Gutless method?

[shanevg]

Just wondering if anyone has ever tried the gutless method to quarter your deer.  What do you think?  Is it easier and more convenient, or are you better off just dragging your deer out if you don't have to pack it out?

[Slider]

I use it on Elk but I have never used it on Deer.

[KillBilly]

I am assuming you are referring to cutting the quarters off, back straps out and leaving the rest. If you don't open the animal, you lose the Tenderloins, the heart, and the liver.

Is this what you are calling the Gutless method?

[Red Dawg]

it is very fast. fillet it open and put the meat on your pacboard. you will lose a little meat but the tenderloin is the only thing you will miss.

[Cougeyes]

I would recommend it if you are in the high country and would otherwise have to drag the deer out whole.  We bone the deer out and never have to gut it.  We get a significant amount of meat off the animal still, although not as much as you would by dragging it out gutted and hanging it in your shop to trim every piece off.  We pack old pillow cases fashioned as game bags.  As we cut chunks of meat off we throw them into the bags.  Its a quick and successful way of getting all the main cuts of meat off and in a clean way.  Only meat we do not get is the rib meat which isn't much anyways. 

[Coasthunterjay]

I use it on Elk but I have never used it on Deer.

Same here. might switch over to doing it, but im sort of old fashion. Works great on the larger animals from what i have seen. I have helped friends and my father probably atleast 10 times. But i have been gutting up the middle since i was 8 so thats usually how i do it. That and it doesnt take me very long.

[shanevg]

Yeah, I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it sure sounds easier than gutting it to me.  The main reason I haven't been able to try yet is because I've only shot one deer and that was a while ago.  I didn't want to ruin my bear rug in order to do it this year!  Hopefully I'll get a chance this year.  I did see a video where they showed how to get the tenderloin out even without gutting it.  They cut all the meat off the outside of the body and then just kind of reached their hand up into the chest cavity and cut out the tenderloin.  I'll have to find that video back and give it a look.

[Branden]

We always do it the gutless way. We also pull out the tenderloins like shanevg says. Just reach in and cut. We cut off the quarters and then bone them so I don't think there is any more waste then if you drag it out.

[tmike]

I love it for elk. You can get it skinned out and quartered, bagged, clean and cooling very quickly. I take the 4 quarters first, bagging them as I go. I use sheets I had my wife sew into perfect size bags. I  then fillet the flanks down to the backstraps, bag em. bone out the neck and any other meat left on the carcass. Rib meat included. I know how to get the tenderloins with out gutting but I usually open it up and get them that way. Then if I want the heart and liver I take that. When I'm done I have 6 or so bags and the head. It's worked out well for me.

For deer I do the same if I'm back in somewhere. The only difference is I bone out everthing.

[boneaddict]

Here is some discussion of it in another thread.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,800.0.html

[robb92]

I've done it on deer before, when the temp was really hot, it was almost 100 degrees and I didn't have the time to gut and drag her out before heading tow ork, so I quartered her out and then reached in and got the tenderloins and backstrap and then put them into the cooler in plastic bags to keep the water off of them.

[KillBilly]

Okay, I got it now. I totally understand boning an animal. I had just never heard it called the gutless method. I would go inside and get the Tenders....yuuummm

[ICEMAN]

Not for me. I place too much value on the heart, liver and Tloins. We always go in and get these goodies, then quarter out the rest, even saving rib meat into a cloth bag. I am in no hurry when we get game down. This is why we are here....

[Slider]

KillBilly the Gutless method means just that!!! You DO NOT GUT the animal!!! 

[actionshooter]

I tried it on a couple of elk 2 years ago in the backcountry, Colorado, worked great for packing, but if I were closer to the truck I would do it the old fashioned way.
Steve

[PolarBear]

I do it on every elk but not deer as well.

