The first deer I shot I had the processor gut and I got all the "looks" while I was dropping my doe off. I have to say, my man pride was a little hurt.. We all have a certain amount of lazy we have to battle, I took mine on and watched a lot of videos. Now I process my own deer and gutting takes no time. Deboning and getting the meat on ice in about an hour makes a huge difference in my opinion. Even the deer after that I gutted were still gamey from the processor and I haven't had a single deer taste gamey that I butchered myself! Not to mention all the money saved!

My processor is 11 miles from my main gate. We shoot a deer we immediately take it to him and let him gut it. I don't get blood all over the truck or myself or leave gut piles out in the pasture. If they have to wait overnight I gut them and hang them in his walk in cooler and he'll see it the next morning. During deer season he stays late just in case anybody had trouble getting one out of the field. Worse case scenario I lay it on a tarp keep the body cavity filled with ice, ice around the outside and then roll the tarp over it. Leaving the guts in for less than 2 hours is not going to hurt it, hell I've seen it take longer than that just to find the damn thing.

I was taught to gut my own deer, and I always have. I was also taught to eat what you kill. I could care less if you gut your own deer, what bothers me are the guys that don't use ALL the meat. It is my opinion that a ethical hunter doesn't waste meat.

That gives me a taught!

Are some folks here confusing gutting a deer with skinning and quartering one?

Now we can move on to - A. If you don't trim out the ribs, you're wasting meat, and B. If you don't shoot them every time in the ear (preferably at 400 yards with a .22-250), you're wasting meat.

I process my own and still don't gut them...

I'm 50/50. Sometimes I'll gut my deer sometimes I wont. Depends on the situation. If it's cold and raining and I kill a deer at my place 10 minutes from the processor, I'll throw it in the truck and let him gut it. He doesn't laugh or judge he offers the service for a reason. And that high school kid gutting it is more than happy to earn the extra 20$. 1) I get home to my family faster 2)less mess to clean up 3)no gut pile close to where I'm hunting 4) if I let the processor gut a deer that's my business not some dude that thinks he's more of a man because I didn't gut my deer. If I'm hunting at my place an hour from a processor yes I'll gut him. Or maybe the wife or kid made a marginal shot and we have to back out a few hours before we can recover it, yes I'll gut it and hang it in the processors cooler late at night. If a man wants to judge and laugh at a guy because he brings in a deer that's not gutted needs to look down in his pants to make sure he's really a man?

It takes me all of 5 min to gut a deer so I never have an issue doing it.

Skinning I'll let them do it depending on the situation.

If your gonna take hunting seriously though you need to learn how to gut and skin an animal. Hang out at the processors and help them out if you need practice. I've seen it take some guys 30 min to gut a deer, if your at that pace I can see why they don't mind taking it in

This. Get the tendy's as well.

Sounds like you need to find a different processor.

I always gut my own,but only because the processor is so far away. Two years ago I shot a buck and had to gut him while it was 20 degrees with sleet and a 30 mph wind. I shot him just before dark and was already froze before I even pulled the trigger. I think I would have gave someone a hundred dollar bill to gut him that night! lol I think a hunter should know how to gut a deer but if you choose not to,who really cares? When you really think about it,if you really enjoy gutting an animal there is probable something wrong with you.

I like to eat the heart.

Me too. The liver also.

If I'm going to hang the carcass and age it in a cooler, I gut it. If I'm going to age it in an ice chest, I don gut it. Simple to get the tenders that way.

That said, if it's your deer, I don't care if all you eat are the eyeballs. I believe in personal freedom.

Search YouTube for the "gutless method". Tenderloins take some work and a touch of fancy knife/finger work. The first time you try it will take a few minutes per side and will be mangled, but it gets easier.

I had a buddy almost get a ticket for wasting meat when he didn't take the front quarters caught he tore them up with the shot. We had to take the GW to the carcass to prove the front quarters were torn up. Didn't know you could be ticketed for that until then. Just FYI

I'm 10 minutes from the processor. There was a man that hung out up there and would gut deer for $20. He was poor and needed the extra money. I had no problem getting a deer to him less than 20-30 minutes after it hit the ground which in my personal opinion is plenty soon enough. I also had no problem helping a fellow man out seeing as how he spent any free time he had up there waiting to make an extra buck. I respect someone doing what they can to get by, and when it's 25 degrees outside I wasn't upset to let him do it either.

Not cleaning sounds strange and it will affect quality.

However, processors can handle it. Many processors butcher local cattle and hogs.

I am starting to not gut anymore. I can still get the tenders by slowly cutting my way down at the top of the guts, everything just sits lower in the rib cage. Always quarter and throw on ice since the processor I use is in Austin, two hours from the lease.

TD's in Strawn?

I taught my son and nephews how to field dress deer. Today when I shoot something, they field dress it and load it into their pickup and take it to the processor. It has been 20 years since I gutted a deer if any of them were there hunting. If I am by myself I do it, but I rarely am there by myself.

If I take a deer to processors I will gut it because I don't want it holding in all the heat plus that's just nasty to leave it in longer than necessary .
If I'm skinning myself then I never gut it...Its a waste of time IMO because I can have the Deer skinned and in the cooler in just about the same time as gutting it alone.

Noticed that the first time at the processor in Santa Anna. Told me the same thing. Lots of guys bring in a whole deer and just pay the extra $20 and have them gut it.