Chapter 7: Shot Placement & Recovery Techniques
Field Dressing

The way you handle game after it's harvested can have a significant impact on the quality of the meat. Three factors contribute to spoiled meat: heat, dirt, and moisture.

Heat is the number one concern. Bacteria grows rapidly in a carcass, especially if it's allowed to stay warm. Meat begins to spoil above 40° Fahrenheit. The higher the temperature—and the longer the meat is exposed—the greater the chance of spoilage. This is particularly true with large game.

Basic field dressing techniques help cool game by removing entrails, which lowers body heat by allowing air into the body cavity. As a rule, it's best to field dress immediately.

Field dressing a game animal isn’t a complicated process, but it’s a technique that’s best learned by observing someone with experience.

The basic procedure involves cutting open the animal from the sternum to the anus and then cutting the connective tissue that anchors the internal organs inside the body cavity and removing the organs.

As you proceed, there are several things to keep in mind.

• A small or medium-size knife is appropriate for field dressing most deer or smaller animals.
• Wear plastic disposable gloves, which prevent the spread of certain diseases from animal to human and protect you from various parasites such as ticks and fleas. Properly dispose of the gloves at home, not in the field.
• There is no need to slit the animal’s throat to make it bleed—your arrow did that. Also, there is no need to remove the glands found on a white-tailed deer’s rear legs. They will not taint the meat.
• Any trophy animal that you intend to have mounted must not be slit up the neck. Stop your cut well behind the front legs to avoid ruining the cape.
• As you work on the animal, avoid cutting or puncturing the internal organs, especially the intestines, stomach, and bladder, which can unleash fluids that require additional cleanup and may taint the meat.
• When working inside the animal, be aware that your broadhead (or someone else’s) may still be inside the animal.
• Once the animal is slit open, it’s easier to empty the contents if the carcass is on a slight incline. The body cavity can be tilted downhill to allow the contents to drain.
• Wash out the body cavity with a solution of water and vinegar (mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in 1 gallon of water), and then wipe it dry with paper towels.
• Prop the body cavity open with a stick to help it cool.
• If insects are a problem, many hunters place the carcass in a commercially available game bag. Flies and yellow jackets can be repelled with a liberal application of black pepper.

Knuckling

Because the hide acts as an insulator, warm weather will require the hide to be removed from the animal as soon as possible. An effective technique for prepping the hide for removal is called "knuckling".

Starting in the chest area, insert your fingers between the hide and meat and work your hand under the hide to break it free from the connective tissue. Continue around the entire carcass going as far as you can reach.

Typical Field Dressing Items Include: License tag and pen Blaze orange flagging Strong, sturdy knife Plastic or latex gloves Hatchet or small saw Gambrel and/or pulley system Sturdy nylon rope—at least 25 feet Whetstone or other sharpening tool 1 gallon of water with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar added Cooler and ice Plastic bags for heart and liver Plastic bags for cleanup Game bags or cheesecloth Black pepper Hand towels or wet wipes Foil Large bag for caped or trophy head Salt (non-iodized) for hide care