Skinned, gutted, and butchered my first deer...

also

soreshoulder

Congrats on taking another step deeper into your hunt. Quartering and butchering, wrap and freeze IS more work, but it's a task of love for me.

That's the deer I killed, got out, skinned, quartered and butchered by myself (well, w/ help sometimes) and nobody can say otherwise. Every bit of it is mine, and didn't get mixed up or swapped out at a shop. I didn't drop it off, can't blame anybody if its tainted, and all it cost me was the effort.

I think everybody who hunts should know how to make meat and practice accordingly.

I did run a stick in my eye once, while excited and dragging after dark a better than average bow killed 8 pt, and good buddy Sammy had to finish skinning and quartering while I spent the rest of the night at the ER.

Well done and good hunting.
 
I have never had a gut hook just don,t see the need. I use a folding pocket knife to gut. If the weather permits a like them to hang for a while then skin it down & saw off the head, front hoofs & shanks, cut off the front shoulders & rib/brisket meat , then the neck meat, take out the inner loins and back straps, saw through the spine in front of the hinds, saw hinds down the spine, take both hinds off the gambrel saw off the hoofs and shanks then de-bone my shoulders and hinds into steaks, roast, stew meat and grind up (sausge/ burger) then vacum seal everything. Any one else make Hunter Steaks? (cube steak with bacon) I take round steaks from the hinds then cover one side with bacon and send it through the cuber, it puts the bacon right in to the steaks. last night 3 of us did a 139 lb doe and a 110 lb spike started a little after five and was all done except the grind up and running the hunter steaks through the cuber at 8:00 and that include beer breaks and a lot a jaw flapping
 
Unless you REALLY have a desire to get to those small tenderloins or want the ribs, don't bother cutting open the gut sack. Just skin down the back to expose the backstraps, shoulders, and hams. Cut them off without ever opening the gut sack and leave the skin attached along the belly.
 
Unless you REALLY have a desire to get to those small tenderloins or want the ribs, don't bother cutting open the gut sack. Just skin down the back to expose the backstraps, shoulders, and hams. Cut them off without ever opening the gut sack and leave the skin attached along the belly.
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Yeah, the reason I am gutting is I had a 2 mile drag, plus I am wanting to know exactly what to do for when I get an elk or something else larger.

Thanks for all the advice, I have ended up with a Kershaw folder, 3.5" blade, no guthook, and I already have a Lansky set for the kitchen knives, and I'll steal the fillet knife for actual butchering. Helped my buddy with his elk, the knife held up fine, and, yes, a guthook really isn't needed.
 
this is impressive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCDB7g43_8

After viewing this a few years back I have hung my deer in the woods to field dress it. gravity helps a lot. Skinning is definitely easy when the deer is fresh killed but we leave the skin on till we drag it out and by then we're ready for a beer. being in the NE it's usually cold enough to let it hang a while before we skin it. Hey its work, but God awful honest work.

good luck and safe hunting all
 
I was given a Kodi Pak by a friend it has a Skinner with gut hook, caper, and saw all in the same kit. I use the big skinner's gut hook all the time I like it but I've skinned out plenty of animals without one. Find what works for you, I use the caper the most even for skinning the small blade is easier to work IMO.
 
If you really want to try a guthook but don't want to lay out the bucks for a knife with one, get an ordinary utility knife at the hardware store (the kind with the retractable blade) and put a roofing blade in it. The roofing blades are hooked for cutting shingles and look like a miniature gut hook. They zip through the skin of a hog very well without cutting the meat underneath. I use one side for one hog, turn it around for the next hog, then toss the blade away. No need to dull a good knife on thick hard skin.
 
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