Field Dress a deer and leftovers

I've seen a deer come up to a gut pile and sniff it, just curious I guess.
As for gammy taste, I've found that the cleaner, faster the kill the better the taste. I agree that ageing is for tenderness.
 
I always gut mine where they drop.
Why drag all that extra weight out of the woods?
I carry a plastic bag and put the liver and heart in there.
My dogs and cats are wild about deer liver.
 
Gut it where it drops, haul it out and hang it long enough for the rigor to pass, then butcher away :) There is no reason to hang wild game like a side of beef (where you are letting the fat break down to help tenderize the meat). Most antelope, deer, elk, etc. don't have anywhere near the amount of fat it would take to help tenderize the meat. The longer you hang the carcass, the more meat dries out and becomes exposed to bugs and other contaminates, and the greater the chance of it starting to go bad and getting thrown in the trash.
 
I'll gut a deer where it drops. Like others said why drag the extra weight out. Plus I prefer to get the paunch out as soon as possible.
 
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