hinterland in Hunting

How to Field Dress a Deer

What Is Field Dressing?

If you are lucky enough to drop a deer on your next hunting trip, you’re going to have to know how to field dress it. Field dressing is the process of cutting open any hunted game and removing all the internal organs. This process is not only a rite of passage for new hunters, but a vital step in preserving the meat and ensuring little to no bacteria develops on the carcass. Field dressing should be done immediately after the animal is killed, as this contributes to rapid body heat loss, which helps prevent bacteria from growing and protects the overall quality of the meat. Additionally, it helps lighten the load for the hunter, who then has to drag the deer back to camp.

Below you will find detailed instructions on how to field dress a deer, as well as what you will need to field dress that elusive whitetail. While this guide will serve as useful, the best way to learn how to field dress is through experience, and it’s always good to have an experienced field dresser with you for your first time.

What You’ll Need for the Perfect DIY Field Dressing Kit

Because field dressing is accomplished “in the field,” you are limited as to what you can bring along with you. A lot of hunters choose to purchase a field dressing kit, as it comes with just about everything you need to get the job done. However, most field dressing kits also include a lot of unnecessary items, and the last thing you need is extra weight when trudging through the woods. For this reason, we have put together a list of exactly what you need to create the perfect DIY field dressing kit:

Latex Gloves: You’ll find that most field dressing gloves go all the way up to your armpits in order to help prevent any blood from getting on your clothes or into any open cuts. Regular, wrist-high latex gloves, however, are just fine, and tend to work better in some cases. They are more form-fitting, which gives you more control over what you’re doing and a better grip, and they still keep any small cuts on your hands and wrists free from blood.

Zip-Seal (Zip-Lock) Bags: You want to have about 3 or so gallon-sized zip-lock bags inside your kit. Two of them will be used to bag the heart and liver (many hunters like to harvest these two organs either as a delicacy or a treat for dogs), and the third bag should be used to bag any used paper towels and gloves so as not to leave them out in the woods. In any case, having a few extra bags is never a bad thing, as they always come in handy.

Paper Towels and Wipes: Keep around 15 or so paper towels folded up in your kit. You don’t need those extra tough paper towels, as just about any will do. You’ll use these to wipe out the cavity and clean yourself up after the deed is done. For cleaning yourself up, you may prefer some antibacterial hand wipes, which come in small packages to fit inside your kit.

Bandages or First-Aid Kit: You should always carry a small first-aid kit, or at least some small bandages/band aids, as you never know what the field has in store for you. Field dressing also comes with its challenges, and you may nick yourself with your knife, so having a bandage handy to quell that blood flow will allow you to stay focused on the job at hand.

Zip Ties: Zip ties come in handy for tying off the intestinal canal as well as many other things, so it’s never a bad idea to keep a small bundle in your kit. You can also use a small bit of parachute cord to accomplish this as well.

Gut Hook: There are plenty of gut hooks and knives out there with gut hooks, so it’s just a matter of finding one you like. First, look for a knife that gives you a strong and comfortable grip—it’s important not to have any slippage when opening the deer. Blood is slippery, and you don’t need to injure yourself out in the woods. Second, pay attention to weight. You want to cut down on weight wherever you can, and you certainly don’t need a giant bowie knife to gut a deer.

Butt Out Tool: During the field dressing process, a butt out tool is used to disconnect and close off the anal canal of the deer to prevent any fluids from leaking. We recommend using the Hunter’s Specialties Butt Out 2 tool, as it’s lightweight, long enough for a firm grip and designed with a butt stop to make sure you always put it in the proper length.
Deer Drag: You can purchase an affordable, specially made deer drag with a convenient handle attached to it, but if you do, it will be too bulky to fit in this kit. However, you should still be able to fit it in your pack. You can also make your own deer drag with a bit of climbing rope. We recommend using 8 feet of 9 mm. climbing rope. You’ll want to tie a choker loop on each end of the rope. One loop can be secured around a doe’s neck or a buck’s antlers, and the other end can be cinched around a stick to make a handle.

Parachute Cord: You can never have enough parachute cord on hand—it has a million uses. We think it’s best to keep about 5 feet of cord in your kit. It will come in handy when gutting the deer, as you can tie one end to one of the back legs and secure the other end of the cord to a nearby tree. This will keep the cavity open while processing.

This lightweight and compact kit should all fit into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag, which can easily be stuffed into a field backpack. At your truck or camp, you will also need at least 3 gallons of fresh water to rinse the body cavity, and if you want to open the pelvis, a hatchet is recommended. A couple additional items some hunters may want to consider are Ibuprofen and hand sanitizer for cleaning up. These are really just a preference for some hunters. The Ibuprofen is recommended for anyone who may experience joint or muscle pain, which could inhibit their ability to field dress and drag a deer back.

Finally, once you get the deer back to camp, you’ll need to fully process it. This includes skinning and butchering the carcass. For this, we recommend using a game processing kit, which includes the most common knives you’ll need for butchering, as well as other tools to guarantee successful game processing.

How to Field Dress a Deer Step-by-Step

As previously mentioned, field dressing can be a bit tricky, and it’s really one of those things that you’re going to have to experience in order to get the hang of it. However, we will walk you through the process step-by-step, so you have a good understanding of how it’s done.

