Warning
This article contains graphic images that may not be suitable for children or the squeamish. Proceed at your own risk.
Once you have taken your
buck
(or doe, if hunting during an anterless deer season), getting the deer ready for the freezer is another challenge. Here are the steps of dressing the game.
Step 1
Field dress your deer as soon as possible after you have bagged it. Removing the internal organs and cooling the carcass is essential to keeping the meat from spoiling.
Step 2
Bring your deer to a location where it can be hung up for skinning. Ideally, you may have a camp with a winch and aframe, or a tractor with a lift or bucket to lift the deer up. You will also want plenty of clean water available, preferably from a potable water system with a garden hose and sprayer.
Step 3
Tie a strong rope or strap around the animal's antlers, or under the head as high up the neck as possible. Some hunters prefer to hang their deer by the achilles tendons with the head down, but generally, the steps are the same. Hanging head up makes removing the stomach, intestines, and bladder a bit easier, and is less likely to contaminate the meat when this is done.
Step 4
Raise the deer to a comfortable working height. For removing the internal organs, lifting it so the rear legs are just about one foot above the ground should work.
Step 5
Remove the internal organs if you have not already field dressed the deer. This is detailed in the article Field Dress a Deer, so read it for specific instructions. Here are some general guidelines for gutting/field dressing:
- Gut the deer (again, if it's not already field dressed) by splitting the stomach membrane, working from the bottom, or pelvis, upward. Allow only the very tip of the knife into the abdomen, so that the stomach and intestines are not ruptured. When you have split upward to the base of the sternum, reach into the abdomen and pull out the organs. Having a large container to drop them in will help keep your work area clean. Note that the kidneys and liver will usually stay attached by their supporting membranes, but if you plan to save them to eat, be careful they do not spill out with the stomach.
- Look for the bladder near the spine in the lower area of the abdomen. It will look like a transluscent balloon filled with yellow liquid (urine). You will need to grasp it securely, holding the urethra closed, and cut it free without allowing it to drain. Here, having a water hose handy in case of an accident is very helpful.
- Place any internal organs you plan to eat in a clean bucket or pan and rinse them with cool water. The liver, as well as possibly the heart and kidneys are edible, but will need additional preparation not covered in detail here.
- Allow the rectum and testicles to hang until you have split the pelvic bone itself. Make sure there are no discharges from either of these that are dropping on the hams of the deer.
Split the sternum, or center of the ribcage with a large, heavy knife or a saw suitable for this task. Spread the chest open, being careful the heart doesn't drop out if you intend to save it for food. Pull out the lungs and heart, as well as the wind pipe and esophagus, then rinse the body cavity thoroughly.
Step 6
Begin cutting through the skin at the base of the animal's skull, first cutting around it, then cutting down from the first cut towards the breastbone, and finally to the stomach and pelvis. Take care to cut only the skin, and not the muscles or abdominal tissues, as hair will contaminate the meat in these areas.
Step 7
Cut the skin down the forelegs to the point you will be removing them, then pull the skin off the shoulders and neck, working your way downward toward the chest. If muscle tissue is pulling loose with the skin, scrape or slice through it so it doesn't tear loose as you go. Slicing the subcutaneous membranes will make the skin easier to pull free.
Step 8
Consider pulling the rest of the remaining skin off with a vehicle of some sort when the skin has been pulled down below the deers front shoulders. You can tie a golf ball or a similarly sized stone under the skin, looping your rope around it, then tie the free end to a four wheeler or even a truck. This vehicle, then, can be used to pull the remaining skin from the deer with very little effort.
Step 9
Pull the skin off the carcass, either with a vehicle as mentioned above, or by hand. If skinning by hand, pull the skin down a bit, then slice the tissue that attaches it to the muscles underneath it, working a little at a time.
Step 10
Rinse the deer's carcass after the skin is removed to wash away any hair that has stuck to it. The water will also help cool the meat while you are completing the job.
Step 11
Using a saw, split the pelvic bone. Split as near upper part of the ham as possible on either side, so the saw doesn't cut the testicles, rectum, or urethra allowing the contents to dump on the meat.
Step 12
Spread the hams apart to expose the rectum and urethra, cut them free, and remove them. While you have your saw, you can go ahead and cut the legs off at the bottom of the hams and shoulders, if you haven't already done so.
Step 13
Break the carcass down as you choose to. The backstraps and tenderloins can be removed, or the entire backbone area can be kept intact for cutting steaks with a meat saw later. Remove the upper shoulders by cutting the muscles that attach them to the chest, working from the bottom up, lifting on the leg as you do so. Since there are not joints in the bones connecting the front shoulders to the chest, a good, sharp knife is all you will need.
Step 14
Cut the hams from the deer by sawing the rest of the way through the pelvic bone on either side of the spine, then slicing the muscle at the top of the ham with a large knife. Make sure you have a good grip on the hams, or have a helper support them so they are not dropped when they are cut free.
Step 15
Saw through the ribs, cutting them all the way down the backbone, near the spine, but not through the backstrap or tenderloins. These can be separated, or left as whole side of ribs.
Step 16
Cut the deer's head off the neck just below the ears. Many people do not realize how much meat a deer's neck has in it, whether you choose to have it sliced with a meat saw, saved as a roast, or boned out for grinding into venison burger or sausage.
Step 17
Wash all the venison with plenty of cold water, then pack it in ice, or wrap it in an airtight freezer wrapper for freezing.
Step 18
Remove the antlers if you plan to save them.
Step 19
Dig a deep hole to dispose of the remnants of the cleaning process. Your local Fish and Wildlife service may have a disposal area to save you this step.
Tips
- The instructions regarding skinning the neck and shoulders are not meant to be used if the deer is to be caped for mounting.
- Keep your knives and saw sharp and clean while working.
Warnings
- Many areas have deer which may carry diseases and parasites that can be harmful to humans, so wearing safety glasses and gloves is recommended.
- Watch out for bystanders.
Things You'll Need
- Ropes
- Method for lifting the deer
- Clean water
- Containers for the venison, as well as the waste
- Table (optional) if the venison is to be deboned
