I've quit gutting them, not worth the effort when I'm going to be skinning them in 15 minutes. Can still get out tenderloin & heart.

Nothing wrong with that. Normally I do it right away where it lay but also have waited a few hours too. No big deal.

I normally gut them quickly. I did take one to the processor whole, after tracking about 4 hours, and just put it down. Called his cell at midnight, asked if he wanted to meet me in fifteen minutes or 30 minutes, his choice, bring it;

Damn straight...

I took one to the processor without gutting it first. 230 lb mule deer, I was by myself, took everything I had to get him out of the ravine and into the truck. Drove him straight to the processor. Only time I've done that.
I don't wear bedazzled jeans and I don't listen to hip hop.

I didn't even know, until last year, that you could take a deer than hadn't been skinned to a processor. Growing up, we always skinned and quartered our deer, and covered em in ice. then dad took the quarters to be processed later on. I Shot a deer at my buddies place last year. We gutted it in the field as you should do, and I asked if he has a skinning tree. He said what for? We just cut the head off so I could make a European mount and took the gutted unskinned deer to the processor. Had no idea it was even an option. Now I do, and Assuming I'm able to go straight to the processor after the kill, I may never skin another one. I certainly can, I've done it a lot of times, me and the old man used to make quick work of everybody's deer in camp, but if I don't have to, I don't see why I should bother.

I blame Obama.

I haven't gutted a deer in about 20 years, I always have someone with me, and they are grateful enough to get to hunt there that they do it for me.

I don't gut mine if it's cold enough and they fall in their tracks. I can be home in 15 minutes to skin them. Only thing you don't get is ribs. If it takes y'all an hour to find one, do you not eat them? Those bow hunting guys on tv always wait hours before looking for their deer. Are they not eating them?

An hour? In S. Tex it will be hours before we get them gutted sometimes. When on MLD, you shoot until truck picks you up and you might have 3 or 4 deer down and a few hogs. Deer taste great regardless when they get gutted which can be 4 or 5 hours later. Normally if you shoot a deer at 7 am, you get picked up at 10:30, deer gets cleaned by noon. No way am I gutting a deer on a sendero and leaving it.

I almost never gut a deer. Why bother? Hang it by the hind legs, skin and quarter it and throw the core out after taking the meat off of it.

X2

I didn't gut mine this year before taking it to the processor. It was VERY warm when I shot it and after finding it and taking a few quick pics there was no way I could have gutted it and still got it to the processor before they closed. On top of that I was going to have it caped out to mount so that would have added to the delay as well. Figured it was money well spent to have them gut and cape it rather than have it ruin in my truck overnight.

Lol LandPirate nailed it. Bam !

Kenny Freds in Bluff Dale guts plenty of deer. Stephanie lets her guys keep the $30 gut fee for themselves instead of just paying them hourly. Nothing wrong with that. As far as "throwing all the meat together", that does not happen there. She calls and tells you when she's cutting up 'your' deer, so you can pick it up quickly. She needs the space.