I turned it off , if it works for him great !
Speed up my gralloch?
- Thread starter wildfowler.250
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John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
With a decent knife ( I use a Green River sheep skinner) you are able to open the gut cavity hide with deer on its back and then use a two handed grip on the knife handle and with a stout upwards cut you will split open the full brisket. I can do this on most of the largest sambar and those little deer would be easy to split.
Continue the cut up the underside of the neck and everything is exposed.
It really is a very simple method of then pulling the lot down towards its ring etc and cutting the diaphragm on the way.
I don’t think there’s any one right way - and as others have said, of the end result is clean, speed isn’t important.
For me, the real increase in efficiency came when I started freeing off as much of the material in the chest cavity as possible before starting to pull. Either reach up inside and blunt dissect everything, or open up the rib cage and cut. The looser all that is, the quicker.
My slow point now is the bladder in bigger animals. Still not worked out a totally efficient way that I’m happy with.
For me, the real increase in efficiency came when I started freeing off as much of the material in the chest cavity as possible before starting to pull. Either reach up inside and blunt dissect everything, or open up the rib cage and cut. The looser all that is, the quicker.
My slow point now is the bladder in bigger animals. Still not worked out a totally efficient way that I’m happy with.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Yep until you have a bull moose at your feet, a bloke needs an arm length like LeBron has lol.
Not a problem I ever anticipate having.
However, I did a Limousin x Highland bull a while back. Principle was the same. Sawed open the sternum with a bow saw, freed everything off, lifted it up with a forestry forwarder and it all plopped out. If anything it was easier than a red deer because I could see what I was doing and gravity did most of the work. Obviously not something I would want to do in the absence of some heavy machinery.
Siggy
Well-Known Member
15 minutes isn’t that slow - trust me I’ve seen people take 15 minutes to get their kit ready before they even start.
15 minutes for a clean well presented carcass is time well spent and a job well done.
If you do want to get faster remember slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Have a set routine and stick to it. You will save time moving more effectively between phases. For example the bleed cut becomes the start of opening up the neck and then the skin over the sternum. If you are finding a part of the process fiddly get on YouTube and try and find an easier way.
15 minutes for a clean well presented carcass is time well spent and a job well done.
If you do want to get faster remember slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Have a set routine and stick to it. You will save time moving more effectively between phases. For example the bleed cut becomes the start of opening up the neck and then the skin over the sternum. If you are finding a part of the process fiddly get on YouTube and try and find an easier way.
Ratcatcher
Well-Known Member
I go stalking with an ex surgeon, it's a lovely neat job but I've had breakfast and two brews by the time all the kit is laid out! I really wouldn't worry, I doubt in my experience you'll be able to find two people on here who do it the same, the guy who showed me my first gralloch said " if the bits are gone and your fingers still on, it's a good job"!
maximus otter
Well-Known Member
My recipe for "hoop to snoot" grallochs for the three smaller species:
a) Tunnel out & tie off with twine.
b) Use tripe knife to open the skin from genitals to chin.
c) Use breastbone saw to open ribs.
d) Hock & hang from gambrel. Everything should begin to fall out courtesy of our friend Mr. Gravity.
e) Assist him by cutting the diaphragm. You should now have everything you don't want on the ground, connected to the carcase by the spine.
f) Decapitate.
Job done.
maximus otter
a) Tunnel out & tie off with twine.
b) Use tripe knife to open the skin from genitals to chin.
c) Use breastbone saw to open ribs.
d) Hock & hang from gambrel. Everything should begin to fall out courtesy of our friend Mr. Gravity.
e) Assist him by cutting the diaphragm. You should now have everything you don't want on the ground, connected to the carcase by the spine.
f) Decapitate.
Job done.
maximus otter
I have stalked with several vets who do a lot of surgery. None are fast, all are absolutely meticulous and produce far cleaner, better presented carcasses than me.
Unless the midges are bad, there’s nothing to be gained by trying to speed up.
