You can have a big smile on your faces when you accurately shoot a deer and landed it perfectly. Your big smiley face can be fade away if you are a newbie in the field dressing a deer.
Don’t worry! We have done this for you.
First, you have to understand what field dressing is? Field dressing is taking out all internal organs called entrails—field dressing help to cool down the deer’s entire body and prevent growing bacteria. People using the field dressing kit for the best results.
Now you have to follow, how to field dress a deer step by step procedures. In fact, Field dressing is necessary to preserve the meat.
That’s why we have designed the article to let you know how to field dress a deer for the first time. Let’s dive into these procedures.
How to Field Dress a Deer for the First Time – 10 Steps
Here, we will discuss all steps of the deer dressing and some other necessary steps that you should take beforehand. Let’s get started.
1. Be Prepared Mentally and Take Right Rear
Those who are going to dress the deer, you need mental stability to do that. Some people cannot tolerate bloodshed. So, be prepared before doing this.
Then get the right gear to dress. Take a sharper and relatively small one to do the job. As a result, you can easily cut and moving by a small knife.
2. Find out the Broadhead
The broadhead still inside the deer. So, first, you have to spot the broadhead so that you are conscious of the location of the broadhead. It would be easy going after find out the broadhead spot.
3. Cut a ring around the anus
The first thing in field dressing is to cut a coring ring around the anus. Now cut a couple of deep inches through the skin of the deer around the anus region. Then slide the knife a bit deeper of the pelvic region and cut the last head of the colon. Don’t puncture the colon; otherwise, it can pollute the meat.
4. Positioning the Deer
Once you have done the anus cut, now position the deer properly, so that you can easily completer the dressing even you are alone. Find a sloppy land and place the deer on its back and the head should be in the upper side of the slope that will allow you to work against gravity.
If you place the deer in this position, you can easily cut the organs and drain the blood without putting extra effort.
5. Attempt the First Cut
Attempt the first cut by grabbing the skin between rear legs where it converges into a V. Now cut an inch deep through the hide(skin). If it is male, then cut its genitals.
How to Field Dress A Deer Step by Step
6. Cut the Midline – How To Gut A Deer Fast
For the midline cut, you have to use the gut hook from the pelvic region to the breastbone. If you do not have the knife gut hook, then you have to try a different way. Insert your middle and index finger into the hole and hold the skin, now guide the knife through it to the ribcage. It will prevent the cutting of internal organs. Now you know how to gut a deer step by step.
7. Cut the Diaphragm
The diaphragm is a thin membrane that separating the chest from the abdomen. So, you have to cut the diaphragm to reach the internal chest organs. Cut the diaphragm precisely from cavity wall to around the spine to remove it.
Do You Have To Field Dress A Deer – Then Follow The Steps
8. Cut the Trachea
Now it’s time to cut the trachea tube. Find the trachea tube in the throat area and slightly pull toward you. Afterwards, reach up the knife carefully and use your dominant hand to cut the trachea.
After disconnecting the trachea, pull the tube toward the bottom of the deer. If you want to put the liver and heart separately, then cut these organs separately and take into a plastic bag.
9. Remove the Entrails
Till now you have separated all the organs and connecting parts from the carcass. You have already cut the anus, diaphragm and the trachea. Now you can take out all the internal stuff through a strong pulling by holding the trachea tube.
If any part of the organs still connected to the body, remove these parts carefully.
10. Drain the Blood
After pulling out all the internal organs, you find a huge amount of blood inside the carcass. Carefully drain the blood where it should be. You can either turn it around the body or just let the blood drain though the big anus-hole.
Final Words
If you want to process the meat yourself, cut it according to your choice. Or you can hire a professional to cut them into pieces.
As a newbie in deer dressing, I bet, you have done well as you follow these steps about how to field dress a deer for the first time.
However, from the second attempt, you can measure your accuracy while dressing the deer and see how you are improving.