Question about late evening trophy kills...

[RipperIII]

I butchered a deer in my kitchen yesterday. My wife was packaging and sealing while I cut. The kitchen is all you need to process a deer. Do you cut chicken and pork and beef in your kitchen, or is that off-limits, too? I wouldn't have a "lady of the house" that disdained butchering a deer in the kitchen.

mighty strong opinion Mr Admin.

I don't field dress, nor butcher my deer for 2 excellent reasons: 1) I'm lazy 2) my processor prefers the deer to be whole, not dressed.

can I do it?...I can noodle it out, but why bother.

I dress all my all my fowl, have done a hog or 2 and participated in a deer or 2...it's a good skill, but not, at this present moment necessary.

Definitely not a qualifier to be a hunter, or sportsman.

 

[ddd-shooter]

mighty strong opinion Mr Admin.

I don't field dress, nor butcher my deer for 2 excellent reasons: 1) I'm lazy 2) my processor prefers the deer to be whole, not dressed.

can I do it?...I can noodle it out, but why bother.

I dress all my all my fowl, have done a hog or 2 and participated in a deer or 2...it's a good skill, but not, at this present moment necessary.

Definitely not a qualifier to be a hunter, or sportsman.

Disagree with that last statement.
I DO think the ability to field dress and at least quarter a deer are qualifications to be considered a "complete" hunter and certainly a sportsman.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT EVERY TIME.
But to be a complete hunter, you should know how. I don't even think that's an argument, but I guess I'm wrong.

 

[huntfish]

Skin the cape up to the base of the ears, cut the head off, and leave it in the hide and freeze it until you can get it to the taxidermist. That's what my buddy the taxidermist would recommend.

If your not going to completely cape out the head, why even go that far? Just take it up pass the fronts and cut the head off at the neck. Only going to lose a few pounds of neck roast.

 

[NCHillbilly]

If your not going to completely cape out the head, why even go that far? Just take it up pass the fronts and cut the head off at the neck. Only going to lose a few pounds of neck roast.

Because that "few pounds of neck roast" that doesn't matter to you is several good family meals for me. I don't waste meat. It only takes you about ten more seconds to skin from the base of the neck to the end of it. When I see neck meat, I see this:

 

[RipperIII]

Disagree with that last statement.
I DO think the ability to field dress and at least quarter a deer are qualifications to be considered a "complete" hunter and certainly a sportsman.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT EVERY TIME.
But to be a complete hunter, you should know how. I don't even think that's an argument, but I guess I'm wrong.

We can agree to disagree, I firmly believe in "to each his own".
Like mentioned earlier,...It's not rocket science...and in an emergency, I am quite sure that even trophy "shooters" could process their own for survival.

Many here feel that hunting/fishing is a ritual or a "religion"...a right of passage into "manhood" by which certain "rules" apply...and adopt a corrosive, dismissive attitude toward others who choose to hunt and fish in ways other than these "rules".

so be it, that is a you ( general term, not aimed ) problem, not a they problem.

I have a friend in Montana, a true Alpha,...hops on his horse and heads into the hills with his long bow for elk. May stay up there a week to 10 days...solo.
I admire that.
But he also shoots a game from his back porch along the Madison with any number of rifles at his disposal...and his home is full of North American, and African big game.

I have never, not once heard him dismiss any type of legal hunter, or style of hunting.

I admire that too.

 

[fireman32]

Well, my .02. I manage my little 40 acres as best I can. Pretty selective about which deer we kill. We shoot 3-4 a year and try to shoot mature deer, because we process our own and want the most meat for the work it entails. My two boys and wife are part of the process, I’ve yet to have a processor do as good a job as us. Plus I’m cheap, and can’t stand to pay someone for something I can do myself.
Do your own or pay someone, it makes no difference to me. I do think you should know how though.
To the op, cut the cape all the way around just behind the shoulders, then skin it up to the skull. Then cut the head off and keep the head and skin wrapped and cold (froze) until you can get it to a taxidermist.
Good luck, hope you kill a biggun!

 

[ddd-shooter]

We can agree to disagree, I firmly believe in "to each his own".
Like mentioned earlier,...It's not rocket science...and in an emergency, I am quite sure that even trophy "shooters" could process their own for survival.

Many here feel that hunting/fishing is a ritual or a "religion"...a right of passage into "manhood" by which certain "rules" apply...and adopt a corrosive, dismissive attitude toward others who choose to hunt and fish in ways other than these "rules".

so be it, that is a you ( general term, not aimed ) problem, not a they problem.

I have a friend in Montana, a true Alpha,...hops on his horse and heads into the hills with his long bow for elk. May stay up there a week to 10 days...solo.
I admire that.
But he also shoots a game from his back porch along the Madison with any number of rifles at his disposal...and his home is full of North American, and African big game.

I have never, not once heard him dismiss any type of legal hunter, or style of hunting.

I admire that too.

I wasn’t dismissing any hunter and I don’t believe I’ve ever done so.

I was dismissing your thought you put forth that you can be a hunter and not know how. You can be a hunter and not know how, but in my opinion, you’re a “beginner” hunter and your journey needs to progress a few more steps.
I’ll be taking newbies out here in a few weeks. I can’t imagine me not explaining to them the importance of caring for their kill afterwards, and the methods necessary to do so without a processor-even if we don’t kill anything.

Also, I dont worry much about the anti hunting crowd, but if I did, I’d understand that their strategy will involve hunters who simply “pull the trigger” and remove themselves from every other aspect of the kill. It’s not a good look to many.

