Larder Gralloch

[JH83]

I am, courtesy of YouTube and IG, seeing an increasing number of ‘Professionals’ not gralloch beasts at the site of the shot, but recover them to the larder to do so. This is presumably in order to limit foreign objects entering the carcass, however quite clearly some of the beasts shot are going an hour with green offal still in.

Is this considered best practice now? It’s been many years since I did DSC2.

I was always told gralloch and bleed immediately as both blood, and the stomach/intestines seeping into the carcass were contaminates, delaying this process for whatever reason is surely sub optimal?

My own thoughts are gralloch in situ, if it’s a longer drag then utilise a short incision, and not open the neck up. If a beast is in a muddy area then quickly extract to a set point and gralloch in the clean area.

I appreciate temperature is a major factor, but it isn’t often in England we have temperatures far into single figures…even in winter.

Thoughts? Are we over thinking this, trying to avoid a few twigs getting in, but risking much worse. Genuinely interested to hear, especially off those routinely performing larder grallochs.

 

[User00056]

I always gralloch on site. It just makes sense to, both from a meat hygiene and practicality perspective. That's my thinking, anyway

 

[JockStalk]

Gralloch at shot site. Lighter the better!

 

[Nimrod1960]

If it is not far , a munty or roe, I sometimes carry back to vehicle to do a suspended. By not far I mean 20min walk max.

 

[thomas]

Muntjac l will usually deal with in situ and hang in a convenient spot for collection. Fallow and boar it’s usually always back to larder to sort them out.

 

[Spear Chucker]

I would opt for immediate evisceration, especially at this time of the year and also bearing in mind the fact that the grass is still unusually lush for the time of year in our area. I would bet a carcass would fire far quicker than many would think under these conditions.

 

[deerstalker.308]

On very rare occasions I’ve brought reds back home and nearly always regretted it, there’s a lot of offal to dispose of and it only gets bigger and smellier. Far easier to do it in the field and if the ground is grotty drag to the nearest dry/clean spot and do it there. They bag up so quickly even when it’s cold out, you’re still competing with body temp

 

[User00056]

I hazard a guess that those who opt to gralloch at the larder don't have to contend with a couple of miles walk with it on their back. THAT'LL influence your approach pretty fast

 

[VSS]

I am, courtesy of YouTube and IG, seeing an increasing number of ‘Professionals’ not gralloch beasts at the site of the shot, but recover them to the larder to do so. This is presumably in order to limit foreign objects entering the carcass, however quite clearly some of the beasts shot are going an hour with green offal still in.

Is this considered best practice now? It’s been many years since I did DSC2.

I was always told gralloch and bleed immediately as both blood, and the stomach/intestines seeping into the carcass were contaminates, delaying this process for whatever reason is surely sub optimal?

My own thoughts are gralloch in situ, if it’s a longer drag then utilise a short incision, and not open the neck up. If a beast is in a muddy area then quickly extract to a set point and gralloch in the clean area.

I appreciate temperature is a major factor, but it isn’t often in England we have temperatures far into single figures…even in winter.

Thoughts? Are we over thinking this, trying to avoid a few twigs getting in, but risking much worse. Genuinely interested to hear, especially off those routinely performing larder grallochs.

There's plenty of shot deer that lie on the ground for couple of hours before they're even located, let alone gralloched. Think of group cull highseat session where, for obvious safety reasons, nobody can leave their seat before the prearranged close of play. The session might last a couple of hours, and it might take another hour or two to locate everyone's shot beasts, so any animal shot early in the session will have been lying for a fair while. It's quite normal.
So, while every endeavour should be made to get the green out ASAP after death, there is a risk of overthinking it.

 

[JH83]

There's plenty of shot deer that lie on the ground for couple of hours before they're even located, let alone gralloched. Think of group cull highseat session where, for obvious safety reasons, nobody can leave their seat before the prearranged close of play. The session might last a couple of hours, and it might take another hour or two to locate everyone's shot beasts, so any animal shot early in the session will have been lying for a fair while. It's quite normal.
So, while every endeavour should be made to get the green out ASAP after death, there is a risk of overthinking it.

That’s a good point.

I suppose the point I’m making is that when you locate said beast is it not our duty to start the process immediately? As opposed to go get the truck, trailer/quad, then transport prior? If you were bound by safety not to get out of a seat or lose one (temporarily) it’s out of your hands. Food for thought.

 

[Tim.243]

I am, courtesy of YouTube and IG, seeing an increasing number of ‘Professionals’ not gralloch beasts at the site of the shot, but recover them to the larder to do so. This is presumably in order to limit foreign objects entering the carcass, however quite clearly some of the beasts shot are going an hour with green offal still in.

