For now, use the hide as a tarp it will be a clean place to lay meat while you work. But as with hunting any big game, particularly in warm weather, field dressing is an essential first step in. His unique method of dressing an elk leaves the guts. Field dressing your elk elkcamp, answers for elk hunters. But the rocky mountain elk foundation is offering insights to a lesserknown, longproven alternative. When gutless field dressing a big game animal, cut slits along the back and reach in to remove the inside tender loins. Eight years later it is still a very valuable article and a great way to provide a new hunter with the information on how to accomplish the needed task.
This youtube video will show exactly how this process is done and you may want to consider it, where legal. If you choose to do so, lay the animal with head downhill and cut. Gutless field dressing ohio sportsman your ohio hunting. The video is pretty self explanatory and covers the meat and potatoes of deboning an elk, so here a few things i didnt have a chance to talk about in the field. One of those would undoubtedly be field dressing fresh kills. Yes, it is legal in wyoming to gutless field dress a big game animal. See more ideas about deer, deer butchering and deer hunting tips. Imagine having this incredible resource available on your smart phone to step you through the process while you are standing at the feet of your next big game animal. This video shows you how to get the guts out of an elk in a few easy steps. I look at field dressing as a very important early stage of making our game animals into delicious table fare. Nosler reloading forum view topic elk, gutless method. It is a great leadin question that usually allows me to discuss and explain the benefits of gutless method. Field dressing, removing entrails, right away is the first step in cooling your meat harvest down quickly. In total, theres around 640 million acres of land in federal hands, much of it scattered across big sky country, west of the mississippi river.
Jan 09, 2018 we going to put together a little series on how to take every ounce of meat off an elk starting with skinning. Field dressing becomes unnecessary because we arent going to transport the animal whole, so we dont need to let the heat escape the body. Over the years, there have been a few videos and numerous articles written on the subject. Nov 03, 2011 gutless field dressing by janis putelis i went hunting with two of my cousins recently and they told me that they had searched the internet and found little on field dressing an elk. Several of scott and tiffany haugens hunting and cooking books are available at. Eviscerating an elk can be an unpleasant part of a hunt. There are many ways to field dress a deer, but my favorite is what i call the gutless method. I was sipping my morning coffee while watching this, and got so doggone hungry when i saw him remove that huge elk backstrap yum.
The procedure for fielddressing an elk is the same as for fielddressing a whitetail. Field dressing means removing the animals internal organs, also known as the entrails, which is necessary to preserve its meat. Ive watched the gutless method video over and over but am worried about forgetting the steps while actually in the process. Jan 25, 2012 gutless field dressing january 25, 2012 by elk hunter magazine 3 comments here is a great demonstration by colburn and scott outfitters guide, janis putelis, on how to field dress an elk without gutting it. Basically the article took a fielddressing process for very large game and applied it to deer where it has no place. Though the stories you hear of 1,200 pound bull elk are fairy tales, a very large bull elk can weigh up to 800 pounds. It is a method that avoids having to spill a critters gut cavity until the end of the process, rather than at the beginning. Watch the most popular gutless field dressing video available for free. Im sure there are 101 ways to do this, here is my version of gutless. I dont like to mess around with the guts, its just as fast if not faster and easier yeah, if your trucks right there and you can just throw the deer in it and go hang it up and skin it and do all that, great, but if not, like i am, ive got to pack this thing out, so, this is. The first way is to use the basic field dressing method, which requires you to gut the animal before packing the animal out whole or cut into quarters. Nearly all my friends use this method to field dress any big game animalim certain that many forum members do, also. After shooting a deer, immediately field dress or gut the animal to preserve the meat and avoid spoiling. So if i get a deer this weekend, it will be my first time field dressing a by myself and b in the back country.
When doing the gutless method, most people will start the skinning process by making the long, lengthwise body cut on top of the spine, from base of the head to the tail. Gutless field dressing january 25, 2012 by elk hunter magazine 3 comments here is a great demonstration by colburn and scott outfitters guide, janis putelis, on how to field dress an elk without gutting it. There are a few restrictions that need to be noted. Jul 21, 2017 gutless field dressing will save hours of difficult work and can allow you to hunt further, longer, and deeper in remote territory. Ive shot mule deer bucks that weighed well over 300 pounds, and a typical raghorn 212 yearold bull elk will weigh anywhere from 450 to 600 pounds. Gutless field dressing can save you time, weight and handling of entrails with no significant loss of meat. Founded over 30 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of more than 205,000 strong, rmef has conserved more than 6.
For lack of a better name, ill call it gutless field dressing. A field dressing guide for elk and deer big game hunt. The gutless method is great, if quartering is done immediately. His unique method of dressing an elk leaves the guts intact, the meat clean and the backstraps coming home with you. For the most part, all you need to field clean a deer is a sharp knife and a strong stomach. Fred shows you what to do after you placed that perfect shot and have taken your recovery photos of victory. Whether you call it field dressing, gutting, skinning or cleaning a deer, this simple guide should be helpful. Is it legal to quick quarter or gutless field dress a big game animal. Carefully cut the connective tissue out of the way, letting the gut collapse down into the deers intact chest cavity.
Instead of making an incision on the animals belly, make your incision along his spine using a havalon skinning knife. Good video i watched this morning, randy newberg uses the gutless method to take apart an elk. Id like to see one of you manly men drag out a caribeau, elk, moose or buffalo which is where this type of field dressing came from basically a lazy version of the more accepted process of quartering. You can extract it either by traditional field dressing or you can remove it actually after doing the gutless method but its fairly tricky. There is a video below on gutless field dressing and quartering elk in the field provided by dax mccarty of wagonhound outfitters. Be sure your knife is sharp, maintain a fine edge blade as you work. Keep cutting until the inside loins are exposed sufficiently to remove them. The one task that has me somewhat anxious is the breaking down of the elk if i get one down.
