Gutting/Not gutting

I was reading a forum on fb about field dressing in the early season here in NC when the temps hover around 90 degrees. Everyone had their own reasons for either field dressing or not except one guy said that he never gutted his deer because he can't stand the smell and "only takes what he needs". So.... I'm not sure why but I responded back by stating why waste the tenderloin? He replied back saying he just got them without gutting the deer. I can only assume a couple of ways to interpret this, so I thought I would get yalls opinions.

I never gut any deer I kill and I leave no meat to go to waste either, including inside tenderloins. Much easier, faster, and way less mess.

I don't gut deer or elk.

Y’all dont eat the guts????

X2 You don't have to gut them to get the inner tenderloin. I get everything without gutting, way faster and easier.

How

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/_-Wdwjlu9mY[/video]

Hunted with a guy that did his deer like this it's different but it works

I rarely ever guy one either unless it is going to hang in a cooler.

Well I don't skin them any more so guess I take 5 minutes and gut mine before I head to the processor.

I do my deer this way, minus the saw. Not sure why he felt the need to use a saw on the legs?

How do you get the inside tenderloin without gutting?

Never mind I see video

Since I hunt public land I gut them. When I was in a club I didn't.

For last couple years I just pay the extra $10 and let the processor do it.

I gut sometimes. Sometimes I don't.
I'm fixing to start coming out with a pack of meat and leaving the bones, guts and skin behind.

We gut them and eat or give ribs away

Only time I get in the guts is when i retrieve the heart.

Does anybody age them in a cooler before butchering or is everyone just dropping them off at a processor? I've always used a processor but would really like to do it myself. Just watched a Scott Rea video and I like the idea of being in control of the deer from start to finish. I picked up the idea somewhere that aging them in a cooler at 45* or so for a week will make even the tougher cuts more tender. Is this correct? Also, in his video he cut the backstrap and tenderloin into loin chops (T-bone) which I like but I read in the comments that that is discouraged in north America due to cwd. I know we don't have cwd in bama yet but does anyone know any real reason why it would be unwise?

We put them cut up in a refrigerator for about a week which lets blood get out. It also let lactic acid degrade which is what you want for more tender meat. I don't like the added water with ice because it makes grinding harder as we do our own processing.

Only time I gut one if it's gonna hang for a few days.

#nevergut

Always gutted mine. I have never been a member or a club. I usually hunt several miles from my truck so I haven't a choice. Sometimes I will pack the meat out depending where I am. Within a few miles of the truck I'll drag the whole deer. Several miles away I'll just pack it out.

But down here in bama I don't have to worry about being too deep in the woods on public ground because there is roads everywhere in the woods. Dumbest thing I've ever saw

I never knew there were so many that did t gut deer. After watching video I may never gut another one either. I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

Thanks for posting MC21

I rarely gut one - the two I killed earlier in the year in Kentucky I did gut because I had access to a walk in cooler. Let them hang. If they go into a cooler I don't gut

Depends, done it both ways. I actually prefer gutless method but sometimes will drag them out.

The one thing I have learned from this site (if nothing else) is holy smokes we are all so different. I had zero clue people didn't gut deer?? I've been in leases where they didn't want you to gut them in the woods, and/or they wanted "live weights", but other than that I gut them. Granted, I don't gut them where I'm hunting, I may get them back near the truck or something like that. But if I'm hunting WMAs, I gut that sucker where it lays!

If I had all the equipment to process my own deer I would certainly try the "no gut" method. As it is, I will either gut or not gut depending on how far away form the truck I am. If I don't have a bad drag I'll just let the processor do everything.

Don't gut and I get the inner loins. It's very easy to do. Only deer I've ever gutted was a heavy buck in KS. Couldn't drag him out full. It was a horrible drag gutted.

Don't think I've ever not gutted a deer I've killed. Since I always let them hang a few days and take them to get processed I get the guts out. No desire to do my own butchering.

Dr. B

I haven't gutted a deer in years and get all of the meat including inner tenderloins. It's a lot less messier for sure.

If you're going to age the meat it is best to gut them then hang them with the hide still on. make sure you spray the body cavity with water to clean thoroughly. Hang them in a refrigerator for 7 - 10 days. Temperature needs to be below 40 degrees.

Meat will be delicious and tender. Tenderloins are great and can be cooked like a beef filet to medium rare.

I got a buddy who ages meat in a cooler for about a week then takes it to a butcher.

