Deer hunting has been one of the popular activities of people even before modern civilization. In the past, hunting deer is not just a way of putting meat on the table, but it’s also a well-known sport, especially for royalties. Even today, there are still people who find deer hunting as a hobby or a kind of leisure activity.
Hunting deer is fun and rewarding since if luck is on the hunter’s side, he might bring home a meaty dinner as a price. However, the challenging part of this activity is cleaning the deer, which requires ample time and effort to get done.
Why do You Need to Clean the Deer on the Field?
Cleaning the deer right away is an essential part of hunting that most first-time hunters should know. It’s a process known as field dressing wherein the internal organs of the deer are removed. But why do you need to do this?
Preservation
One of the reasons why cleaning the dear in the field right away is to preserve the meat by removing the blood and internal organs that can attract bacteria from consuming the meat. So if you bring the deer well cleaned, you can expect its meat to remain fresh even after a long journey going home.
Easy to Carry
A dead animal is typically heavier than carrying it alive; thus, it will be difficult for hunters to carry their prize seamlessly. Therefore, to reduce the weight of the deer, hunters opt to do field dressing to transport the meat quickly. This is helpful if you catch a huge deer and you’re hunting a bit far from your home or vehicle.
Ensure Food Safety
As mentioned, keeping the deer as it is can significantly affect the meat’s freshness. Moreover, in this case, the venison sting your hard-earned meat. And worse is, contaminated meat can even impose harm to those who will eat it.
Steps to Clean the Deer in 10 Minutes
Cleaning the deer right after you catch it is essential to prevent bacterial contamination and preserve the freshness of the meat. But, it’s not the quickest part of hunting; it can take much of your time. Therefore, it’s essential to know how to clean a deer in 10 minutes to make your hunting convenient and rewarding.
Here are the steps that you can follow to do the field dressing of deer in a few minutes:
Prepare the Right Tools
The best way to do the field dressing quickly is to bring the right tools with you. Typically, there is a need to cut open the deer in this process, so you need to prepare sharp knives. In addition, you can bring knives for carving out the meat and cutting through the skin.
Along with the knife, a pair of latex gloves will also come in handy to keep your hands clean. Moreover, having a gut-hook tool and a foldable bone saw ready can make the cleaning process a lot easier.
Correct Positioning
In cleaning the deer, it’s essential to position the animal’s body properly to do the job efficiently. One tip you need to remember is to place the deer on a slope to elevate the belly. It will also bring your convenience if you spread the hind legs of the animal to give you excellent access when cutting open the deer.
Cut the Body Cavity and Make an Incision
Once you prepare the tools, the next step is opening up the deer using the knife. You can start by cutting the stomach of the deer precisely without deepening the cut right through the intestines and other internal organs. This will prevent the process from getting messy. You can also use a gut hook to open the deer’s abdomen from the pelvic bone going to the breastbone.
Cut the Diaphragm and Windpipe
After opening the middle section of the animal’s body, you’ll have access to cut the thin membrane covering the organs. You also need to cut the windpipe to separate the entrails and let you take the organs out.
Remove the Organs
Once you cut all the tissues connecting to the internal organs, you’ll be able to remove the organs safely and cleanly. All you need is a solid pull to separate the organs on the windpipe. However, if you’re having difficulty pulling out the entrails, check for other connected tissues and cut them.
Although it’s important to know the policies about leaving the entrails behind in the forest. However, if you can’t leave them, you can put them in a garbage bag and dispose them after.
Drain the Blood
After taking out all the organs, it’s time to drain the blood by turning the deer’s body over against the ground. You can also rinse the body cavity of the deer with water to wash off dirt or other debris from the forest. This is essential if some of the internal organs are damaged during the hunt or you accidentally cut them while dressing them.
Then, with a bit of practice and precision, you can clean a deer in less than ten minutes. Finally, you can bring home the meat safe and ready to be processed.
Conclusion
Hunting a deer is fun and enthralling, especially if it’s your first time. However, the delicious meat you’ve caught can be put to waste if you do not ensure the safety and freshness right away. So, if you want to get the most out of your deer hunting, it’s essential to learn how to clean the deer quickly. Cleaning the deer is beneficial for hunters to keep the meat fresh and reduce the weight when carrying it.
Cleaning the deer quickly requires you to have the proper tools ready such as a sharp knife to cut the deer open. You also need to prepare gloves and additional tools to quickly remove the internal organs of the deer. Once you removed all the organs, everything is set for you to bring home your reward.
