I've typically gutted everything on the ground and before skinning. A friend of mine skins everything first, then guts it while hanging. Just curious to what most of you guys do and what you think is the cleaner method..

I dont even gut it. I'll hang'em on a skinnig pole make some strategically placed cuts on the skin. Fold the neck skin down grab a golf ball wrap it in the skin fold, tie it with the winch cable and let it rip. 5 seconds later you got a naked deer. Quarter it out and cut out the backstrap. Reach in and pull out tender loins and done. (The guts might fall out during the last part)

I do not gut it either. Hang it by back legs so the gut stays in the chest cavity.

Depends on how quick I can skin it

Depends for me. If I am at our place and temp is cool I will load it up and hang skin gut. If I am somewhere else or have to cary/drag it a ways then field dress and skinn at a later tiem.

We use all of the meat, so not gutting isnt an option for us, I think it is the lazy war around. Of course Im sure Im one of the few people who actualy uses the ribs and flank off of their deer.

We trim the neck, ribs and flank for sausage and jerky but we don't gut it unless somone wants the heart or liver.

Usually gut in the field. Lots of folks are using the no gut method now it seems.

i always gut mine, either right after the shot or back at camp. usually if the weaterh permits, i will let them hang for just a bit but if not i quarter them right away and put them in the ice chest.

I hear ya txhunter. I would love to let the deer hang. We're saving money for a walkin cooler.

i know a guy that uses one of the big Ready Ice coolers like you see outside a service station that holds bags of ice. he said it was cheap and will hold 5 deer easy. the only problem is getting them back out sometimes if they are stiff and you are alone......

That sounds like a plan. Might have to put them in there headless. I could see getting a big buck out as a challenge.

We normally do not gut a deer unless it is a big one, then we go in after the tenderloins. However, we recently figured out how to get to the tenderloins without gutting.

Our process is;

1. Hang up by hind legs
2. Cut all the way around the hind legs just below the tendons as well as the front legs and then "unzip it" with a Wyoming knife
3. Skin
4. Cut the front legs off at the joint
5. Take off the shoulders
6. Cut out the back straps and get all the neck meat we can
7. Cut off the back legs
8. On the last leg we lower the carcass into a big plastic tub first and then cut the leg off

Clean all the meat up and ice it down in the ice chest. We drain the ice chest and add additional ice everyday until we get it to the processor.

if i'm at the ranch, more often then not I'll hang it up and skin it, then quarter it up and leave the guts in the rib cage. I don't eat deer ribs. I can get every piece of meat save for the rib cage doing this.

if its cold, I'll skin then gut it and leave it hanging for several days.

Kinda what I'm thinking. Guts drop below tenderloins. If someone wants the heart just stick your arm down in it and pull it out.

I normally gut in the field and skin back at camp but this year I'm gonna try the air skinning method. I already have an air tank and a nozzle. It looks easy.

I do not typically gut deer either....I don't eat the ribs, and everything else can be gotten without gutting. Saves a lot of mess and time.

Hell I even cleaned my entire Water Buffalo without gutting it...

I typically gut it back at camp and let it hang if the weather is cool before I take it to the processor. If the weather is warm, I take it immediately to the processor, which is only a 30 minute drive.

I'm old school,I learned 50yrs ago to gut it as soon as it hits the ground.Even have a lease rule that it has to be feild dressed before it's brought to camp. Might have to rethink this one. I'm open to trying the skinning with out gutting. I'll report back latter in the year I hope. Never to old to learn.

Here you go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgD0UooG5RQ&feature=fvwp&NR=1

Cleaner method is definetly hanging it first and then gutting it from my experience. If I'm where I can get my atv to the deer or even my truck I don't gut it. Most people don't want the guts around their camp and that is probably why they gut around in the field. I just dump it into a bucket or sack and then take it out to a pit or different spot away from camp with the remain of the carcass after I am done cleaning. If I have to take it a pretty long ways then I will have to gut it there to get it out. But 99% of the time I am gutting it while its hanging head down. I can still get the loins and clean it out with no problem.

I gut mine a little ways from the stand then take it and skin it...Just the way I've always done it.

I 'm the same way, I get the innards out ASAP, everything else can wait, at least when hunting in warm climate. I have taken Elk and not gutted in the field, unless it is late evening and I have to return, then I gut it out to cool, but if in the am, I'll quarter it out, skin the neck to the cheek bone for the neck meat, get the back straps then reach in and get the gold (tenderloins) Sometimes getting the tenderloins ends up a bit messy, but it's a big animal when your working by your self

If I am planning to skin then I do it first. If not then I gut and take to processor.

Skin then gut. This is the way I was taught, and continue to do so. Guts are never left in the deer longer than 30 min.

I gut them on the ground then hang up to skin, i have skinned them without gutting, it keeps hair from getting inside the carcus.