whats the best way to pack a deer

crowsnest2002

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Sep 13, 2009
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Chambersburg, PA
I'm hoping you guys can fill me in on this as to this will be the first year I have to actually worry about packing out a deer. All the places if used to hunt (farms) have not been an issue to drag. This year I'm going up into the moutains pretty deep and I dont think draging will cut it. I was hoping to use an ALICE pack since I have a few available. Anyone with advice and pictures to show I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for all your help if you can.
 
I don't have any pictures but I bone everything out whether I am on horses or Packing on foot. First thing you have to decide is if you want the hide or a cape for mounting. If you want a cape, cut from base of horns along spine back half way to butt then go around the belly and down both sholders and neck once you reach the front legs stay inside the leg to the knees. Work the hide around to where you can pull it over the head. If you want to keep the hide start under the neck and go along the belly to the butt. Cut on the inside of legs to knee. Cut around neck close to head.

Now to boning out the animal. I use a filet knife with an 8 or 9 inch blade and a good skinning knife. You can gut the animal or not. I don't gut the animal because I dont won't to work in the mess or smell the mess. In this method you are not saving the hide. Start under neck and cut down belly to butt. I do one side at a time, skin the animal to spine on one side. The hide then can be used as a work area to keep meat clean. Have a buddy hold the leg and lift up Sholder and just cut around sholder blade until you can lift off complete sholder and lay aside or put in game bag. Have buddy hold hind leg and turn as you cut. Hind quarter is more difficult as you have to cut around the ball joint where it attatches to hip bone this is where the filet knife really helps as you cut around the hind quarter abnd work the knife around the ball joint until it lifts off put aside or in game bag. Now go up low on the neck and work down the spine with the filet knife to the butt. Have buddy hold back strap as you filet down the spine to the ribs the whole length of the animal. This usually goes in special game bag with the other side backstrap. Cut extra meat off neck and ribs (this is hamburger) put in game bag. To get tenderloin you cut from last rib to butt open careful not to get guts. Take your filet knife and work on inside of spine to get tenderlion cut out. It goes in my backstrap bag. Flip animal over to other side and repeat process. In Wyoming you have to show proof of sex so leave a testicle or tit on one section of hind quarter. Now you remove meat from sholder by following bones around with filet knife and get all meat possible (hamberger meat). Hind quarter cut along bone and follow bone around with knife until you have one nice chunk of meat (steaks). I usually buy the Alaska game bage for whole animal which comes with 4 bags one for each quarter. I usually have 4 bags for an elk. One bag for each hind quarter, one bag for both sholders and neck and rib meat. One bag for both back straps and tenderloin. If back packing you can put meat in plastic trash bags while carrying out to keep blood contained but do not leave in plastic or meat will get hot and spoil. Needs game bags to air out. Hope this helps.
 
I hunt coues most of the time. They are smaller, so I skin them then quarter them up and slip them into my gunslinger. For larger animals (elk) I quarter the animal, then hang the quarter in tree ( I always have mule tape or strong para cord with me). Then I can peal the meat off the bone with my havalon, or other sharp knive. this allows gravity to help instead of work against me. I can leave my game bag open below the quarter and peal all the meat off the bone onto the bag. All the neck meat, loins, and back sraps get put into a bag as well. If you are short on bags, pillow cases and clean t shirt work. It does help to have a helper hold the back or stabalize the quarter. If there is too much to haul out in one trip, I do everything but take the meat off the bone, I'll leave it in the tree over night to cool and go back the next morning with a frame pack or buddies. I also don't gut the animal. I start by cutting from the tail to the base of the antlers, on the spine. I dont get close to the guts, and my taxi doesn't have extra stitching to do. I can get the back straps off first, without any contamination. I have a pic of this, I was actually taking a pic of bullet performance, so it is bloody. PM me if you want the other pic. Here is a pic of my coues from 08 quartered, loaded up, headed back down the hill.

IMG_0391.jpg
 
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Either way the first two said is fine. I do it both ways. I use 1 mil tarps to keep the meat clean

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx2e3zZL41Q&feature=player_profilepage]‪Cutting up the elk‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GVcLDuyPv8&feature=player_profilepage]‪Half done with the elk‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]
 
"youngbuck" summed it up pretty good. I have cloth bags that I had made to fit my pack. A good mule deer buck will take two trips if by yourself so have enough cord to hang what you can't carry. Just go for it....it's not brain surgery.
 
Thanks for all your help guys. I've butchered plenty before, its just I was wondering if any of you had some tips and tricks. Again thanks for all you input with videos and photos. If any of you have some more good ideas I'll surely appreciate it. By the way I liked the pillow case idea, it was a good one. Thanks for the tip. I also liked the idea with using the deer's hide as a tarp.
 
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