Hanging gutless, an experiment

[camping1601]

First and best option for me is to get it home and do it in the garage under bright lights with cold beer and a stereo. If it's in the mountains, not too big, and help around, I'll hang from the hind quarters with the guts in. Process like any other hanging deer and as a last step unzip the belly to get the TL's. Last choice is doing the standard gutless on the ground. IMO you get way less hair if you have it hanging.

 

[LcMoeller2]

love the hanging gutless method...as far as unbalance you take the backstraps and front shoulders and whatever neck meat you use and then the hind quarter's are taken off by starting both sides and disconnecting the ball and socket on both and when you cut the whole through one the weight of the ribs will pull the other side out as well leaving both hind quarters hanging and the ribs and guts in the tractor bucket or garbage can underneath easiest way to do it by yourself

 

[Wmmichael20]

I got lucky so to speak and have a brother in law that I hunt with most often and he always just jumps right in a guts whatever it is were hunting like it's his job and I don't argue with him lol saves me all kinds of work and cleaning.

 

[Ross]

In a perfect setting gutless is very nice and can be easy other times the balled up mess of a big bull makes you do whatever is needed to get the job done if no extra hands to assisterfect setting leading to this

 

[FLAK]

I usually hang by the back legs, but I have tried gutless and hanging by the neck.
Worked pretty good.

 

[Stalker69]

I haven't gutted a deer in years. I've never cleaned one with it hanging by its neck. That seems like a pain in the ass to do it that way. We always hang ours by the hind legs. It's a lot easier that way.

Same here, deer, elk, antelope, pigs any thing we hang from them from the hind legs also. Chest cavity holds all the intestines in, and ounce you get to the last hind quarter and cut that socket, every thing ( carcass, guts all the unwanted stuff) drops to the ground. Other wise you got guts and all trying to fall out as your tryin to cut, much easier inverted.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I have been doing a variation of the gutless method that includes partially gutting at the very end (after everything is removed) to get the inside loins. After doing the gutless for many years and several different ways, this one works best for me. The guts have a tendency to expand shortly after death, which can make it hard to get the inside loins. But, once you have everything else off, opening up the abdomen is relatively easy. I just open it up and let the guts spill out to give more room to grab the loins.

 

[Stalker69]

It’s easy to get them out when hung by back legs, just have to be carful not get to aggressive with the knife as there is not much guts in the way. If not hung, and doing it on flat ground I find it easier to have the hind quarters higher,or on level ground just roll side to side a little.

 

[Wrench]

By the neck and I can get the gut sack to roll down a hill or move the carcass, I'll unzip that thing and let gravity do my work.

In a spot where I have gravity working for me and I have help or something to tie to and rig from to keep the legs where I need them
...traditional gutting.

All else, gutless for sure. On elk going gutless, I'd bone the hams on the animal. I can work the bone out of the hip with plenty of clearance from the guts.....then I can roll the meat into my bag and gravity is workingfor me pulling it away from the guts.

As someone mentioned, the guts expand and the tloins get to be more of a challenge to get out. Once I have all exterior meat off, I'll unzip the stomach and let them spill which gives me all the room in the world without fear of contamination.

A word of caution, when workingout the back straps, don't cut too deep or you'll cut into your t loins.

 

[Wrench]

Ps, to avoid the unbalance when hanging by the hinds, we run 2 points to pick from. You can hoist with a gambrel and then tie up each side with a rope it stops the swing and falling off the gambrel.

 

[Boarmaster]

I have butchered many wild hogs using the gutless method. I hung them by the rear legs. These hogs where mostly killed in South west Florida where it is relatively warm for hunting so you need to giter done and the meat in the cooler. For years we gutted them where they where shot and hauled them back to the cleaning hoist at camp. We had a guest once that said why the heck are you gutting them.
My hunting buudy and I looked at each other and said heck if we know.
We never gutted another hog.

 

[Boarmaster]

I hunt deer in Alabama and Ohio and I gut them as I hang them for days to age them or like in Alabama its just handier to shoot them in the evening and then butcher them the next day in the daylight and after they are cooled down.

Different applications make sense for different hunts based on whats going on with geography , equipment and facilities.

In Ohio for years you didnt have any choice but to gut as you had to check the deer in at the end of the day or next day. So it was the law that determined how we had to handle the deer. We hunt federal forest so you were gutting and dragging the deer out of the woods. Sometimes miles. They now have a automated check in system so now if we are way back in we can utilize the gutless method and pack out the meat.

 

[FLAK]

I've done it once in a situation like you had, Barn, ATV, hung it by the neck.
Worked great, Carcass and guts fell into a wash tub. Would do again in a similar
situation.

 

[nrh6.7]

This is how we do it on deer if at camp. Best way I've ever seen.