Backcountry meat care how to debone an elk using the. When gutless field dressing a big game animal, you are required to bring all four quarters out of the field, whether the meat is blood shot or not, back straps and inside tender loins. Be sure to support the sponsors who have made it possible to offer this video for free sitka gear, g5 outdoors, alaska game bags, and idaho archery company. So all i do is, try to lay him on his stomach, and i just make an incision all the way down his. Gary this is an excellent written step by step process of field dressing an elk or deer. Id like to see one of you manly men drag out a caribeau, elk, moose or buffalo which is where this type of fielddressing came from basically a lazy version of the more accepted process of quartering. For an excellent video on gutless field dressing, contact longtime wyoming outfitter and rmef supporter ron dube at 3075277815. Gutless field dressing elk rocky mountain elk foundation missoula, mont. Now you can download the popular gutless method field dressing video to your computer or mobile device as an mp4 file. Field dressing an elk in the backcountry one of the great things about this country is the massive amount of public land available to hunt. A simple stepbystep guide to field dressing your deer. When it comes to processing your elk, i highly recommend the gutless method for numerous reasons.
The gutless method will require multiple knives, extra blades, or at least a sharpener. I went hunting with two of my cousins recently and they told me that they had searched the internet and found little on field dressing an elk. Dec 16, 2010 now the gutless part use your knife to cut the connective tissue at the base of the gut where the hind legs join. Gutless field dressing can save you time, weight and handling of. Aug 23, 2006 basically the article took a field dressing process for very large game and applied it to deer where it has no place. Field dressing an elk in the backcountry montana decoy. In elk hunting 201 we walked you through the conventional method of field dressing your elk. Imagine having this incredible resource available on your smart phone to step you through the process while you are. I saw fred eichlers 10 minute gutless method video where he broke down the quarters with the hidehair still on them. The quick, easy and cleaner way to break down a deer. Start field dressing it at once with a good, strong bladed knife. Nov 03, 2010 gutless field dressing elk rocky mountain elk foundation missoula, mont. Oct 09, 2015 learn how to field dress an elk using the gutless method with jay scott and chris roe, more at and.
You can leave the guts intact and remove sections of meat by skinning your animal and quartering it in place. How to debone an elk using the gutless method havalon knives. Field dressing a whitetail deer 2012 field dressing deer instruction guide. In the video below from the sporing chef, eichler shows you how to field dress an elk with a threeinch knife in just over two and a.
If gutless field dressing is an option, decide how you will handle the process before leaving camp. The sooner you bring the meat to a cool temperature, the better it will taste on the table. Since we are usually hunting the backcountry we have to butcher them on the mountain an. If you choose to do so, lay the animal with head downhill and cut its throat to. I have written down the steps on paper and am hoping thats. The gutless method is fast and easy, requiring only a knife, even on big game like elk and moose. The difference, of course, is in the size of the bones and the weight of the animal.
There are two methods to prepare any big game animal like sheep, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, etc. I saw fred eichlers 10 minute gutless method video where he. There are some big bones and a bunch of guts inside a critter the size of a bull elk. Theres a lot of meat to deal with, and depending on your animal, the situation, and what you want to pack out, there are a number of different ways to go.
After killing your game after you have shot your game, approach it from the rear carefully, making sure it is dead. This process also helps cool the carcass, slow bacterial growth, and remove blood and paunch stomach materials from the meat. These 10 tips will make the field dressing and deboning process a lot easier. Oct 27, 2010 for an excellent video on gutless field dressing, contact longtime wyoming outfitter and rmef supporter ron dube at 3075277815. See a video of how its done or refer to page 6 of the 2017 antelope, deer and elk hunting regulations booklet. But as with hunting any big game, particularly in warm weather, fielddressing is an essential first step in. Make sure that you skin one side at a time and work on the skin to keep your meat clean from contamination. Jun 01, 2019 field dressing an elk in the backcountry one of the great things about this country is the massive amount of public land available to hunt. Jul 24, 20 the goal of deboning an elk using the gutless method is to get the meat just the meat off of the animal as quickly as possible. For elk its not even a question, id rather have that cut than any other. The gutless method quartering your elk without field dressing click here for fred eichler video note.
Now the gutless part use your knife to cut the connective tissue at the base of the gut where the hind legs join. For deer i always remove it as its my most favorite cut of meat. The best part, its clean, lightens loads and gets meat cooling quickly. How to perform the gutless method on big game gohunt. However, the best one to view is the one right here on. So after one of them killed his bull, we thought we would video the skinning and quartering. I am concerned i will be too focused on it to look around and check my surroundings enough. The allnew gutless video gutless method for field dressing by is now available and can be viewed for free by clicking here gutless video.
Validate your tag and attach it to the carcass immediately. Learn how to field dress an elk using the gutless method with jay scott and chris roe, more at and. Once you have used the gutless method, you will probably never used the conventional method again. Alright, so i got the deer down, now its time to do the fun work.
Gutless video dedicated to elk hunting information. Be sure to support the sponsors who have made it possible to offer this video for free sitka gear, g5 outdoors, alaska game bags, and. If youve taken down an elk, the work has just begun. Below is a video on this method, in which you can quickly field dress an elk with little mess. This is the gutless method, this is how i like to do it. Eviscerating an elk can be an unpleasant part of a.