Quote:
Originally Posted by Copidosoma
....Nothing wrong with the inside of a deer either. Especially if you don't bother to take a Texas heart shot or gut shot. Shouldn't be doing that anyways in my opinion. I'll bet that the first time most people saw the insides of a large animal they didn't feel too well.
Granted, it is probably a good thing to have some experienced help if for no other reason than to know which bits to not cut.
Good luck Brad.
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Sure enough, 'cept for the part about not feeling too well - at least if the animal was not gut shot - and its heart kept beating long enough to somewhat drain the body out through the wound channel.
It helps to wear rubber dishwashing gloves because you will need to get your hands in there, to push aside organs with one hand as the other wields a knife and cuts the support structures. Keeping all the bits connected to each other prevents a big bloody/gucky mess. The gloves cut down on the 'yuk' factor, and they prevent your hand from slipping off the knife handle.
The organ layout on deer is the same as in most other mammals - big and small - including humans. So if you check out a human anatomy text in advance, you will be able to figure out what is what. Take your time, proceed logically, think your way through the job, marvel at the beauty that lies within, and your experience will be a positive one. If you refrain from puncturing the lower organs, there is nothing much more than a 'warm' smell in the air - nothing objectionable.
Now, if your bullet damaged the organs that lay behind the diaphragm (gut shot), or if you puncture those with your knife, the olfactory experience is at another level of magnitude.
Good to have some water with you, in a cycling bottle so you can squirt it under pressure should you need to clean guck off what you want to keep. A small well-honed knife is easier to manoever in tight quarters than a big long knife. You'll need a small saw to cut through the front of the pelvic girdle, so that you can crack the pelvis front apart and free the rectum and anus without cutting into them.
There are other things to consider, and tools some bring along, that ease the job. Perhaps others with more experience can jump in with advice on what works and what does not when it comes to field dressing.