[washingtonmuley]

I have used this method on several animals ranging from Sitka Blacktail to Mountain Goat. I get the tenderloins by going through the ribs.If you can back your truck up to your animal and then hang it to skin then I personally would prefer that instead. I learned the gutless method in Alaska when I was on back pack hunts.
Good Luck

[cohoho]

The only way to go for me on Caribou and larger game. But dig around the ribs for the tenderloins.... If you just bone off the meat from the ribs.  Never will leave those tasty morsels.............. Quick, less mess and gets meat cooled off quickly...  We once did a Moose in 45 minutes between two abled bodies.  Alaskan had serious Wanton and Waste laws, so you better be picking it clean if you go up there for a hunt.  Leave nothing in regards to meat on the carcass.   Sorry, but the picture is vary graphic of what is left on buffalo carcass after a 1 hour meat harvest...  The mess comes after you take the last rib cage off, if you take it off whole, as we could..   

[JoeVon]

Cool Pic, pretty impressive.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I have 1/4 out deer using the gutless method a couple dozen times.  Never had a problem removing the tenderloins.  You don't have to completely gut the animal to get at them.  You do loose rib meat. 

[Opportunist]

I just don't see the advantage of not gutting. It only takes me 10 minutes to rip the guts out of an elk. I gut out the elk, skin one side of the elk on the ground, pull off the front shoulder and ham, start at the neck deboning the neck, flank meat and backstrap in one continuous chunk, dice out the rib meat, pull out the tenderloins roll him over and repeat. If I've got one of my hunting partners with me we'll be done and loading up in an hour. Pulling out the guts makes it easier to get to the tenderloins and cut off the belly burger meat plus easier to roll over and handle.

I know my uncle has a helluva time not puking when he guts out an animal so I suppose if a guy gets squeamish I get it, but otherwise I don't see an advantage and I've tried it. I usually leave the guts in the gut pile (heart,liver) so gettin'  to them is only to see how much damage my broadhead did, unless I'm close to the road and someone I know wants the guts to eat.

[PacificNWhunter]

The only time I have used or seen the gutless method was when I was hunting moose in AK. My grandpa shot a small bull that ran out onto a silt bed and got stuck, we had to get some of the meat off in order to lighten it up and be able to pull the bull out with the quads. Worked well, but have not used it since.

[alecvg]

Shane, i tried it on my deer this year, and so did dad, didnt we tell you about it?

[shanevg]

Shane, i tried it on my deer this year, and so did dad, didnt we tell you about it?

If you had tried the gutless method I wouldn't have had to drag your deer out for you.

[dreamingbig]

The advantage to the gutless method is you don't have to gut it before you start taking the quarters off.  We did it on my spike last year and it was really easy.  The trick is to skin one side first and to use the hide as workspace for the quarters.   We took two quarters off and boned them out, then took off the backstraps and rib meat, then flippped it over and did the same on the other side.  It was really pretty simple for two of us to do.  Then we packed him out in one trip on our backs, something we would not have been able to do if we hadn't boned it out.

I suggest giving it a try.

DB

[Red Dawg]

i dont think there is much of a advantage but it will save you a few minutes. Just enough time to get home on time for supper so momma doesn't make you sleep on the couch.

[MountainWalk]

most every guy i work with including myself, leaves the guts alone. some hunters want the ribs and neck, some dont. then on deer, i just normally unzip and empty it out.

[BLUEBULLS]

i usually start with the gutless method to keep things clean, when i'm done quartering i'll gut them and get the t-loins, heart and liver.
my wife wouldn't let me back in the house if i left the heart and liver and t-loins are definitely worth the effort.

[spin05]

I  havnt tried it yet but would like too.  Here is a step by step with pics on an elk i found somewere,maybe even got it off this site.

http://home.att.net/%7Esajackson/guttless1.html

[Gobble]

I do it like Opportunist does, it doesn't take very long and the hide is used like a tarp.

[dbllunger]

We use it on everything that requires packing even on the horses.  On Elk we do more skinning and meat taking around the shoulders and all neck meat.  Lots of good meat on an elk, but scraps on a deer.  All you have to do is when on chest take the tender loins right out no problem.  One person can do an elk very easily with this method.  Packed too many bones when I was younger.  We don't even take skulls anymore only capes. 

[Palmer]

Is there a video for boning an animal or even butchering it yourself?

[gramps]

Here is a description of the gutless method on an Antelope from another site

http://www.huntingnut.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=27

Don't have anything on butchering.