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I used to never gut them, but now we have a walk in and so I hang them for a week or so. So now I gut them. We use the snips as well. BUT it all depends on how you hang them. Head down...use snips. Head up..just reach up in there and cut the windpipe, etc. We use snips for taking the head off too (or getting the neck roast whole) and to take the legs off just above the joint.

That's the way I've always done it. My issue has always been trying to get the bladder out without rupturing it.

Dr. B

For those of yall that say you dont gut them how are you getting the inner loins out or are you just wasteing them? Which i dont understand why you would waste except out of laziness. I'm just thinking out loud.

You can cut those side flanks inside the back legs and the guts will kind of just fall down into the body cavity , you just kind of cut it down to just above the rib cage. It will all stay in there.

Just peel the guts down far enough to get in there and cut them out. It`s pretty easy after you do it a few times.

Yep. It's pretty easy.

I hang mine upside down, make a small cut from the rear end about half way down the deer. Reach in, push the intestines aside and grab them and cut them out.

Depending on how good you are at removing the hind quarters sometimes you can go in from the outside around the backbone and get them. It's not hard at all.

Any of you guys tried quartering and packing a deer out of the woods like they do out west with mulies, elk, etc? It looks like it would be ideal if you had the ability and tools to get the meat out. One less thing to do once you leave the field as well.

I've done it with whitetails and elk. Never used a saw for any of it, only a knife. I hope to add a mule deer to that list in October.

Packing it out is way easier than dragging a dang cart through the woods.

been doing it that way a long time

I don't gut them. There's no need unless you eat the ribs. I do however get the inner loins out.

I don't hang em, skin em , or gut em. Lay em on the tailgate and cut em down the back. Cut em down outside of all legs skin around and remove legs. Fillet out the backstrap, and reach in side and get inner loins out. Trim the neck meat and dispose of the whole carcass, guts and all in one package.

I used to gut every deer, then for a few years I did the gutless method. Now I'm gutting again, and here the main two reasons why:

Yield. I went from a little under 30% to right at or just above 40%. This is boneless and trimmed. The rib meat and meat along the ribs (breast and belly) make up a big part of this yield. That meat is excellent for grinding.

Innards. When possible, I eat the heart and liver. I do not count them in my yield.

Ive tried all of the methods above for opening the cavity, and the cleanest and easiest method I now use is to of course start with gloves. Next, before cutting through the abdominal muscles, I take a knife and cut through the meat down to the breastbone all the way to the esophogeal opening. I then take a saw and hold it upside down cutting through the breastbone. This will release the blood in the cavity if there is any and allow you to take out the heart. I saw up to the xiphoid process but not through it. After I have the heart out, I open up the abdomen with my knife and let the stomach/intestines/liver/spleen/kidneys fall down. I take out the liver, which is the hard purple organ (the soft purple one is the spleen) and place it in a separate bag. I then use my knife to cut the cartilaginous xiphoid and that drops the guts.

I've tried many other ways as I said, but a saw is the way to go. If you're in doubt, just go watch a video of a lamb being butchered. Commercial operations waste nothing and I don't see any reason why I should either. If the paunch of the deer has been hit by a bullet, meaning if a bullet has gone anywhere behind the diaphragm, I use the gutless method and avoid the tenderloins. Its just too hard to get the bacteria off and have a presentable piece of meat.

If you cut their internal cavity open I'd consider that gutting one regardless if you just push the guts from one side to the other of the cavity. The way i took it as the guys not gutting one was actually that. Not cutting the internal cavity open

Oh,I don't know. My preferred method is to drive the truck down to the corn pile and just load my deer.

I'm not a big guy, around 165 lbs., but have never had much of a problem splitting the chest cavity. I just make sure my knife is plenty sharp.

Someone earlier suggested using some pruners to assist. Sounds legit.

your loosing the best cut in a deer if you do not gut

What cut? the ribs?

You can get the tenderloins without fully gutting.