How long before gutting?

[Band]

Also, bull elk will urinate on themselves during the rut. So if you grab the hide, then touch the raw meat, you are contaminating it.

I don't believe many people consider this point but it's very true.  I take at least 2 pairs of latex gloves when I go hunting so I have a fresh pair to put on once I'm finished skinning (to do the gutless method) and begin handling the meat.  That's a good practice for any game animal IMO.

[WaltAlpine]

I don't gut mine at all - I quarter the animal out with the gutless method, and yes I do it right after the kill. I hang meat accordingly and trim away all nasty fat as I butcher
Good luck

With my limited experience this is basically what we do.
Gutless and we bring something to put on the ground to keep the meat clean while it cools.

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[curlewkiller]

Four things:

1.  Get meat as cool as possible as fast as possible.
2.  Trim all fat and add back in tasty pork or beef fat if you prefer.
3.  All hair needs to be removed from meat.  I take hours removing all hair from carcass.
4.  No sawing bones.

Easy really.

I take all trimmings and cook it for my dog.  I have 10 gallon bags of meat and fat for my dog between my son and I.

[Labs07]

I field dress as soon as I find and tag the animal.  Drop skin as soon as I get it hung. 

[DeerThug]

Gamey is another word for partially spoiled meat. It has nothing to do with if the animal was wild or domestic.  Go into a pasture in september and shoot a steer.  let it lay there over night until you can recover it the next morning.  Gut it and then skin it 24 hours after it died.  Then hang it in for a few days in day time temps in the mid 60's.   That will be gamey meat....

As soon as you tag it skin it from the back bone down and get the meat off into a clean game bag.  Get the game bags on ice or as cool as you can as soon as you can.  I have been involved in the processing of a couple of hundred game animals and not a one has been gamey....

And yes gutless you do get the tenderloins and any of the innerds you care to eat.  Just do that last to keep the nastyness off of the meat.

[Duckslayer89]

I also don't gut any of my animals unless they die extremely close to the road which hardly ever happens. Quarter them out guts in. Another thing is cooking the meat, don't over cook. That is a huge part. Some of the best meat I've ever had was a whitetail buck rutted out. You never know I guess

[LeadNSheds]

I also don't gut any of my animals unless they die extremely close to the road which hardly ever happens. Quarter them out guts in. Another thing is cooking the meat, don't over cook. That is huge part. Some of the best meat I've ever had was a whitetail buck rutted out. YoU never know I guess