Preparing the kill

Dano

Active Member
Hi,

Im heading out this Friday for my first stalking trip ever. Im quite enthusiastic about cooking as well as my shooting and fishing interests so was hoping if I shoot a deer what the normal/best way is to deal with the carcass for the table...My table, to be exact!

Is deer always "gralloched" immediatly after its been shot dead?
Is the blood (or as much as can be) removed during the gralloching process or is this another exercise?
Would we remove the skin/head/feet before leaving the estate?

Sorry if these questions sound a bit nieve but I was a bit worried about killing an animal (im stalking in the evening) and spoiling the meat by leaving it overnight with bloody entrails and stuff. Yuk! Iv got a local butcher primed to help me - at a minor cost, but he's not available untill saturday morning so i cant take the carcass straight to his larder.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Dan
:D
 
The first thing to check is that you will get to keep the carcase as many estates/stalkers don't give you the carcase by default. If you have confirmed that you get to keep the carcase or if you are going out on your own ground then you are quids in but if not then it is possible that you will be offered the chance to buy it. This is usually at the wholesale cost. Either way it is worth checking on this first before going any further.

If you are going out with someone, as I guess you must be, then in all probability they will know how to deal with the carcase and will be able to offer advice. Indeed they may be able to hang it for you until it suits to take it to your butcher.

The deer must be gralloched asap and the first step in this is usually to bleed the carcase.

I would recommend that you get yourself a copy of the 2 recent videos from the BDS as they are excellent in terms of following the process from gralloch right to the table. I think they are about £40 from the BDS web site. If you get your order in quick you might have them before Friday and your stalker might allow you to try some of the things you learn.
 
Dano, it sounds as if a couple of trips with an expreienced stalker would be a better option than shooting a deer and not knowing how to deal with it!!
 
downwind said:
Dano, it sounds as if a couple of trips with an expreienced stalker would be a better option than shooting a deer and not knowing how to deal with it!!

Sorry if i didnt make it clear, but yes im going out with a very experianced guide, and yes i will be buying the carcass from the estate.

Im going to be speaking to him tomorow about this too.
Dan
 
Ahhh that's a relief :lol: If you manage to shoot anything, have your man show you the correct procedure and watch carefully. Good luck. Cheers, Pete.
 
Dano

It sounds as though you're going with someone very experienced, so they should be able to get the carcase "dealer ready" at the end of your stalk - gralloched, head and legs off, pluck (kidney, heart & liver) stored away in a separate bag.

This means that the carcase will be prepared and ready for hanging but still "in the skin". Depending on the weather you then need to hang the deer either in a chiller or in the garage. How long you hang it is really down to personal taste, but I typically tend to hang mine for 5-7 days.

Meanwhile I suggest you print out and read through Re"M"ington's recent post on skinning and butchering a deer, which you can find on this General Discussion area of the SD site. It's an excellent description of how to prepare the carcase into "bite-size chunks" ;)

You can also get the DVD's from the BDS or elsewhere on how to prepare the carcase or, if you can find an experienced stalker locally, get someone to show you.

All the best and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

willie_gunn
 
Dano, another source of knowledge is You-Tube. Put "Gralloching a Deer" into the search or "Butchering a Deer". There's plenty of help and information available there for all, and it's free. :) :)
Cheers, Pete.
 
Deer Commission Scotland website also has a useful guide & pics of butchering deer - from memory I think it's www.dcs.gov.uk, and I think it's under a section called guides or something suchlike.

Good hunting and eating - it's well worth it!

RH
 
African

here is my 2c worth.

youtube.com have a look there .. there are some realy good american deer hunting vidios post kill on how to feeald dress a deer.

in South Africa the tradition is when you shoot your first buck, you have to feeald dress it your self and only after that can you just let the boys get on with it.

any how ,, the tradition is ..
the hunt stops as soon as the new boy on the block get s his kill,
you have to gut the buck , normaly with your shirt off. it is the middle of winter and can be realy freezing out doors!!(normaly under the direction of all the others!!)
then as soon as you get the liver out, you have to take a small slice and eat it raw, there and then.. (not that bad realy)
I was in SA in the eastern cape this last hunting season, Jun 2008 with an old school buddy. we are now both in our 40's but he had never been out hunting game.

so under direction form all the on lookers , and one big instigator,(the farm ranch owner( realy good laff) Garth had to first put war paint on of Blood and only then could he eat his liver.. and not just a small sliver eather.. well now he is a man !!

realy funny at the time and still realy funny now infact..

ps. it was a yong KUDU bull (for the pot)
 
PSS

PSS was out for a week and did not even pull the triger at a buck! (ok I was hunting with a .50 with a range of my abuility 100m so saw some realy nice big Kudu but at 300 od so no can do and was also after mountin rebuck , so not much cover on the upper slopes.. but realy good fun. (will be out there again this year to shoor wart hogs.) and that is what it realy is all about.. it is sport. to be in side the buck sensory area. even though it is a killing sport it is a sport!

so enjoy.. and good luck.
 
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