Step 1: You need to assemble all the gear from your field dressing kit. Make sure you have everything you need and lay it all out. If bowhunting, locate the broadhead and remove it—you don’t want to accidentally nick yourself on a sharp broadhead while dressing the deer.

Step 2: Insert the butt out tool about 6 inches into the anus of the deer. If you are using the new Butt Out 2, it has a butt stop that lets you know when you have gone in far enough. Give the tool about a half to full turn, or until you feel it grab on the inner intestinal membrane. Then, slowly work the tool back out, and pull about a foot of the intestines out. Use a zip tie or piece of cord to tightly tie off the intestine to prevent leakage that could contaminate your meat. Cut the excess intestine off and clear it from the tool.

Step 3: Position the deer on a slope, with its belly up and head positioned uphill from you. Either have a buddy help you hold the deer in place with the legs open, or use ties to tie the legs to nearby trees to keep the back legs spread. You can also prop the sides of the deer with rocks to keep its belly up.

Step 4: Make your first cut by finding where the skin forms a “V” between the rear legs—usually found just below a doe’s milk sac or above a buck’s testicles. Grab the skin, pull up and make a 1-inch incision. Make sure you aren’t going too deep—you just want to get through the skin.

Step 5: Using your gut hook, start cutting up the belly of the deer to the sternum and rib cage, by pushing the hook up and away from you. Never cut down, as you risk puncturing organs and tainting the meat. If you do not have a gut hook, use the index and middle finger of your off-hand to pull the skin up and away from the organs to guide your knife as you cut up and away from you. Once you reach the rib cage, you’ll need to straddle the deer over its chest in order to give yourself better leverage as you cut through the rib cage until you reach the neck. This shouldn’t be too difficult with a sharp knife, but if you have a small saw, it could make the task easier. Make sure you do not cut the neck of the deer.

Step 6: Cut the diaphragm, which is the thin membrane between the abdomen and the chest. Cut the diaphragm from the cavity’s walls all the way down to the spine to remove it. This allows you to reach the chest cavity’s organs like the heart and lungs.

Step 7: Grab the windpipe above the heart and lungs and pull it toward you so it has some tension. Cut through the windpipe in order to free the entrails from the cavity. Now you have the option to cut the heart and liver free to save in your extra, clean plastic bags. Many people enjoy these organs as delicacies, and they each have a ton of nutritional value.

Step 8: You can now begin removing all the entrails from the deer’s cavity. Use the windpipe as a purchase to help you lift the entrails out—they should all come away with a firm lift via the cut windpipe. If they aren’t pulling away from the cavity, cut free any parts that are holding you back. Most of the time, you can just leave the guts and entrails where you field dress the deer—just be sure you are mindful of your state’s regulations and any public lands etiquette.

Step 9: In order to fully detach the entrails, you’ll need to free the anus by cutting a coring ring around it. Continue to cut deeper into the pelvis to free the colon. While you do this, you do not want to puncture the intestines. You can also cut down through the pelvic bone to make this easier, but it can be difficult without the help of a small saw or hatchet.

Step 10: Before you set up your deer drag, you will want to let the cavity cool a bit. Flip the deer over and spread its legs wide to open the cavity and help any pooled blood drain. Even better, if there is a nearby tree, you can hang the deer by the head in the shade and prop the cavity open with sticks. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes. Some hunters also prefer to take out the tenderloins and bag them, so they can begin cooling a bit faster. While it’s cooling, you can clean up, pack away your tools and set up your deer drag.

Step 11: If you have the means to wrap your deer in some cloth, that will help prevent excess dirt and other unwanted things from getting on the meat as you drag the deer back to your truck or camp. However, it’s totally fine if you don’t.

It’s very important to remember that field dressing is a hundred times easier and more effective when it’s done immediately after harvesting the deer. After you’ve dragged your deer back to your truck or camp, you can begin skinning it.

Skinning

Skinning is the process of removing the skin and hide from the deer’s carcass, and it’s best done within two hours of harvesting the deer, otherwise it can be difficult to remove as the skin will stick more to the body. Follow these simple steps to successfully skin your deer’s carcass:

To skin the deer, you will first need to make a cut just through the skin, down the inside of each leg to the middle of the carcass, where your field dressing incision was made.

Then, you need to cut the skin all the way around the neck, as close to the head as possible. Make sure to connect this cut to the first incision you made up the chest of the deer.

With both hands, grab the skin at the back of the neck where you made your cut and pull down hard. As you tug the skin should begin peeling away from the deer. It should easily pull away to the forelegs, in which case you will begin pulling the skin off the legs. While you do this, have your knife handy to cut away any of the skin that continues to stick to the meat.

Now, you can take your deer to a butcher for processing, or you can process it yourself. Most hunters will rinse the skinned carcass with clean water and pat it dry before processing it. If you haven’t already removed the tenderloins, you should do that first, followed by the backstraps and neck meat. Then you can quarter the deer for easier transportation.

Buy Field Dressing Tools from Hinterland Outfitters

We hope this guide has helped prepare you for field dressing and processing your next deer. At Hinterland Outfitters, we strive to give you access to the best and most affordable hunting gear as well as the best information on how to make the most of your hunting excursions. Our knowledgeable customer service team is waiting to help you plan your next trip and secure all the hunting and field dressing equipment you need. Feel free to contact us with any questions you have, and happy hunting.