Field Dressing Kit?

[Wannabe1]

Well, if this year is fortunate enough to be my year for harvesting my first deer ever, I need to make sure I'm prepped for the field dressing part. I have a skinning knife, field dressing gloves and water but, do I need anything else? Never field dressed a deer so, gonna be interesting to say the least. I've watched videos and read about field dressing but, nothing like actually doing it. All recommendations appreciated.  

 

[Bud B.]

Cloth sacks for any vitals you're gonna keep. 1 per. Liver, heart, or whatever else. Cheap white pillow cases do well.

Old timer told me a long time ago, especially in early season...if you don't want flies bothering the meat in transit put black pepper on the exposed meat. I tried it more than once. It works.

I'm get'n lazy though. I take the whole deer underessed to the processor. Just easier for me. He's about 15 miles from where I hunt.

[Wannabe1]

Never heard of the black pepper suggestion before. Sometimes them old timers know tricks that just work. I'll through a small can in my pack.    

Does that knife look like it will do the trick?

[TxAg]

Originally posted by Wannabe1:
Never heard of the black pepper suggestion before. Sometimes them old timers know tricks that just work. I'll through a small can in my pack.      

Does that knife look like it will do the trick?

As long as it's sharp and you go slow it'll work just fine.

[German Dog]

Originally posted by Wannabe1:
[QB]  Never field dressed a deer so, gonna be interesting to say the least.

Yep get yourself a tyvek full body suit. You'll have blood everywhere, including you hair    :D

Now to be serious...  In the future just go to a farm store and buy a box of the shoulder lenght plastic gloves that vets and farmers us to check cows. They cost about what two or three packages of the shoulder lenght feild dressing gloves do and they come in a 100 pair box. I use the farms gloves cause I always end up with more blood on me than what ends up on the ground. but I also put doctors gloves over them cause they fit tight and keep the plastic shoulder gloves in place on your hands and gives you better grip with the knife.  

And the other thing is to just SLOW down and take your time.

[PeteA]

This is what I carry in what I call my "gut bag":

Wyoming Knife,
trail marking tissue- orange,
Plastic gloves,
Singles edged razor blades - I use them to trim the breast fur before I cut,
small zip ties to tie off for rectum and attaching tags,
Leatherman tool with saw to cut the breast bone,
Plastic bag for liver and heart,
Deer drag - old seat belt strap w/ loops on each end - 6-7 foot long,
A couple hand wipes,

Small compass - usually around my neck


All this goes in a small pouch that goes on my belt. Should I get a hit it's all I need to and start tracking.I usually leave all else (except my bow) at my stand location when i start out to track

[Kamm1004]

sometimes a small sharp hatchet or bone saw is nice for the pelvis and breastplate. Its easily done with a knife too but depending on the knife and your resharpening skills its easier to but those bones with a hatchet or saw. Saves the razor edge for skinning and such

[Bud B.]

That knife will do fine. I prefer the USA made Old Timer drop point guthook.

[Wannabe1]

I got that knife about 9 yrs ago as a gift from a friend and it has never been used. It is a Muela. Pretty sharp and fits my hand nicely. Hopefully I'll christen it this year!  

[macbow]

I have a friend that has field dressed many dear with nothing more than a scalpel with,dispossible blade.
Does a really meat job of it.
I use a small knife and the gloves.

[Bjorn]

Pillow cases and something to sharpen that beautiful knife halfway through the job. Regular disposable gloves work for me and the first animal may be messy if you cut something you did not intend to. See if you can help a friend butcher his animal too and he/she will help guide you through the process either way you will do fine!

[Wannabe1]

Thanks for all the responses folks!

Bjorn: Wish I had someone to hunt with and kind of be my mentor but, I don't know of anyone nearby where I live that is a bowhunter. Usually, when I can get the time off to go, I go it alone.

[Skipmaster1]

I carry a razor sharp knife with a 3-4" flat backed blade. Sometimes a mora, sometimes a little fin or my case folder with the 2 blades.  I have no problem splitting the sternum, even on really large, old bucks. I don't split the pelvis. I "core" around the anus and it pulls through when you pull the guts out. I like the flat back on the blade so I don't pop the bladder when doing this. I do anywhere from 10 to 30 deer a season like this. I never get bloody above my wrists and by the end of season it should take well less than 5 minutes without rushing.

My first deer took over 45 minutes to gut, I cut everything I wasn't supposed to and was covered in blood, guts and urine. The meat was just fine. Don't worry just take your time and enjoy it!  People say that if you rupture the guts it will affect the meat. Bull. At least when gutting.  I bet 30% of the deer I kill are quartering away, so I just clip the stomach on the entrance. I can't tell the difference between them and broadside hits where only heart and lungs are hit.

Gloves are a good idea and a few small ziplocks for the heart and liver.

[Blueridge]

I sure hope you get one!  The hi-lite of the day is a warm gut pile. The drag out is a labor of love.
Good luck

[Wannabe1]

Thank you Stan! My hopes are high and I'm going scouting again this Saturday. Gonna take my camera this time and hopefully snap a few shots.

[Biathlonman]

Done it more then a few times with a decent pocket knife.  Out of the 50ish I've done, never once had to resharpen anything. Can't recall the last time I had blood above my wrist either.

[threeunder]

I took my 49th whitetail last year(full disclosure - not all with a bow)...done all of those....and probably been in on another 100 or so deer and hogs...

Here's what I pack.

Knife with a medium sized blade, plus a gut-hook.  I've opened up a bunch, but the safest way is with a hook.  If you've never done one I'd give you a 9 in 10 chance of puncturing the intestines or stomach.  

Nitrile gloves.  At least 2 pairs.

couple of 5-6 ft. sections of string can be handy to help control the legs if you don't have a buddy with you to hold them.

Bags for any innards you're keeping.

A good drag.  Dragging a buck by his rack is over-rated...LOL...

Wet wipes (the bacteriocidal kind)...a neat alternative is the wipes that are dried and shaped in the form of large pills....Add just a bit of water and it is a wipe (this, of course, only works if you have the water)

And a camera...I've spent too many days in the field without a camera.  These days, a camera is almost as important to have as my bow.

[dink]

i just carry a knife and small folding saw and 3 pcs, rope.Iuse the rope to hold the legs open and a pcs around the neck to hold the deer up hill so when you gut it .it all rolls out.then i hang the deer up in a tree.put a stick between the rib cage to let it cool.

[KSdan]

Knife is all you really need. Use the gutless method and all you carry out is clean meat- no blood, no guts and it takes about 20 minutes or less.  A few wet wipes in a small bag wipes everything nicely.

[awbowman]

Gutless method for me