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Public land legal after shot questions

I hunt in WV every year, in order to come back into PA legally, I have to have the brain and spine removed before bring the deer back. So I always have a empty large cooler in the truck, and I'll just quarterthem out and grab ice on the way home.

Couple things, you could do like I do and quarter and bag the deer. Airflow will help alot, even in relatively high temps. I use caribou bags because they don't let dirt or water through.

Now for saws for the pelvis, a boyscout rope saw, or a wire saw works like a dream, it weighs ounces and are super cheap, this is my go to when
 
If it’s not too far of a drag, I don’t bother with gutting it since I’ll be cleaning it shortly anyway. Many processors require the deer to be gutted, so if you plan to use one, ask them what their rules are. When I do field dress a deer, I strongly prefer using a saw to split the pelvis. I find it’s cleaner and easier, and the extra saw weight is negligible.
 
I use the same saw as @GCTerpfan . I like to split the brisket, and the vent is much easier to remove if you split the pelvis. Also, I was taught as a kid that the first thing you do with a dead deer (after tagging) is field dress it.

As a side note, I have been involved in lively debates over whether or not to split the brisket--faster cooling/easier eviscerating vs. chance of dirt/contaminates getting into the carcass.
 
For me it all depends on where i am How far i am away from the truck Who is with me and What i have with me to work with.Prefer to not have to gut the deer at all.Waste of time if you gonna get to clean him pretty quick.IMO
 
Apex7 said:
As far as the pelvic bone goes I use a tool called the Buck buster . It looks like a big tuning fork with a blade that splits the pelvic bone with no problem. It makes the job so much easier and cleaner.
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Interested. Seems hard to find. Any particular sourcing info?
 
FYI if you're going to leave the pelvic bone intact, once cut around the anus and open it up, don't be afraid to tug pretty hard on it to get pulled through the pelvic region. For years, I tried reaching up in there and cutting it all the way clear, but it takes a long time. Now I do a lot more pulling. It's pretty strong and you can pull it through pretty easily once you have it cut free from the hide.

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Weldabeast said:
Sorry to disappoint... :)

The rules just say head and evidence of sex must stay attached to the carcass.

I just haven't done it enough to be confident and have my own way of doing it. The 2 I've done just trial and error. If u type in "how to field dress a deer" on utube there are 100 different ways and honestly the camera work is lacking....I know it would be hard to get close shots of what's going on inside...

Wouldn't it just be easier to cut the throat open to cut the esophagus instead of reaching up in there and cutting blind?
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Most of my FL quota WMAs require the deer to be brought to the check station whole

No field dressing allowed

I’ve had to 4-5hr drag, carry , crawl my way just to get deer to truck from miles back in no mans land

Gotta love FL public land hunting and its nonsensical rules


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If I gut my deer, I use a Havalon Piranta knife and the Outdoor Edge Flip n Zip:


I use the FnZ to open the rib cage and split the pelvis. I pretty much follow the same process shown here:


Even since I started doing it this way, the process has been much more efficient with cleaner results.

I highly recommend a little saw like the FnZ, especially for the rib cage. It slows you to open everything up so you don't have to cut at the esophagus blindly.

"Hmm, is this my blood or his blood?" o_O
 
I always field dress shortly after recovery. Less weight to drag out. Regulations in my state are a bit vague in terms of quartering in the field. I don't split the pelvis or breastbone.

We don't have to go to a check station and can check deer in online. Depending on how you read the regulations and your cell coverage, theoretically you could check the deer in from the field and quarter it. However, I'm not trying to debate that with a game warden who may disagree with the interpretation.

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swampsnyper said:
If all you need is the head and sex ID, I would debone it in the woods. No saw needed. No need to even open the cavity. Many elk cleaning videos that show this with just the use of a little knife. Packing out meat is my go to method when legal. I hate dragging.
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This is exactly what I was gonna recommend.
 
There’s a field dressing video on John Eberhart’s channel that I thought was one of the better demonstrations I’ve seen.


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On the private farm I hunt, we always get the deer out whole and gut in the barn. Otherwise I'll gut in the field. I usually cut the cartilage to allow me to cut higher up on the esophagus. Really, though, you just need to cut above the lungs. You can be more thorough at your house (or wherever you finish the job). I never bothered with a saw to split the pelvis. You can do it without just fine. Cut around the anus with a pointy, super sharp knife. From there, you can pull it from the inside. It takes some force and things are slippery but you can do it.

Don't be afraid to pull you a YouTube video while you're out in the field. You can pause, replay sections, etc. Blood and fat wipes off phones, too.
 
In Florida early season in 100 degrees it doesn't help to open up the deer it only brings flies that much sooner. The Internal temp of a deer is about 104 degrees. After checking in whole or getting to camp . we drive to store for ice then back to skinning rack at check in or camp still use no gut method. A pair of tree loppers make quick work of joints and pelvic bone. the rest is dumped in wash tub and discarded down the road.
 
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