 

[NCHillbilly]

mighty strong opinion Mr Admin.

I don't field dress, nor butcher my deer for 2 excellent reasons: 1) I'm lazy 2) my processor prefers the deer to be whole, not dressed.

can I do it?...I can noodle it out, but why bother.

I dress all my all my fowl, have done a hog or 2 and participated in a deer or 2...it's a good skill, but not, at this present moment necessary.

Definitely not a qualifier to be a hunter, or sportsman.

Just a logical opinion. I would not live with a woman who wouldn't "let" me cut up a deer in my own kitchen. Me and her would be polar opposites, and would not have much in common. If you are a driver, you should be able to change a flat tire and jump a battery. If you are a hunter, you should be able to clean a deer. Just common sense. If you're lazy, I can't help that.

 

[RipperIII]

Just a logical opinion. I would not live with a woman who wouldn't "let" me cut up a deer in my own kitchen. Me and her would be polar opposites, and would not have much in common. If you are a driver, you should be able to change a flat tire and jump a battery. If you are a hunter, you should be able to clean a deer. Just common sense. If you're lazy, I can't help that.

your opinion has nothing to do with logic...it is merely your opinion.

 

[saltysenior]

confusing to me that folks bash a person for not skinning , gutting , and processing their deer and question if they are 100% a hunter,,,,,yet sitting over a feeder or food plot waiting for a deer to step out to shoot is considered hunting by a 100% hunter..

 

[ddd-shooter]

confusing to me that folks bash a person for not skinning , gutting , and processing their deer and question if they are 100% a hunter,,,,,yet sitting over a feeder or food plot waiting for a deer to step out to shoot is considered hunting by a 100% hunter..

Never bashed anyone.
The point of hunting is killing (essentially). Knowing what to do after the kill is pretty important, since we all go out with the goal of killing (essentially).
I won’t go into methods. Start a new thread for that, we’ve derailed this one enough, lol

 

[rugerfan]

confusing to me that folks bash a person for not skinning , gutting , and processing their deer and question if they are 100% a hunter,,,,,yet sitting over a feeder or food plot waiting for a deer to step out to shoot is considered hunting by a 100% hunter..

I will probably get fried for saying it, but I cannot disagree with the above post.

 

[huntfish]

Because that "few pounds of neck roast" that doesn't matter to you is several good family meals for me. I don't waste meat. It only takes you about ten more seconds to skin from the base of the neck to the end of it. When I see neck meat, I see this:

View attachment 1045262

And I've watched so many people ruin a cape trying to get that extra 6 inches in that 10 seconds. The majority of folks don't even gut the animal, let alone attempt to cape it out. And yes, you'll get a few burgers/sausage out of the neck.

Peace out.

 

[Theturtle]

Yikes why such nastiness? I agree deer hunters should know how to skin and process deer but imagine for a second you are new to hunting and don’t have someone to show you how. I’m sure it would be intimidating. And maybe the answer to OPs question seemed obvious but he was asking an honest question and didn’t need to be made out to be a lesser hunter for asking.

It’s not hard to do hundreds of videos on YouTube why go hunting unprepared for your mission don’t need a hanging rack I skinned one out just fine on the tailgate of a truck this weekend

 

[Theturtle]

I don't pay somebody else to shoot my deer, so I ain't gonna pay somebody else to clean them. Bow up and get mad all you want to. I have no respect for anybody who calls themselves a hunter, but can't skin a deer, or doesn't have "time to." When they have time to plant food plots, and sit for hundreds of hours a year to shoot one, but can't spend half an hour skinning and quartering one. I guess I just grew up different than some folks. Taking care of your kill is part of hunting to me, and a sacred duty. It may not be to you. Carry on.

It’s called lazy ness they want to do the fun part but not the messy part at the end

 

[Marsupial]

It’s not hard to do hundreds of videos on YouTube why go hunting unprepared for your mission don’t need a hanging rack I skinned one out just fine on the tailgate of a truck this weekend

You are the man! Did you learn how to do that on YouTube also?

 

[NCHillbilly]

And I've watched so many people ruin a cape trying to get that extra 6 inches in that 10 seconds. The majority of folks don't even gut the animal, let alone attempt to cape it out. And yes, you'll get a few burgers/sausage out of the neck.

Peace out.

True. I guess I've just skinned so many critters that I don't really think about it, especially that thick tough neck skin on a deer. That is a valid point on a deer you want to get mounted, though. There is a learning curve, for sure. I went through mine ruining and cutting holes in muskrat and mink and coon hides when I first started running a trapline as a kid.

 

[Theturtle]

You are the man! Did you learn how to do that on YouTube also?

No I just winged that one was a doe skinned it out where I could fold the skin out like a blanket and used it to keep everything clean while I deboned it

 

[Marsupial]

I kilt a 350 lb bear Wednesday that I took to processor and taxidermist came and skinned it there because the processor didn’t know how. I don’t feel like any less of a hunter for it. I’ll be honest I didn’t feel like messing with it till midnight. Getting him out of the woods should have been enough for a check mark on my man card.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I kilt a 350 lb bear Wednesday that I took to processor and taxidermist came and skinned it there because the processor didn’t know how. I don’t feel like any less of a hunter for it. I’ll be honest I didn’t feel like messing with it till midnight. Getting him out of the woods should have been enough for a check mark on my man card.

A bear drag is something serious for sure! Well done!