Field-Dressing and Skinning Big Game
Homestead Handbook
RELATED CONTENT
by David Harper
It's hunting season again. Time for those who savor the
flavor of venison, elk, and antelope roasts to attempt to
lay in a supply of healthful, low-fat meat for the winter.
Each fall hundreds, perhaps thousands, of newly successful
hunters are faced with the problem of how to handle a large
meat animal once it's been reduced to possession. Because
many of these nimrods lack the skills necessary to properly
process their kills, a lot of meat is wasted, and even more
is tainted—giving wild game an undeserved reputation
of being "strong," "gamey," or "wild tasting."
So if you plan to head for field or woods this
year as a meat hunter but have no experience in dressing,
transporting, and skinning deer-size animals, read on as
the author shares his 24 years of game-handling experience
with you.
Keep in mind, too, that the information that follows isn't
just for antelope, deer, and elk hunters
...similar techniques can be used to skin and dress midsize
livestock such as goats and sheep, and thus can be valuable
skills for any meat-eating homesteader to master.
T he first factor to influence the flavor of an animal's
meat comes into play with the squeeze of a trigger or the
release of an arrow. Was it a clean, fast kill that dropped
the game in its tracks ...or a poor shot that required
several arrows or bullets to finish off the wounded and
terrified beast? In the latter case, expect subtle but
nonetheless detectably unpleasant flavors from the
adrenaline that was pumping through the animal's body those
last few panicked minutes of life. And if a bullet or arrow
penetrated organs other than heart, lungs, or brain, expect
even worse. In short, if a hunter can't be sure of making a
humane, killing shot, then he or she has no right to waste
an animal's life for what may well turn out to be inedible,
or at least inferior, meat.
But let's assume you won't take a shot unless you can be
reasonably sure of killing cleanly. What else do you have
to know?
Prehunt Preparation
Before you take to the woods, you'll need to collect the
accoutrements necessary for field-dressing and transporting
a large animal. If you know that you'll be able to haul
your game out the same day it's killed, you can get by with
just a sharp knife, a small whetstone, a plastic bag for
liver and heart (assuming you enjoy such cuts), a foot or
so of heavy string, and a few yards of rope. (If you're
after elk, you'd best carry two knives—one small and
sharp, the other large and sharp—plus a good
sharpening stone.)
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