Gut it right away or back at the truck?

[buck man]

Gonna try to derail the thread here     Drag vs. carry?  For me, it is easier to take 150lbs and fireman's cary it out of the woods than it is to drag it.  Thoughts?

Fireman's carry...seriously?  Might be a great idea if you'd like a bunch of ticks in your hair and down your shirt.  If you're going to gut it and skin it where it fell then you might as well bone it or quarter it for packing out.  Much less weight, cools meat faster, doesn't bruise the hell out of it, and a much more manageable load.  Any more than a few hundred yards from a road, I debone and pack from where it fell.

Meat cannot bruise once the heart has stopped pumping. I have fireman carried more that a dozen deer and my share of elk quarters. I believe it is a very effective way to carry an average sized buck if your up for the challenge 

[Navyrep1]

OK Buck Man...you asked for thoughts, that's what you got.  This isn't a tough guy competition.  Fireman's carry possible, sure....not a big deal for a reasonable distance, just not my choice of method.  I don't like ticks down my shirt.  Again, you asked for thoughts.  My humble opinion, it makes much more sense to lighten the load whenever possible.  My lesson learned happened several years ago...big mulie up in 204.  After almost five hours to drag him three miles I vowed never to do that again...switched over to quartering or boning where he falls if I'm way back in the toolies.  And for the record, that buck was damn near hairless and beat to crap when I got it to the truck.  No significant meat loss but still pretty "tenderized".  Take care and good luck this year.

[Miles]

My lesson learned happened several years ago...big mulie up in 204.  After almost five hours to drag him three miles I vowed never to do that again...switched over to quartering or boning where he falls if I'm way back in the toolies.

Some prefer to learn things the hard way...sounds like you are one of those people.
 
How were your back and legs the next day?

[rtspring]

First thing shoot it, Second thing, GUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CAMPMEAT]

Shoot it. Loose it's trail. Go back to the lodge and drink beer. Get up the next morning only to find it 10 feet from where it was shot. Take a million pictures of the " Rack ". Have the outfitter gut/skin it. Donate the meat to the needy. That's what I see on TV, so it must be the way. I mean, I believe everything that the TV STARS do. Is it wrong, I mean, it's TV ?
 

[hunter360]

I always gut it where it drops, use rope and lace it back together like a shoe, and drag it downhill to the nearest road, put it in the back of the truck, get it back to camp and hang it on the meatpole and wash it. It's usually pretty cool where I hunt too so that helps. Only a couple of times that we had to cut up a deer and pack it out in quarters. Didn't like doing that very much.......

[uplandhunter870]

i gut it where it lays, unless im on a couple of pieces of land where i will drag it to an acceptable place to throw the guts in the brush

if its a rifle kill getting the gut opened up helps to start getting the meat cooled as october is typically cool
for a bow kill after its gutted its a race to get the carcass either in a cold room or get it deboned and on ice

i like eating my kills, meat care is top priority for me

[Fishnclifff]

First thing shoot it, Second thing, GUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the only way to go. My brothers proved that to me. I do it any way.

Older bro shot a 5x5 bull, Tried the gutless method, didnt go so well. Packed out a front quarter. Called me. By the time I got to it, it was bloated.
Weather was cold, snowin. I tried to go ahead and gut it, it was on a bad hillside. Bro tried to help, punctured the gut bag. Closest I've come to ralphing.
I butchered the rest out, salvaged what I could. Chewed his butt all the way to the truck.

Younger bro shot a nice 4x4 buck. In a canyon. At 1pmish.

He didnt show up at home after last shooting time, last day of late buck.
We waited 4 hrs, then went back to find him.

Found him at 1130pmish, dehydrated, staggering, mumbling, hypothermic,soaking wet from the rain.
I initially made a joke about there better be horns in the truck. He mumbled I'm trying.

We immediately took off his wet clothes and got him into the warm truck. We broke out food and water and started treating him.
When he was stable, he told me where the buck was. Still 200yrds in the timber.

I went up and found the buck, gutted him and dragged him to the truck.
He drug that ungutted deer for 10hrs up out of that canyon. Damn near did him in.

The moral is::: Gut the animal. Less weight to drag/carry, and easier to butcher. Saves a lot of time and energy.

My 

[buck man]

OK Buck Man...you asked for thoughts, that's what you got.  This isn't a tough guy competition.  Fireman's carry possible, sure....not a big deal for a reasonable distance, just not my choice of method.  I don't like ticks down my shirt.  Again, you asked for thoughts.  My humble opinion, it makes much more sense to lighten the load whenever possible.  My lesson learned happened several years ago...big mulie up in 204.  After almost five hours to drag him three miles I vowed never to do that again...switched over to quartering or boning where he falls if I'm way back in the toolies.  And for the record, that buck was damn near hairless and beat to crap when I got it to the truck.  No significant meat loss but still pretty "tenderized".  Take care and good luck this year.

First things first navyrep... than you for your service I am just an average 6' 4" 210# guy who guts and fireman carry's most my deer. I quit dragging long time ago. If its too far to carry( greater than 2 miles) I will bone in the field and pack it out. Gutting it first always takes priority.