Boning out a buck- How much weight is saved?

[bobcat]

I have never completely boned out a deer but almost always bone out the rib cage/neck and leave that in the field. I prefer to leave the leg bones in for many reasons.

[Woodchuck]

When boning out the meat, what do you do for proof of sex?

Split the nut sack as you skin it and leave a nut on each side, one on each big chunk of round meat hindquarter.  The testicles are attached only by one thin string of deer and are all but determined to detach so be careful about it and do one on each side in case the first one comes loose!

I might be in left field here but doesn't the regulation only state 3 point minimum. I don't remember it saying anything about the sex of the animal. There have been cases of does with antlers. Please tell me the page number in the regulations that says this. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.

88

[trophyhunt]

When boning out the meat, what do you do for proof of sex?

Split the nut sack as you skin it and leave a nut on each side, one on each big chunk of round meat hindquarter.  The testicles are attached only by one thin string of deer and are all but determined to detach so be careful about it and do one on each side in case the first one comes loose!

I might be in left field here but doesn't the regulation only state 3 point minimum. I don't remember it saying anything about the sex of the animal. There have been cases of does with antlers. Please tell me the page number in the regulations that says this. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.

if you cut the head off you need to leave proof of sex on the meat, not sure what page it's on.

[trophyhunt]

If you leave the head and antlers on, no testicles needed.

[seth30]

A quick Google found this:

“Hide Factor
•   Fawn: (100 pounds) 6.7 percent
•   Adult doe: (140 pounds) 7.9 percent
•   Adult buck (160 pounds) 8.7 percent
•   Bucks: more than 160 pounds 9 percent

Bone Factor
•   Fawn: (100 pounds) 13.8 percent
•   Adult doe: (140 pounds) 13 percent
•   Adult buck (160 pounds) 12.4 percent
•   Bucks: more than 160 pounds 11.7 percent

Blood Factor
•   Fawn: (100 pounds) 6 percent
•   Adult doe: (140 pounds) 5 percent
•   Adult buck (160 pounds) 5 percent
•   Bucks: more than 160 pounds 5 percent

Using this guide as an example, a 180-pound buck would have 16.2 pounds of hide, 21.06 pounds of bones and 9 pounds of blood. Unfortunately, it's difficult to estimate the live weight of a deer if it has been field-dressed because the weight of a deer's innards varies depending on its health and diet.

- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Animal Science and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 1968

  One more reason for me to debone

[northwesthunter84]

Male - head with antlers or horns attached or penis or testes ANY OF WHICH MUST BE NATURALLY ATTACHED TO AT LEAST ONE QUARTER OF THE CARCASS OR TO THE LARGEST PORTION OF MEAT.

I always have taken this to mean (and I might be wrong) that if you are going to use the head it would still either need to contain more meat than the boned out quarter (or attached to a front quarter) or leave the teste attached to the boned out quarter.

[CoryTDF]

3. Evidence of Animal's Sex
(WAC 232-12-267):
It is illegal to possess or transport big
game animals unless evidence of the
animal's sex is left naturally attached to
the carcass until the carcass is processed
or stored for consumption. Evidence of
sex means:
••Male - head with antlers or horns
attached or penis or testes any of
which must be naturally attached to
at least one quarter of the carcass or to
the largest portion of meat.


So to me boning is a form of processing. So as long as I have the head with me or in my truck I feel pretty damn confident that I'll be ok. I'm not going to hang meat in my cooler with balls or wieners stuck to them either. 

[Jonathan_S]

Everybody must kill a buck like 5 miles away from any road 

I've never been in a situation where I thought deboning would save the meat or where it would be too hard to get the deer out whole or in quarters.  That being said most of my best hunting areas are within .5-1.5 miles from the truck 

I have a strange vision of a backpack full of steaks with two oysters dangling from the uppermost portions    I have certainly fudged the rules on WAC 232-12-267.  I imagine most have 

[grundy53]

More like 20lbs max ..go pick up a 40lb dumbell and tell me 4 deer leg bones weigh 40lbs!! NO WAY

[grundy53]

I will play the devils advocate, even though I also bone out most our elk we get.  Leaving it on the bone helps keep it clean and you don't mess up the cuts of meat, It's also easy to hang.  I always feel the deboned meat stays warm when it's all stuck together in a meat bag. Keep in mind we hunt rifle elk in Idaho, it's usually cold.  Not arguing here just giving another side, like I said, we bone out most the time.

I agree.

[CoryTDF]

Everybody must kill a buck like 5 miles away from any road 

I've never been in a situation where I thought deboning would save the meat or where it would be too hard to get the deer out whole or in quarters.  That being said most of my best hunting areas are within .5-1.5 miles from the truck 

I have a strange vision of a backpack full of steaks with two oysters dangling from the uppermost portions    I have certainly fudged the rules on WAC 232-12-267.  I imagine most have 

I've only had to bone out two deer but trust me when I say that we wanted nothing to do with bringing out any more weight than necessary.

Same thing for a few elk that I have had to hump out of hell.

[BULLBLASTER]

  I agree with Cory. What about a calf bull elk that you bone out to pack out in a antler less only area. You leave the nuts attached and leave the head at kill site. Would they assume you shot a antlered bull? The red don't say the animal has to be a male. Just that it has antlers with at least 3 points (mule deer regs for example) can there not ever be a denial animal (no nuts) that has a 3 point rack? I'll take my chances ant I always take a cell phone pic anyways.

As for keeping everything absolutely perfectly clean some people must be better Than I am. I have never quartered or boned out an animal in the field and kept it 100% clean. There is always at least some hair or dirt on some of it. Heck even with 3 guys working on my moose we managed to get some dirt on each quarter. Just trim it off when butchering. Not a big deal.

[jstone]

i have a buddy that seems to always have his animals ( his kids to) die anywhere from 5 yards to no more than half mile from the road. Then we dont bone them out, except for the rib cage. Me i am never that lucky. So to make it easier yes bone it out.

[Jonathan_S]

Heck even with 3 guys working on my moose we managed to get some dirt on each quarter. Just trim it off when butchering. Not a big deal.

Game Wastage!!!  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!      You got dirt on meat in the field and then trimmed it?

"Hello WDFW?  Transfer me to reinforcement..."

[trophyhunt]

I agree with Cory. What about a calf bull elk that you bone out to pack out in a antler less only area. You leave the nuts attached and leave the head at kill site. Would they assume you shot a antlered bull? The red don't say the animal has to be a male. Just that it has antlers with at least 3 points (mule deer regs for example) can there not ever be a denial animal (no nuts) that has a 3 point rack? I'll take my chances ant I always take a cell phone pic anyways.

As for keeping everything absolutely perfectly clean some people must be better Than I am. I have never quartered or boned out an animal in the field and kept it 100% clean. There is always at least some hair or dirt on some of it. Heck even with 3 guys working on my moose we managed to get some dirt on each quarter. Just trim it off when butchering. Not a big deal.

the year we both got tickets in Idaho for no proof of sex, we had the elk on video dead before we cut it up. We showed the warden but he said sorry but it's still a ticket.  I really didn't care about the ticket, it was my best bull.