Deer butchering safety PSA

[shmeags]

Since I've learned a lot about safety from the good folks on here, I thought I'd throw a short post on here about a recent experience with processing.

TL;DR: It's a really good idea to wear a cut-proof glove on your non-knife hand when butchering deer. This is probably obvious to most, but it wasn't to me.

Earlier this season I was teaching a family friend how to butcher a deer and she sliced her thumb deep enough to need stitches.

I blamed myself and felt terrible that I hadn't given her cut proof gloves. I own some that I use for other tasks but it never occurred to me that I should wear them for deer butchering. Thinking back I don't think I've ever cut up a deer and NOT had a small nick at least to show for it. It's just so easy to slip and it hardly takes any pressure at all to slice yourself.

Anyway... for the rest of that butchering session I wore a cut proof glove under my nitrile glove on my non-knife hand, and made my wife do the same. I had a little less dexterity due to the thicker glove, but I found it barely impacted my work and I felt so much safer. I have since resolved to always wear a cut proof glove on my non-knife hand while butchering and recommend that others consider doing the same. Even a little cut is just so annoying, and stitches (or worse) are seriously inconvenient.

I use ANSI Level A5 gloves as I think that offers a good balance of protection vs glove thickness. I got mine from a kitchen supply store, so they're designed for knives and food handling vs sheet metal handling or whatever. Here's the link (for medium size) if anyone is interested, note the link is for a single glove, but it's only like $6, small price to pay compared to a trip to the ER.

Cut-Resistant Kitchen Gloves

Cut resistant gloves will protect employees’ hands during food prep and other kitchen tasks. Our selection of gloves includes options with different protection levels to meet your light- or medium-duty needs. Use these cut proof gloves in a variety o

www.webstaurantstore.com

I wear nitrile gloves on top of them to give a better grip and keep them clean, although they can be machine washed.

One thing to note: be careful buying cut proof gloves off Amazon or similar sites. Often the item title will say something like "Level 5 Cut Proof Gloves" but when you dig deeper you find "level 5" is just a marketing term they use and they're actually ANSI level 2 or less rated gloves. I suggest you buy from a kitchen supply store or other reputable place.

 

[thedutchtouch]

Good PSA. I sliced my finger on literally the last cut removing the last quarter on mymlast deer because I was tired. Cut gloves are something I should buy, just know that they typically protect against slicing but you're somewhat SOL for stabbing, as the point can go in between the kevlar sometimes. Still worth using. Wear a nitrile glove over top for grip is also great advice, particularly if your knife is plastic handled.

 

[krub6b]

well since the topic of slicing off appendages while butchering has been brought up here's a cautionary tale for those so inclined. Last year I shot a deer on opening day of rifle season and wanted to get it cut up and in the freezer before returning to work on Monday, so I stayed up late Sunday trimming and packaging. The last piece I needed to trim was the neck roast and as I removed a piece of silverskin I didn't pay attention to the direction I was cutting and cut off the silverskin and hit my finger with the knife. Due to cold fingers and fatigue, I only registered a minor cut, then I saw two pieces of silver skin on the cutting board, one of them was mine. I realized then that I had filleted the side of my middle finger off. There wasn't much to be done about it at that point beyond wrapping it up and hoping it didn't require medical attention, which it did. I went to urgent care the next day and they cleaned it up and put a membrane on it to help the skin regrow. Pretty gruesome way to end my butchering session.

 

[DroptineKrazy]

Really? Real classy there @krub6b . Giving all of us the finger! Thanks for the psa anyways.

 

[mathhunter]

I also bought a pair of cut prof gloves after getting tired of little knicks every time I butchered a deer. Man are they great! I should have bought them years ago.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

This PSA doesn't apply only to butchering, I've sliced myself a few times field dressing. I recall one time many years ago hunting in about 6 inches of snow I hit one poorly and had to track him for a mile before finally managing the coup de gras.

Anyway, I sliced the meat on my left thumb petty good while cutting out the windpipe. I ended up closer to another road so left him where he lay and I hiked back to get the gear I had stashed when I started the track and then to the truck to drive around. I'm pretty sure I left a better blood trail on my way back than I had been following all morning.

 

[BTaylor]

This PSA doesn't apply only to butchering, I've sliced myself a few times field dressing. I recall one time many years ago hunting in about 6 inches of snow I hit one poorly and had to track him for a mile before finally managing the coup de gras.

Anyway, I sliced the meat on my left thumb petty good while cutting out the windpipe. I ended up closer to another road so left him where he lay and I hiked back to get the gear I had stashed when I started the track and then to the truck to drive around. I'm pretty sure I left a better blood trail on my way back than I had been following all morning.

Another great reason to not gut the silly things and to not live in a state that requires you to bring the whole carcass out. Stop the spread of CWD and leave the crackus where it falls.

 

[elk yinzer]

Last year I was skinning one, I was working on the tail, pulling down full force and the tail suddenly came unsheathed and my hand flew right onto the havalon that I was holding clamped between my thighs. Buried that sucker to the bone, that one hurt pretty good.

 

[The_Fit_Ness_Monster]

Attention is free yet noone pays it.

 

[CZMark]

This PSA doesn't apply only to butchering, I've sliced myself a few times field dressing. I recall one time many years ago hunting in about 6 inches of snow I hit one poorly and had to track him for a mile before finally managing the coup de gras.

Anyway, I sliced the meat on my left thumb petty good while cutting out the windpipe. I ended up closer to another road so left him where he lay and I hiked back to get the gear I had stashed when I started the track and then to the truck to drive around. I'm pretty sure I left a better blood trail on my way back than I had been following all morning.

I was teaching a friend how to field dress a deer, he must have been more nervous than I thought. I put my index finger on the deer's belly and said "cut here", my friend proceeded to shove the tip of his knife into the tip of my finger.

 

[neonomad]

Great PSA and the stories others have posted more good reminders… here’s another related… oh maybe 10 years ago my friend’s taxidermist’s wife called him and said he would need to pick up his deer head as the taxidermist had passed away. As I understand it the guy was cutting a hose to act as a rub guard under tie downs, the utility knife slipped through the hose, he took it into the top of his leg and bled out in the driveway. So as a tag on to the great advice of wearing cutting gloves, be real careful with loading a knife up with force, and never have it coming in your direction.

 

[Still Kicking]

Years back a co-worker sliced his femoral artery when he slipped due to blood in the bed of his pickup while trying to skin his deer. He survived but had a three-week unplanned vacation.