Questions About Guided Mule Deer Hunts for First Timer

[cb122]

I understand your thoughts though. I hate wasting anything and can not stand seeing bad meat handling by others. Here is an outside the box thought...maybe get a salvage permit for a road killed deer (fresh obviously) and practice on that. Not sure of what kind of area you are in but I could easily get a fresh deer a week just from the trips I take to run into town to the hardware store.

+1

I learned to field dress, gutless, quartering, and processing my own meat by using carcass tags given out after a vehicle/deer collision. Usually the local county sheriffs office handles these tags. You would need to call and ask because there could be an established list they use to call people when a deer is available. The tags should be free. They will call when one comes available.

You’ll easily learn the gutless method doing this. You can even practice caping. Vehicles can leave some meat in a mangled mess so you can also get comfortable cutting into the deer from certain areas of the body without opening the whole thing.

If you choose to learn this way, always ask the condition of the deer before going out to the scene so you’re not wasting time on a deer v semi etc.

I used this experience to quarter out my first doe Antelope and first doe whitetail in the field this year.

 

[Bighorner]

I agree that this is something you can tackle yourself. Your attitude towards it is already ahead of some folks. Make sure you have a sharp knife and take your time. Make a good shot in the morning and you will have more time than you think. Even in hot weather you will probably be ok if you dont have a long pack out. It is important to remember that everyone has gotten some hair on the meat, nicked the guys, or gotten things a little dirty. You are clearing a wild animal on the ground. It will not be perfect just do the best you can. Everyone had to have a first time. Even with someone looking over your shoulder you are bound to make a mistake, just address the mistake and move forward. I agree there is no reason to fork out thousands to learn the gutless method. Good luck.

 

[Gasman]

OP, good on you to want to learn how to do things on your own. Using a guide for the first time and shooting a doe are both excellent ideas. Another idea might be to take a beginner's hunting class first, and as you're in CA, there's an excellent instructor here (Randy Parker) who teaches a two-day class (including field dressing). The class finishes off with a chance to shoot a wild boar, which is a great introduction to big game hunting (as CamoPirate pointed out earlier).

Hunting School