If the double-lung doesn’t present itself
don’t overlook the angling-away shot. If you
get it right you could pierce the liver in addi-
tion to the heart or lungs. All bloodletting
is good for a quick ending. Unfortunately,
trigonometry could force you to punch a
projectile through the paunch. This opens
up gut fluids that should be avoided at all
costs. Work cautiously around any oozing
gut material to avoid fouling meat.
Even a great shot will result in some
meat loss. A razor-sharp broadhead will
create a hemorrhagic mess at the point of
entry and exit. A modern expanding bullet
may appear to only leave a finger-diameter
entrance wound, but the exit could be as
big as your fist and leave a trail of destruc-
tion between. Fortuitously, with an aiming
point just behind the front shoulder you’ll
simply lose some rib meat, but there’s
potential for buck fever to move the shot❘ ❘.
forward into the shoulder for more loss of
dining pleasure. Inspect the damage care-
fully and carve away any mutilated excess.
The tainting won’t be as noticeable as gut
matter, but there’s no need to chance a bad
meal over a missing pancake-sized cutlet.Recovery
Throughout the entire process of field-
dressing and recovery you need to keep
one goal: clean meat. Take extra care to
position your animal with its head uphill
so gut contents roll downhill, away from
the carcass. Your next decision is to leave
the hide intact or remove it. In early-season
and backcountry situations the answer is
simple: remove it. This speeds up the pro-
cess of cooling meat and reduces weight
significantly for the pack out. If the pack is
long and your backpacking crew is limited,
debone the meat. Removing bones also
cools meat quicker and, of course, reduces
the weight. Meat processers make meat
cuts an art, but for speed you can simply
slice lengthways down each leg and fillet
around the bone. Leave chunks in large
portions for easy handling and drop them
into your game bags for cooling, to protect
them from insects and to avoid contamina-
tion from the surrounding environment.
For backcountry deer, follow a simi-
lar approach and remove any unneeded
weight. When finished you will be look-
ing at
pounds of deboned meat from the
average buck, and
pounds from a doe.
A bull elk could easily produce more than
pounds, and even a big cow can result
in more than pounds of deboned meat.
For late-season hunts and those hunts
where a vehicle plays a major recovery role,
consider leaving the hide intact until you
get back home or back to base camp. The
hide can play an important role for short
periods during recovery by protecting ven-
ison against insects, dirt, mud, leaves and
other Mother Nature nastiness.
Then, during an open-air ride, the hide
collects dust and flinging mud, not exposed
meat. And the hide can guard against for-
eign taints in the back of the truck such
as spilled gas, oil or even farm chemicals.
If you suspect unclean conditions or need
to remove the hide, get out that tarp and
wrap the carcass to safeguard your prize.
Even in warm temperatures, leaving the
hide on or wrapping the carcass with a tarp
should not affect the quality of the meat for
a couple of extra hours.STAY SHARP
From start to finish you’ll rely on a sharp
knife throughout the hunt. One stay-
sharp option is the Havalon Piranta with
its replaceable, surgical-sharp blade. It
will handle all field-dressing and is ideal
for caping, too. havalon.comI keep a Worksharp Guided Field
Sharpener in my pack for touchups while
skinning deer or elk with fixed blades.
The lightweight unit includes angled
bevels to start your process right. After
a run-through on the diamond plates,
use ceramic rods and a leather strop
(included) to hone your edge to finish
skinning and close out with your own
close shave to look good leaving the
woods. worksharptools.com
Photos: Author
It’s your duty to ensure your game is as
tasty as it can be, not only for yourself,
but for others that may enjoy it, too.Age Equals Great Taste
According to the National Center for Home
Food Preservation, cool the deboned meat
or carcass to a temperature between -
degrees. Next, consider if your meat will
include prime cuts like backstrap steaks
or end up in a burger state, including sau-
sage. Roasts and steaks benefit from aging
as naturally occurring enzymes help ten-
derize the meat and minimize wild game
flavor, but burger realizes little benefit.
The Center recommends that “aging
the carcass should be conducted at ° F
or less for no more than to days. Never
age at room temperature.”
There is some debate on how many
days to age venison at the -degree mark.
Some of my friends extend the process
to a week or more. Venison information
from the Clemson University Coopera-
tive Extension Service in South Carolina
verifies this, suggesting a seven- to -day
window for optimum benefits.
Check the forecast to see whether you
can age outdoors or if you need to findSTAY SHARP
From start to finish you’ll rely on a sharp
knife throughout the hunt. One stay-
sharp option is the Havalon Piranta
its replaceable, surgical-sharp blade. It
will handle all field-dressing and is ideal