  Check it in (bring a list of the check stations, as required).  Take it home and butcher it.  That's a whole 'nuther subject.

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by LongStick64:
1. Thank God
2. Thank the Deer
3. Fill and attach the Tag
4. Get to work field dressing

This is my approach with the exception that I fill out the tag before opening the carcass but do not attach it until the drag is done.  In NY you don't have to attach it until you're at a road.  I also sit myself down and have a candy bar before gutting.  That gets the sugar in my system for the drag without the need to rummage around with fatty/slick hands . . . and also gives me a chance for "the shakes" to pass.

Another important step - if the arrow has broken and you haven't found the broadhead - is to locate and clear the broadhead carefully out of the animal BEFORE you lunge in.  My favorite processor asks archers to bring their broadhead - of if you're a regular to promise him you found it.

[Stumpkiller]

Another thing I've learned, and expanding on John Scifres post, is to lay everything out ahead of time.  If you have the organ bag ready and open with the edge rolled back it will keep blood out of your daypack (I keep the heart & liver).  Anything you have to dig around for with bloody hands will be a mess and need cleaning when you get home or back to camp.  

The best addition to my kit in the last 30 years has been the resealable travel packs of wet (baby) wipes.  Post-gutting cleanup and really great TP!

[elknutz]

The "find the broadhead" suggestion from Stump is a great one!  I've shot elk and moose far enough back in the hills that I've thought about sitting and eating for a couple of days to ease the pack job.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

when you are first starting out, having a good friend or mentor goes a long way. It is easy to forget things when you are caught up in the moment.

Sounds like this "Mike" will fit the bill.

Good luck  

[see]

What Manitoba Stickfinger said.I always kneel down and give thanks to God.I know it's His gift to me.

[Red Boar]

Originally posted by Manitoba Stickflinger:
The 1st thing I do is pray (but I am one of those Jesus people)

The next thing I do is soak it up...really! Don't worry about what is next but rather just enjoy the moment. Spend some time with the the gift you just received...it's a special time!

Next I pull out the camera (If you want to photograph it) and begin taking pix and cleaning up the animal.(wiping up blood, tucking it's tongue back in, etc.) Don't even think of pulling out your knife if you want quality pictures.

The rest of the steps you can google on the net but these are the ones that you may not find there and regret not doing. Best luck afield...Ryan

Well said and same for me.  The tagging part is a legal necessity and obviously needs to be done, but for me it is about appreciating the gift. Also, good point about taking lots and lots of pics...with digital cameras there is no film to be developed, just shoot away.  You'll never look back and say "I took too many pictures".

[dsc]

Thank our maker for the bounty

[Indiana-jim]

1) Fist pump
2) pictures
3) high fives
4) one more fist pump

[rluttrell]

Thank you guys for all of your input, I have read took notes buying a book..
Hopefully sometime in the near future I will have some pictures to post.
Robert

[copperhead95]

we just drag ours back tothe club house to butcher and take pics, mke sure you have a good sharp knife, thats very improtant. a rope drag handle always comes in handy too

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Wait................at least 30min. before you track, and that's on a perfect hit. Lousy hit wait accordingly, too far back? Back yourself out......of the woods that is. Give the animal a good 4-6 hours then come back and track.

After recovery I do pretty much the same as everybody else. Poke it in the rump with the tip of your arrow to make sure it's dead, but be ready for a follow up if it gets up.
Then I start thanking the Lord for the gift of protein and allowing me to be able to hunt his wonderful critters.
Take some pics if I have a camera which I normally do because the cell phone pulls double duty as a field camera.
Then I gut the animal before I tag and drag. I lost my tag one time because it came off while I was dragging it out, so now I wait till the animal is either up on an ATV rack or it's been drug back to the truck.
We have to notch our tags now like some other states so that will be done first and foremost when the animal is recovered and that voided tag makes it a legal kill.

Best advice is to go with your buddy Mike on one of his tracking jobs and help with the field dressing, get in there and get your hands bloody. That's the best teaching experience you can get.

Be sure and take care when field dressing to keep leaves, sticks, and other debris out of the cavity. The cleaner job you do now will save you lots of clean up time later, or a happier processor whichever you decide to do.
Keep it hanging someplace cool and out of direct sunlight.
Lastly, if it's a wall hanger buck......dont' hang it by the rack! It stretches the cape and your taxidermist will cuss you for it. Get the caped head to the taxidermist as quickly as possible or freeze it immediately. If you let it sit around for several days not frozen the hair will start to slip and fall out.
Best advice if you get a wall hanger......call a taxidermist as quickly as possible and they will walk you through the process of storing the head and cape properly.

One last thing, if it is a wall hanger......don't split the hide any further up the brisket than the rib cage. Too far up the cowel under the buck's neck will mean more stitching/repair work for the taxidermist later on and even more cussing.

Good Luck!

[sagebrush]

Let's see. The last elk I shot was four miles from the truck and it was getting dark fast. I walked to the edge of the ridge and made sure I knew the best way out. Then I went back and made sure it was dead. It was on a steep side hill and I had cut all extra weight from my pack. I had to use my bowstring to keep it from sliding down the mountain (next time don't remove the rope). Get out the headlamp with the extra batteries and the paper towels and the game bags. When you get all bloody you don't want to get back in the pack. Put on the extra layer because it will get colder fast. Then start the job. Gary

[BuckyT]

Originally posted by SEMO_HUNTER:
Then I gut the animal before I tag and drag. I lost my tag one time because it came off while I was dragging it out, so now I wait till the animal is either up on an ATV rack or it's been drug back to the truck.
We have to notch our tags now like some other states so that will be done first and foremost when the animal is recovered and that voided tag makes it a legal kill.

You can cut a pouch in the front shoulder of a doe, if it's a buck and you want to mount it, do it on the back ham, and fold your tag up and shove it in the "pocket" you've made in the hide.

The tag won't come out.  Old fella at the processor showed me that trick when I was a kid.  He asked me where the tag was for my doe and I pulled it out of my pocket.  It had been torn off by briars during the drag and I had to go back and find it..