Klussmann, Wallace G.

Nickelson II, Ranzell

Ramsey, Charles W.

Shult, Milo J.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

1-634TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICETHE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEMJohn E. Hutchison, Dilectol, College Statloll, TexasFIELD DRESSING BIG GAMEWallace G. Klussmann, Charles W. Ramsey,Milo J. Shult and Ranzell Nickelson 11*Many successful big game hunters havelearned the hard way that venison quality is stronglyinfluenced by handling of the carcass from the timeof the kill until it is placed in the freezer.This publication explains two methods of fielddressing and skinning big game. Any method result-ing in a clean, weil-bled carcass is satisfactory. Un-pleasant experiences with venison usually resultfrom lack of care before the meat reaches theFigure 1. Removing external sex organs (female whitetaildeer)kitchen. See 8-987, Wild Game Care and Cooking(Texas Agricultural Extension Service), for manydelicious ways to prepare venison.ProcedureAfter shooting your game, approach the animalcarefully from the rear, making sure it is dead. Tagthe animal immediately to comply with game laws.Before making any cuts, be sure your knife issharp. A sharpening stone should be part of yourfield equipment, and your knife should have a large,*Respectively, Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist, Exten-sion wildlife specialist, Extension area wildlife specialist andExtension seafood technology specialist, The Texas A&M Uni-versity System.comfortable handle that can be grasped firmly, evenwith wet hands.If you plan to have the head mounted, ask yourtaxidermist which measurements will be helpful.Prop the animal on its back, using rocks if avail-able, and remove the external sex organs (penis andscrotum or mammary gland). See figure 1. Cut downFigure 2. Cutting from pelvic bone to breastbone (male whitetail deer)to the pelvic bone. Then turn your knife blade up, useyour other hand to hold the belly away from theentrails, and cut up to the breastbone. If you plan tohave the head mounted, do not cut the skin anyfurther forward than the middle of the breastbone.See figure 2.Hold the entrails to the side and cut loose thethin layer of muscle (diaphragm) which holds the en-trails to the ribs. Reach into the rib cage and cut loosethe windpipe and esophagus as far forward as pos-sible. Grasp the windpipe and esophagus with bothhands and pull downward. You should be able to pullthe entrails free to the pelvic region. See figure 3.Cut the skin and muscles around the anus, beingFigure 3. Pulling entrails free to pelvic regIon (male pronghorn antelope)careful not to puncture the bladder, and pull the in-testine forward. The animal is now field dressed andshould be hung to cool.Quick MethodAn alternative cut may be used to speed up theprocess, if you are not going to have the headmounted and if the animal is not too big or too old.Continue the belly cut through the breastboneand into the neck before cutting the windpipe andFigure 4. Removing entrails the quick way (femalewhitetail deer)esophagus. It is easier to cut through the gristle be-tween the breastbone and ribs if the cut is madeslightly to one side of the breastbone rather thandown the middle.Cut the esophagus and windpipe in the neck.Grasp them with one hand and pull the lungs andheart free to the diaphragm. See figure 4. Cut thediaphragm (see dotted lines in figures 3 and 7) freefrom the rib cage while holding the lungs and heartto one side. Continue pulling the esophagus andwindpipe, and lift out the remainder of the viscerato the pelvic region.Locate the thin seam which joins the bones atthe middle of the pelvis. Using a sheath knife, pressFigure 5. Splitting the pelvic seam (male whitetail deer)down at the seam and cut the bones apart. See fig-ure 5. If you are using a thin blade pocket knife, locatethe seam by feeling for a ridge inside the body cavityin the middle of the pelvis. If the animal is not too old,the ridge is very pronounced, so you can cut throughthe pelvis by pulling your knife through the center ofthe ridge. If the animal is old, the seam will havegrown together and be difficult to split.Place the animal in a spread-eagle position, andstand with one foot on each of its hind legs. Pull up onits tail to break open the pelvis. Pull the intestines andreproductive tract through this opening and cut theviscera free around the anus. This method workswell for animals the size of deer.Hang the animal by its head or antlers from anearby tree long enough to allow the remainingblood to drain from the body cavity. Place a stick inthe rib cage to aid in cooling the carcass, as shownin figures 6 and 7. If a tree is not available, lift thefront legs to allow the blood to drain between thehind legs.SkinningSince the skin comes off easily wh ile the carcassis still warm, it is best to skin the animal soon afterdeath.If you do not have a clean cloth bag or coveringto wrap the carcass after skinning, transport the car-cass with