Ratcatcher
Well-Known Member
Totally agree but we stalk near glenluce, yep midges means speed is a need!!
I pretty much always do suspended (snoot to hoop
) but it works equally well on the ground.Once you've opened up the chest / belly area reach behind the bladder and work as many pellets as you can back up the bowel and away from the anus. You then need to trim around the anus and withdraw a good amount out the "back end". You'll have to keep trimming around the inside of the pelvis as you withdraw. Keep the knife angled towards the pelvis as you work to avoid nicking the rectum. I use a pair of forceps to grip the anus and keep my fingers / gloves clean and you can pull the anus to one side or another as you trim to give you more room to work. On a red you want something like 4-6" or so clear. Tie off if you want (twine / cable tie).
When you then drop everything back inside (suspended) you need very, very little pressure to withdraw rectum, anus and bladder etc out through the inside of the pelvis. Bladder stays attached and as you aren't tugging and straining there is very little chance of spilling urine everywhere (and no lose pellets as you worked them all away from the anus).
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
I used to stalk with one too. On a couple of occasions the only clue he left as to which was the front and which was the back end was the way the direction the hair was growing.
So essentially you cut the urethra while freeing up the rectum?I pretty much always do suspended (snoot to hoop
Once you've opened up the chest / belly area reach behind the bladder and work as many pellets as you can back up the bowel and away from the anus. You then need to trim around the anus and withdraw a good amount out the "back end". You'll have to keep trimming around the inside of the pelvis as you withdraw. Keep the knife angled towards the pelvis as you work to avoid nicking the rectum. I use a pair of forceps to grip the anus and keep my fingers / gloves clean and you can pull the anus to one side or another as you trim to give you more room to work. On a red you want something like 4-6" or so clear. Tie off if you want (twine / cable tie).
When you then drop everything back inside (suspended) you need very, very little pressure to withdraw rectum, anus and bladder etc out through the inside of the pelvis. Bladder stays attached and as you aren't tugging and straining there is very little chance of spilling urine everywhere (and no lose pellets as you worked them all away from the anus).
Females I take everything out the same hole at the back still attached but males I tend to find the pizzle comes off quite easily when "notching" it out between the haunches but you can leave it attached. Just a big stinky lump to drag through the inside of the pelvis though so I tend to trim it off!
For the small stuff I'd do a version of maximus otter's way - I don't always hang the carcass, the deer laying with its head down a decent bit of slope will get the bits moving in pretty much the same way.
As others have said, go as fast as you can while still being safe
I rushed a dead simple gralloch one time and for no good reason I ended up with a severed tendon in one of my fingers
It never healed properly
Go fast but don't rush
As others have said, go as fast as you can while still being safe
I rushed a dead simple gralloch one time and for no good reason I ended up with a severed tendon in one of my fingers
It never healed properly
Go fast but don't rush
I hear you but speed often matters ! Last light with rapidly failing light or getting another done before they couch down . Culling numbers ? You will certainly be pressed on speed and productivity and remaining light
Myself my left hand thumb tendon , Had three Stags down not much sleep a couple of hours at most after a long drive up and more beasts to get onto . Holding the head out of the way on a slope and the knife got stuck going up the neck , gave it more pressure and it popped free and raced up the neck at high speed into my left hand . I omitted any sharpening notches on my knives from that point onwards as i think that is how the knife got stuck .
Sometimes that thumb wont let go of things too good
Thank god someone said it before me
I'm no expert and I can tell that guys done more than me but everything about it was rough as ass
No sticking it
Did he just rip the oesophagus off from the neck?
Same at the back end did he just snap it off what about the anus
Draining the blood out the back end at the end all over the loins
Another vote for Amazon's cut-resistant gloves. I find the standard size is perfect. I'll often discover I've nicked a nitrile glove in the course of the gralloch and didn't feel a thing (so check for nicks more often). Without them, I would have had a micro-cut or two, or worse. Note that they will reduce, but not prevent, more serious attempts to maim oneself.
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