How to field dress a deer

[new to the flock]

GENERAL INFORMATION

Well-cared for deer make fine table fare for many people. It is important to properly handle deer after the shot. How quickly the animal is field dressed and the meat property cooled determines the quality of the meat. However, far too many deer are wasted or make poor quality eating because hunters do not follow the simple, field dressing rules of good meat handling after the kill. These directions will help put good meat on your table.

 

 

 

CHECK EQUIPMENT

Before the hunt, check to see that you have all the equipment needed for hunting and field dressing your deer after the kill. Important items include a sharp knife for field dressing, a light rope or nylon cord for dragging, a signed hide tag with attaching cord, a cloth to clean your hands, a plastic bag for the liver and heart, and a gallon jug of water for clean-up after words.

[new to the flock]

FIELD DRESSING

Field dress your deer immediately.

 

Admittedly, the field dressing chore is not the most enjoyable part of the hunt, but the extra time spent taking care of the meat will pay dividends at the table. Field dressing takes effort, so your heavy hunting coat should be removed and your sleeves rolled up so they wont be soiled. Disposable vinyl or latex gloves lessen the chances of passing infectious diseases and make hand cleaning easier.

 

Blood and digestive juices from organs possibly penetrated by the shot must be removed from the body cavity quickly, and the sooner the organs, which deteriorate rapidly, are removed, the faster the meat will cool. Field dressing also eliminates dragging unnecessary weight when moving the animal.

 

Before starting the field-dressing process, keep in mind that it is important to keep dirt and foreign objects away from the exposed body cavity. Removing the scent glands is not considered necessary, but is done with care by many hunters. Some archery hunters save the glands for use as scent while hunting. Removing the glands carelessly can taint the meat.

 

Roll the deer carcass over on its back with the rump lower than the shoulders and spread the hind legs. Make a cut along the centerline of belly from breastbone to base of tail. First cut through the hide, then through belly muscle. Avoid cutting into the paunch and intestines by holding them away from the knife with the free hand while guiding the knife with the other.

 

Unless the deer head will be mounted, the cut should pass through the sternum and extend up the neck to the chin to allow removal of as much of the windpipe as possible. The windpipe sours rapidly and is a leading cause of tainted meat.

[new to the flock]

pic 2

 

Use your free hand and face yur knife blade upwards to protect the stomach contents.

Edited March 4, 2006 by new to the flock

[new to the flock]

pic.3

[new to the flock]

With a small sharp knife, cut around the anus and draw it into the body cavity, so it comes free with the complete intestines. In doing this, avoid cutting or breaking the bladder. Loosen and roll out the stomach and intestines. Save liver. Split the pelvic or "aitch" bone to hasten cooling.

[new to the flock]

Cut around the edge of the diaphragm which separates the chest and stomach cavities, and split the breastbone. Then, reach forward to cut the windpipe and gullet ahead of the lungs. This should allow you to pull the lungs and heart from the chest cavity. Save heart. Drain excess blood from the body cavity by turning the body belly down or hanging animal head down. Prop the body cavity open with a stick to allow better air circulation and faster cooling.

 

 

 

Part of the satisfaction of the hunt comes with making a clean kill and in doing a neat job of field dressing your deer. Veteran hunters may have variations in the steps of field dressing. The important points are to remove the internal organs immediately after the kill without contaminating the body cavity with dirt, hair, or contents of the digestive tract and to drain all excess blood from the body cavity.

 

All parts damaged by gunshot should be trimmed away. If the weather is warm of if the deer is to be left in the field for a day or more, it may be skinned, except for the head, and washed clean of dirt and hair. It should be placed in a shroud sack or wrapped with porous cloth to cool (cheesecloth is ideal). The cloth covering should be porous enough to allow air circulation but firmly woven enough to give good protection from insects and dirt. Lacking porous cloth, hunters often coat the inside of the body cavity with black pepper to repel insects. Adequate cooling may take six hours or more, depending on weather conditions.

 

AGING THE MEAT

Age the deer carcass in a cool, dry place. Aging of well cared for carcasses at correct temperatures yields better flavored, more tender meat. Best results are obtained in a near-constant temperature, preferably from 34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Aging for one to two weeks is about right for the best quality venison, depending on the age and condition of the animal.

[new to the flock]

CUTTING THE CARCASS

If the deer carcass is to be placed in freezer or locker plant storage, it may be more convenient to use the services of an experienced butcher for the cutting and wrapping. If the intent is to gain experience by doing the job yourself, cut according to the diagram shown at the bottom of the page.