the skin attached. Solid material is prefer-able to cheesecloth because flies can deposit eggsthrough cheesecloth.If you do not want to skin and process the animalyourself, take it to a commercial processing plantafter field dressing it.Regardless of the method you choose, alwaysprotect the meat from dirt and flies, and allow time forthe meat to cool and drain.If the head is to be mounted, hang the animal byits hind legs and skin from the hind legs downward.Cut down the inside of each leg to the opening cut,around the hind legs at the hock and around the frontlegs at the knee joint. Grasp the skin and pull down-ward, using your knife to work the skin off the legsand loosen the skin from the meat. Pull the skin to thehead, and cut the head from the neck. Leave the skinfree of cuts forward of the front legs so the taxider-mist will have enough hide to make a good mount.Salt or freeze the head and skin until you deliver it tothe taxidermist.If the head is not to bemounted, hang the car-cass by the head andskin it from the neckdownward. The hide iseasier to remove in thisposition. Cut the skinloose from around theneck, around the legsand down the inside ofeach leg. See figure 6.Be sure the rope and treeFigure 6. Skinning cuts outlined(male mule deer)Figure 7. Hanging carcass to cooland age (female mule deer)limb are strong enough to hold the carcass. Graspthe skin back of the head and pull down hard withboth hands.Hang the skinned carcass by the hind legs in theshade to cool and age. See figure 7. If the carcass ishung by the antlers or head, the blood still in theveins will collect in the hams. Cover for protection.Then cut the carcass as you wish, or have it com-mercially processed.Tips on QualityFlavor, tenderness and ju iciness probably arethe most important aspects of venison quality. Thehunter controls factors such as the sex of the animal,hunting practices and handling techniques afterslaughter which may enhance or reduce this quality.Individual preference plays the major role in de-ciding which sex to hunt. For example, if you pre-fer a highly intensified (gamey) flavor, hunt a maleanimal; if you prefer a less intensified flavor of veni-son, a female animal probably will be your bestchoice. The sex also may affect tenderness and ju ici-ness, but not as much as the intensity of flavor. Themeat of female animals usually is juicier and moretender than males. Age of the animal, which is a diffi-cult factor for the hunter to control, probably has agreater influence on tenderness and juiciness thandoes the sex.Proper hunting practices are very important indetermining the final venison quality. First, try to se-lect an animal which has been resting or is quietlygrazing instead of one excited by a disturbance orstressed from heavy exercise. Second, place theshot so that is insures a clean kill (instant death).Normally, a shot through the neck or lungs will re-sult in a clean kill and less tissue damage (wast-age). An animal shot in the gut or hind quarter, for ex-ample, will die slowly, causing muscle stress andconsequently a decrease in meat tenderness. Thus,an undisturbed, unstressed animal which sufferslittle in death will yield the highest quality meat.Handling techniques after slaughter also willinfluence the final meat quality. Field dress the ani-mal as soon as possible after death and hang so thecarcass will be thoroughly bled. Delayed fielddressing will cause a decrease in meat quality.Hanging the carcass also will increase tendernessby allowing some muscles to stretch. Skinning theanimal soon after field dressing seems to enhancethe quality slightly. However, if you plan to transportor age the animal before processing, leave the skinintact to prevent drying of the meat's outer surface.Age the carcass in cold storage just abovefreezing for about a week to increase the tender-ness and possibly the flavor of the venison.To insure high meat quality, reduce bacterialspoilage by keeping the carcass as clean aspossible. Rinse the outer meat surface and innerbody cavity with clean water if any debris, hair orintestinal material is present. Chill the carcass to 35degrees F. by hanging it outside (weather condi-tions permitting) or by putting it in cold storage.Once the carcass is packaged, keep it frozen in amoisture- and vapor-proof packaging material untilready for use.Educational programs conducted by the Texas AgriculturalExtension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socio-economic levels, race, c9~or, sex, religion or national origin.Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics,The Texas A&M University System and the United States Depart-ment of Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of theActs of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30,1914.10M-8-75, Revised WM8

Field Dressing Big Game.

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Field Dressing Big Game.

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Field Dressing Big Game.

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