The Best Method to Field Dress a Deer

You've taken down your deer with a clean shot and now you need to dress it out in order to take it home and butcher it. But how, exactly, do you dress a deer while in the field and away from handy tools and the comfort of home? With a sharp knife and some basic knowledge, you can field dress a deer in a matter of minutes.

Initial cuts

Turn the deer onto its back so that its back legs are spread and its stomach is facing upward. Cut an incision, with the blade of your knife pointing upward, at the base of the deer's sternum just long enough to fit your index and middle finger into. Slide the fingers of your hand into the hole and spread them. With the other hand, slide the blade of the knife into the hole between your fingers.
Cut down the length of the deer, from the sternum to the gentalia. Use your fingers to lift the skin away from the intestines inside and make sure not to cut open the intestines.
Cut around the sex organs and to, but not through, the anus and rectum.

Remove the sex organs

If dressing a doe, cut around the udder and remove it. Check if it holds milk by cutting into the fatty tissue around it. Cut around the vagina and then up and around the anus of the deer, cutting in a circular motion. Tie off the rectum with a string, or simply tie a knot in the intestine.
If dressing a buck, simply cut off the penis and testicles before proceeding with the above steps.

Cut the intestines free

Turn the deer on its side and let the blood and intestines spill out of the cavity. You'll need to reach inside the deer and cut intestinal membrane along its back as well as cut through its esophagus to free the intestines completely. Once the esophagus is cut, tie it off and turn the deer over as far as you can to let the blood and intestines slide out.

Clear the chest cavity

You may want to use your knife, or a saw, to cut open the sternum at this point, though it is not required.
Reach inside the deer once again and follow the remainder of the esophagus as far up as you can reach. Carefully cut it free and then cut the diaphram--or membrane--between the lungs and the ribcage and along the back of the deer. Pull the heart, liver and lungs free from the cavity. Remove the heart and liver and place in a baggie, as they are both edible portions of the deer.
Turn the deer over again and drain any remaining blood.

If the intestines were cut

If you accidentally cut the intestines, or if the deer was gut shot, then remove the intestines and clear out the chest cavity. Clean the interior of the deer with snow or water. Dry as well as possible with clean rags. This will prevent the meat from becoming contaminated.

References

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Penn State University

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