Butchering in the Field After the Hunt

    Make sure the animal is dead .  really If it isn't, a shot to the neck under the ear is quick.

    Basically, you are going to first peel the hide off, and remove the meat from the bone. On your first few attempts make a lot of sausage because the meat won't look pretty after you are done with it. Most of your sausage meat will come from the front shoulders, the rear quarters (thigh), and along the back on either side of the back bone. Once you have it quartered, remove the meat from the bone, trying to remove most of the tendons and cartilage. Put all your meat in a plastic or metal container, and weigh it.

A good hunter can field gut a kill in a matter of minutes with only one hand getting bloody, a new hunter will take closer to a half hour and will want to bring plenty of cleaning supplies..

After most of the blood has drained lay the animal on the ground with the hips lower than the head. Start with the animal on it's back. Cut the hide first, then the muscle. Cut from the between the shoulders to the tail. Cut around the anus , so it comes free with the  intestines

Carefully remove the bladder and intestines. Crack the pelvic bone and prop cavity open to quicken cooling.  Cut all the way up the neck  for removal of the windpipe. Leaving the windpipe in can foul the meat. Cut the breastbone and remove the lungs and heart. Again prop the cavity open. Only use water if needed to clean up inside the cavity, and if water was necessary dry the cavity afterwards. Trim away any portion that touches the gunshot wound. Now skin the pig and clean off any hair and dirt. Use a sharp knife to cut in this pattern and pull the hide from the muscle.

The animal is now ready to go back to camp for butchering. Cover the meat to keep away bugs. Use a cheese cloth or cotton carry bag, so the game meat will continue to cool Cut the carcass into a few large pieces so they will fit into a cooler. Later at home, butcher into steaks and chops after a few days of aging the meat.

Store the meat at temperatures just above freezing.
34~38 degrees Fahrenheit for a week or two. This will age the meat to improve flavor

• After the kill you will want to quarter a your animal as soon as possible.
• Do not move (carry) the kill unless you have to
• It is important to keep the body cavity clean.
• Avoid cutting into the hair. Instead keep your knife between the flesh and the skin and cut out
• Blood and digestive organs must be removed from the body cavity quickly. The organs will deteriorate rapidly and will keep the body temp from cooling.
• meat spoils very fast if left on the ground
• DO NOT perforating the intestine and spoil the meat
• Wear gloves and be aware to keep yourself and your equipment clean.
• Reduce weight by doing most of your butchering at the kill site
• Open and clean and cool the animal as soon as it is killed
• You may need to gut your animal on the ground if you are alone or in an area with no tall trees
• Be sure to follow all local laws regarding disposal of the organs.
• To prevent the carcass from rolling, cut off the feet of hoofed animals and place them under it
• Skin the animal from one side to the backbone, spread out the hide and then roll the animal on to it to finish skinning the other half to keep the meat from rubbing on the ground
• Cover your animal if you must leave it
• Believe it or not 5 or 6 crows can clean a deer in one day

Tips for Carrying Large Game

• Do whatever you can to NOT have to carry a whole animal out yourself.
• Don't try to drag it on the floor unless the animal is very small
• Bring your camp to the kill if you are alone so you only need to carry the processed meat.
• Use two long poles as a stetcher. Lashed into an 'A' frame quarter large game and drag it out

How to Butcher a Bird
  Waterfowl / Chickens / Turkeys

Get a few things ready to make it an easier job.

• A sharp knife and/or axe.
• Heat a large pot of water until almost boiling. Put a bit of soap in the water just before you dunk.
• A block of wood like a solid stump with two nails close together to put the bird's head between

First chop the head off. Then hold the body by the legs to let the bird bleed out. Next dunk the bird in boiling water. Keep dunking the bird until you can easily pull the feathers out. After you pull all the feathers you gut the bird. You cut the skin that is between the legs. Pull the innards out that hole. Then put the bird into a cold water bath to cool it down. After that you cut it up in different parts such as, the legs, wings and breast. And put them in the freezer.

How to Skin a Rabbit with no knife

This method was invented to make skinning as quickly and as simply as possible and no knife is required to remove the skin

With the thumb and index finger, pull on the skin at the point of junction of the hind legs pushing or inserting your index finger between the thigh & the skin, then using your finger as a hook pull downward & rip the skin down to the groin. Once you have removed the skin from the thighs, grab the skin and pull downwards with both hands. Once most of the animal body is free of the skin remove the tail Now pull the skin downward again while using your finger by inserting it between the skin and the flesh in order to facilitate the clearing of the shoulders. Once they are completely cleared pull on the skin of the legs which will cut itself off easily.

How to Butcher a Rabbit

Remove the intestines & viscera. It is recommended to make the first cut a bit on the side of the stomach rather than dead on centre, to avoid perforation of the viscera. Completely remove the stomach muscles by cutting along the "filet" up to the first ribs. Break the pelvic bone with at the thigh junction in order to facilitate the cleaning operation. Remove the filets by cutting along the back bone starting at the first ribs up to the neck. Proceed the same way by sliding your knife between the ribs & filets With the knife point break the vertebras at the level of the first ribs then fold the back bone backward, the body will break in two You will end up with all the rabbit meat in four peices, the front and back of both sides. Don't cut the head and you will avoid a bloody mess