I only gut if I am recovering an animal from equipment-inaccessable terrain. No point in dragging 30# of guts 200 yards uphill.
My father and I process every deer ourselves. I take what I want turned into link sausage to Monroe Sausage. I keep the gut and ribs intact and go behind them for the inner loins.

I gut everything I kill because it's normally a couple hour process from recovery till I get them to the truck. If it's above 60-70 degrees I keep a bag or two of ice to put in the chest cavity to cool them off. Nothing worse to me than leaving the guts in a deer for several hours

I'm to lazy to gut them. I'll pay the processor the extra 10 bucks. Lately, I'm to lazy to pull the trigger.

If i pack it out i dont gutem,but if i dragem i gutem

I do this... I put the meat in a bag and then into the cooler. I prop the cooler up and open the drain plug to keep water draining. I'll replenish the ice as needed. I usually let it sit for 4 or 5 days and then process it for freezer after that.

the club we used to have was literally a mile from the processor, so we just paid the extra $10 to let them gut it (heck, half the time they didn't charge the extra fee anyway). The club we have now is nowhere near the processor that we'll likely use, so we'll have to gut them. I'm actually a little nervous about it as I've literally NEVER had to gut one. I've been spoiled!

what he said

I've never shot a deer when it was warm enough to worry about the meat going bad. (or when I wasn't 10 minutes from a processor)

Reasonably speaking for 10 extra bucks, and I don't have to get bloody.. sold.

I used to field dress all my deer because I processed them myself, usually was hunting by myself, and usually had a long drag ahead of me.

Now I am spoiled and take them to the processer that is just a few miles down the road. I am picky with my deer, but he does a great job. Now, I just load them up, skin, guts and all and drop them off.

I've done it both ways. If I kill a deer that morning and plan on processing it myself, I wont gut it. If I kill one in the evening, I usually gut it, and clean it the next day unless its too warm.

Yup

I will field dress one if I have to drag it very far. If I don't field dress it i don't cut it when I skin and cut it up.

Never gut mine

Never gut mine and I get the inner loins, but I don't do that the way the guy in the video did it.

I look at as me helping the local economy ----not as me being lazy. But I'm really just lazy.

You don't have to take the guts out but you do have to open them up. After I take the front shoulders, neck meat, and back strap off, I cut the wall of the belly from between the hind quarters down the side of the spine and to the last rib on each side and the guts drop down a little so you can get to the inner loins. After that, I de joint both of the hindquarters and let the carcass fall into the gut bucket. The deer is hanging by the rear legs on a gambrel when I do this.

i gut most of mine because of having to drag. i can gut one in the dark.

90% of the deer I kill I can drive right to with a tractor and bucket, truck or ATV. Take them to the skinning shed or barn. I cut around the arsehole, start the split of the pelvic area and cut a few inches up the gut cavity all while laying in the truck, bucket, ATV or ground. Hang it by the front legs, slide the gut or tractor bucket under. Small extra cut to ribs and guts start out, cut around diaphragm, reach in cut vitals and wash out cavity. I can do all that in 5 minutes. Then off to the processor. Works for me.

No gut for me.

I haven't gutted one in years. I still get the inner loins out as long as the deer isn't gut shot.

i gut mine on our rack and take to processor. I have always felt like if i am not processing it myself the guts probably need to come out asap. doubt the processor enjoys one that has been rode around in the truck full of guts for hours.

i always tell myself one day i will start processing them myself

I gut mine where they fall...Too hard to get u on the 4 wheeler as it is, don't need the extra weight. Also I don't want the bacteria from the gut in my meat any longer than necessary.

I do process my own so it's my preference.

This is what I do unless I am dropping off at processor. Let mine hang, gutted skin on, for 14 days(some have gone for 21). Man, makes the meat quite a bit better

This.

While we're on the subject of gutting & field dressing -

Do any of you change your methods or have different rules you apply when it's really warm out during early season?

I always gut mine before taking them to the processor. If it's a busy time for the processor, your deer could lay there for a long time.

I've always gutted mine,mainly to lighten the load.I've always let my deer hang in a cooler for 10 days or so.If your careful most of the mess can be left behind.I prefer to gut it by a creek and to me it's all part of the experience of deer hunting.

I've done it both ways and tallied it up. If you use the method in the video above you are leaving 10% yield for the scavengers. I regularly exceed 40% yield in boneless meat off live weight. If I use the gutless method (a good tactic to use on gutshot animals, it's usually between 25-28%.

I personally believe in using every bit of the animal I can reasonably. I also enjoy the process.