 

The first step is to saw the carcass down the center of the backbone, dividing it into two sides. If the neck is to be used for a pot roast, it should be removed before the carcass is split. Place the sides of venison inside down on a table and cut according to the chart. Trim excess bone and gristle and further cut meat into family-size packages

[johnskevena]

Once again top class nttf

[Dunkield]

Agreed, that is a class post NTTF.

 

Anyone dare to post colour pictures of an actual gralloch?

[Devilishdave]

There are a few realy good videos on the subject no doubt available from the BDS web site

 

Dave

Edited March 7, 2006 by Devilishdave

[Killer69]

"Field dressing also eliminates dragging unnecessary weight when moving the animal."

 

 

 

in britain with modern rules you have to gralluc the deer in a non contaminated area i.e. a game larder.

although these rules can be easily broken with no consequences!

[Shootingman]

There 's a DVD called THE GRALLOCH available from the BDS, price is £10, good value-good DVD, yet I think after seeing both the DVD & the instructions from NEW TO THE FLOCK, these instructions are every bit as good as the DVD, better in fact, as the DVD doesn't show the butchered cuts of meat. Well done.

[Mannlicher Stu]

CUTTING THE CARCASS

If the deer carcass is to be placed in freezer or locker plant storage, it may be more convenient to use the services of an experienced butcher for the cutting and wrapping. If the intent is to gain experience by doing the job yourself, cut according to the diagram shown at the bottom of the page.

 

The first step is to saw the carcass down the center of the backbone, dividing it into two sides. If the neck is to be used for a pot roast, it should be removed before the carcass is split. Place the sides of venison inside down on a table and cut according to the chart. Trim excess bone and gristle and further cut meat into family-size packages

 

 

 

All the above advice should only be followed if the venison is for your own personal use.

 

Under the current food hygiene rules and those of a trained hunter as a DSC1 qualified stalker and theregulations set by the FSA ( Food Standard Agency) The minimum incision into the carcass can now only be carried out in the field with the green viscera only removed at the point of kill. Inspection of the nodes have to be inspected and certified by the hunter as clear of notifiable diseases the feet and glands in the throat have also got to be inspected for foot and mouth prior to removal from the kill zone again in case of notifiable deseases the pancreas also needs to be inspected for possible anthrax although there has been no known case of this in wild deer in this country these inspection need to be carried out prior to removal of the carcass to the larder.

All other organs inc the pluck must remain now in the carcass until it treaches the larder were further

dressing work needs to be carried out in hygienic surroundings. The vehicle needs to be free from cross contamination from other carcasses of different animals and it now all has to be disenfected to kill as much bacteria as possible

 

When all the prep work has been carried out then and only then can the carcass be signed off to go into the human foodchain and this now can only be carried out by a certified LANTRA or DSC1 FSA trained hunter.

 

 

I will try to photograph the actual sequence of a correct and proper grallock inc the field and larder conditions if the oppurtunity arises then I can show you all the lymph nodes and the other the nodes to the intestines that now require to be examined.

 

Kind Regards

Manlicher Stu

[new to the flock]

Manlicher stu,

 

Nice to see you over here.

 

The above post was put together for someone asking how to prepare a deer for personal use. You are entirely correct the process is vastly differant if the deer is to entre the UK human food chain. A step by step of this process would be of great use to many of the new stalkers on this site.

 

Here in Canada we are not allowed to sell our venison so those shot either with bow or gun are for personal use. It is the hunters responsibility to access the carcass for any abnormalities with the organs or lymph nodes.

 

NTTF

 

LB,

I know where you drive

 

NTTF

[Mannlicher Stu]

Moribund animals under no circumstances are allowed into the UK foodchain and even if you intended to take one yourself it would be unwise to do so unless you were aware of the full circumstances of its death.

 

The danger is a vet may have been in attendance administrating lethal dose of drugs in putting the animal out of its misery if it had been injured there has been cases in the past of this happenning as they have left the dead animal at the side of the road for the collection of the Local Authority to dispose of.

Personal Consumption of such by a human would be fatal.

[Mannlicher Stu]

http://www.dcs.gov.uk/BestPractice/CarcassGralloch.aspx

 

This is the method re commended by the DCS following FSA guidelines

[Jelendeer]

Hi Guys,

 

You may find this interesting - some good tips on gralloching a deer.

 

 

Regards,

 

Mike

 

(Director - Jelen Deer Services)