How to Field Dress a Deer or Wild Hog

A high quality hunting knife is needed to field dress wild game.

The process of field dressing a deer or wild hog is essentially the same as it is for all animals. Field dressing is when a hunter opens an animal's chest cavity in the field (wherever the animal was killed) and removes the animal's organs and entrails as soon as possible after the animal is killed. Field dressing is done to prevent the bacteria that begins to form immediately upon death from spreading and spoiling the meat.

Things You'll Need

• High quality hunting knife
• Rubber gloves
• Rope
• 6 to 8 inch stick

Instructions

Procedure

1. Put on the rubber gloves and roll the animal on its back. Use the rope to tie one of the animal's legs to tree or solid object to help hold it in place while you work.

2. Pinch the skin just below the breast plate and pull it toward you, away from the animal. Cut a small slit through the hide just below your finger.

3. Slip the knife into the slit using the first two fingers of your free hand as a guide, one on each side of the blade. Pull the skin up and away from the body cavity while running the knife the length of the animal, from the breast bone to the rectum. As you cut, keep the index finger on your knife hand under the spine of the knife. This will help prevent the blade from puncturing the organs.

4. Find the edges of the breast bone with your fingers. Use your knife to cut through the cartilage around the breast plate and discard. If you plan to have the head mounted, skip this step because it will damage the cape.

5. Release the rope and drop the animal to its side. On the top side of the animal, sever the membrane that holds the entrails to the inside of the ribs. Roll the animal over and repeat on other side.

6. Remove the freed entails from of the chest cavity. Retrieve the liver and any other organ meat you wish to use.

7. Place the stick between the top two ribs to keep the chest cavity propped open. Roll the animal on its stomach and allow the remaining blood to drain from the chest cavity for at least 15 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• It is a fallacy that you need to slit the animals throat to drain the blood. Once the animal is dead its heart is no longer beating so there is no longer any blood flowing through its arteries and veins.

• Make sure the animal is dead. Every year, hunters are injured by animals that they thought were dead, but were only stunned. These animals can react violently to the prick of the knife during field dressing. Approach the animal from behind and forcefully poke it in its eyeball with your gun, arrow or a long stick. If the animal does not react, it is safe to handle.

References

• L&R High Adventure Outfitters: Field Dressing Your Deer

Resources

• The Jump: Field Dressing Your Deer
• The Meatman: How To Field Dress A Deer Video