Is this considered best practice now? It’s been many years since I did DSC2.

I was always told gralloch and bleed immediately as both blood, and the stomach/intestines seeping into the carcass were contaminates, delaying this process for whatever reason is surely sub optimal?

My own thoughts are gralloch in situ, if it’s a longer drag then utilise a short incision, and not open the neck up. If a beast is in a muddy area then quickly extract to a set point and gralloch in the clean area.

I appreciate temperature is a major factor, but it isn’t often in England we have temperatures far into single figures…even in winter.

Thoughts? Are we over thinking this, trying to avoid a few twigs getting in, but risking much worse. Genuinely interested to hear, especially off those routinely performing larder grallochs.

Only done one Fallow at home as the women did not want it cleaned out in her 2 acre garden (no problem)
in the truck drove up the road, stuck it so it was bleeding drove home 45mins up on the hoist and over the Plasters bath.
A mate brought a muntjac around he had shot claiming he didn't have a knife lol
Put it on the shed hoist gave him a knife and bucket...Can you do it please...yes then put guts in double bag and gave it to him lol

 

[VSS]

That’s a good point.

I suppose the point I’m making is that when you locate said beast is it not our duty to start the process immediately? As opposed to go get the truck, trailer/quad, then transport prior? If you were bound by safety not to get out of a seat or lose one (temporarily) it’s out of your hands. Food for thought.

Go for whatever option will give you the cleanest, most hygienic result, within the parameters you've been set.

I always used to do a full gralloch in the field, but gave that up after seeing how much debris can end up inside a carcass after a long drag. Now I just take out the green with minimal cuts, and do the rest at the larder, even if that's several hours later. And I don't interrupt a highseat session. Anything shot stays where it is until I've finished.

For my park culling, I take the carcass back to the larder unopened and do the whole job there, because it's so close.

 

[phildsmith69]

In DSC1 we were told that the gralloch should be done within 30mins in warm weather. If you are a short distance from your larder it is best practice to load the deer in your vehicle and gralloch in the larder.

 

[Overlay]

If you’ve got 3 fallow on the deck external inspection then just a green field gralloch aids the best practice of cooling, in the event you aren’t allowed to leave the green on the shot site just bag it ( a bag in a bag) up you cooled the deer with minimum cuts, cleared the shot site, all good to go
Back at the larder normal procedure. Result 3 nicely gralloched deer in good order all other extras like heart, liver and kidneys all still inside in good order as additional fare

I cannot see the sense in a full gralloch in the field, including removing the head and feet you leave all the gash behind and have several more wound points as a chance of infection

And nowadays in some places that on its own develops complaints from 3rd parties if they find it or they pooch does

You do a far far better job in a larder, deer off the ground all full gralloch completed in a good place, a deer to say you done your job properly

Sometimes when you see gralloch, head, feet lumps of fur laying in a pool of blood for everyone to step in 2 foot off a footpath makes you think of what standard the stalkers at on his journey, not far that’s for sure or is that the stalker doesn’t want take any waste home being as his larder is so clean and minimistic to wanton such debris in his abode

A green only gralloch is better cleaner and good for deer stalking

Being honest it doesn’t take long to do a field gralloch and tidy up, I still find it hard to see why some decide to leave the disemboweled innards and bits for all to see

On the hill yep ok it will feed something, in a wood used by the public - worst enemy comes to mind

I hope it’s not all done to laziness and badly trained stalkers

 

[Pete6.5]

If you have a larder on site and it's in the winter and use mechanical extraction I think you get a slightly better presented carcass doing it suspended in a larder. But both options produced a saleable product.

 

[paulbshooting]

Most of my stalking is on foot so always carry the kit to do suspended on fallow, roe and munties. Fortunate that all my ground has decent access to get vehicle to or very close so carcasses never touches the ground. Prefer to gralloch ASAP and let the cooling begin, before the short trip to chiller.

 

[Nickb]

Always gralloch at shot site immediately.

 

[Trickyd66]

I'm just starting my journey into stalking, and one of the DSC1 questions relates to this, and if close enough larder is preferable for gralloch there.
Like everything now in life it is a risk based/ assessment on a case by case basis.

Before the current deer act, as a child I remember a group from London who came to our farm shooting pigeon and rabbit bagged a roe. Pretty sure that sat around for a few hours and then back to London in a car before aircon. They returned unscathed after eating it.

Likewise, best practice for rabbit seems to be paunch ASAP, but most game dealers want them guts in and frozen for food safety traceability.