Anywhere to learn animal cleaning?

[Tactical Dave]

It sounds like my sisters daughter when she is screaming......

 

[jeremy]

I have noticed one huge hole in the things I have learned and that is my ability to clean deer, squirrel, rabbit and so on. I have seen it done by my uncles a couple times when I was a kid but I have never done it myself hands on. Does anyone know anywhere to learn and actually see in person how to clean an animal for food gathering and the proper way to save items like the skin/fur or other useful items? Any info is appreciated.

I'll tell you what I am willing to do to further your knowledge. I will go out and shoot a bunch of Varmints and you can skin them all...

best coyote call there is.

Yes they are!

 

[irishfan]

That is my experience as well... I don't squirrel hunt anymore. Too much work cleaning one for so little meat.

Rabbits are a lot of work too, but not terrible if you just take the back-straps and the hind quarters. That way all you have to do is peel the skin off from the front quarters back.

IMHO, larger game is a lot easier to dress/butcher because it's not a small/delicate operation. You can pull the skin a lot harder without tearing it, and the meat cuts are a lot bigger.

Post a location and I'm sure you'll find somebody with an offer to help out. I think I'm pretty far south of you. But I would offer it up next time I butcher. Unfortunately that will probably be next fall/winter.

I rememeber seeing my uncles skin squirrels and rabbits from when I was around 8 or 9yrs old. Also, I seen it by a buddies day when I was a teenager but really don't know the proper way. From what I can tell the big thing is to avoid cutting into the stomach or intestines so not to contaminate the meat. Youtube has some pretty good videos on dressing a deer and I already learned some things I would have never noticed.

 

[bwframe]

It's easy to forget about YouTube - Broadcast Yourself., but nearly everything is there.

 

[Whosyer]

My wife has a cookbook called "The Joy Of Cooking". It's been around for years and if I remember correctly, it has a wild game section that shows how to dress rabbit,squirrel,etc... Plus some tasty recipes. Other than that, theres just a couple things to remember, everything on the inside comes out, and everything on the outside comes off. It only takes one gut puncture to learn that lesson, and a couple of hairy deer quarters to perfect your skinning skills.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

More than that I want to learn how the Europeans turn gutpiles into edible (huge assumption here) dishes. Seriously, I read about what parts the Europeans eat and it's all the stuff we leave behind.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I have the Foxfire books 1 through 6, great books. Squirrels are a little easier to skin the sooner you do it after they die. I carry freeer baggies with me and skin them as soon as possible.

I was fortunate to have grown up with two great grandfathers that taught me alot. One was a butcher by trade and with him I learned how to butcher cows and pigs. My other grandfather was the outdoorsman and loved to eat anything wild. He taught me how to clean fish, rabbits, squirrels and other game. He had a fondness for turtle meat so I was able to help him butcher a few turtles. If it walks, crawls, swims, or flys I can get the meat out of it. If you live up in Northern Indian and are unable to take E5RANGER375 up on his offer I would also be willing to go out hunting with you.

Very interested in the turtles. As I recall from my grandfather, after you kill them, you should remove the head and hang them for several days until the heart stops beating? I think he once told me that this is because the blood in the turtle was what made it taste so horrible? Any other info or corrections you can offer to this would really be appreciated.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I rememeber seeing my uncles skin squirrels and rabbits from when I was around 8 or 9yrs old. Also, I seen it by a buddies day when I was a teenager but really don't know the proper way. From what I can tell the big thing is to avoid cutting into the stomach or intestines so not to contaminate the meat. Youtube has some pretty good videos on dressing a deer and I already learned some things I would have never noticed.

The contamination issue is why I always keep wire twist ties in my pack They work great to close off the intestines and urethra before cutting....

 

[CarmelHP]

More than that I want to learn how the Europeans turn gutpiles into edible (huge assumption here) dishes. Seriously, I read about what parts the Europeans eat and it's all the stuff we leave behind.

That's what makes up superior to those entrail eating subjects.

 

[irishfan]

The contamination issue is why I always keep wire twist ties in my pack They work great to close off the intestines and urethra before cutting....

So you tie off the line instead of just cutting and pulling. Also, what kind of timeline do you have on rabbit and squirrel to get them gutted compared to a deer or other large animals?

 

[ThrottleJockey]

So you tie off the line instead of just cutting and pulling. Also, what kind of timeline do you have on rabbit and squirrel to get them gutted compared to a deer or other large animals?

When making the "gut cut" approach the "hole" area slowly, tie it off, then cut around it and remove. I've always been a fan of cleaning small game as soon as I retrieve it, just like big game. This is known as "field dressing", whereas the actual processing/butchering is left for later with big game and usually not required of small game. You really should remove the innards as soon as possible with anything you intend to eat. Avoid getting urine and feces (or stomach contents for that matter) on ANY part of the animal at all cost.

 

[xHwyLT]

@irishfan - "bwframe" is right, you can see most of what you need to learn on You-Tube, my hunting partners son-in-law, shot his first deer last year. He surprised us by gutting the deer himself, told me he learned it on You Tube. All four legged animals are gutted, skinned, and butchered basically the same way. Try looking for a butcher in your area that will allow you to watch him work. I once saw a course offered in one of the NY magazines (I think it was Time Out New York)of all places, that offered a course in butchering.
If you want to spend some dinero, the U.S. Army puts out a manual titled "U.S. Army Survival Guide Manual", which is available from the US Govt printing office or outdoor sporting book clubs or stores. It has a section on butchering game, and preparing fish, fowl, or reptiles, for food. It also tells how to use the use of different parts of an animal which we normally throw out. The timeline on gutting deer is asap, the same goes for smaller mammals. Remember the higher the temperature the sooner it has to be done. Temperature has a lot to do with how fast something decomposes.
Don't worry if you pierce the urine tract, or get some deer droppings on the meat, if you can rinse it off within a fair amount of time, it won't affect the quality of the meat. Hope this helps.

 

[Mitch B]

Youtube is a great place to learn. I use it to help me remember how to clean my guns and put them back together, and I have seen how to skin a rabbit on there also. I'm sure deer would be on there also.

 

[Scout11]

Not sure if anyone got it.. funny funny....

 

[Scout11]

Are your cleaning or dressing out for butchering if cleaning harts dog shampoo works wonders, if dressing and butchering three is a verity of books out there, I have the firefox books 1 though 3 , they show how to butcher a hog in them and most animals have the same parts, although the hide comes off with different Resistance, A rabbit will fall out of its skin a sqirrel will need to be pried from its skin

Didn't check message in reply.. again .Good humor...

 

[E5RANGER375]

So you tie off the line instead of just cutting and pulling. Also, what kind of timeline do you have on rabbit and squirrel to get them gutted compared to a deer or other large animals?

i just pinch it with my fingers. you only have to pinch the back end (top if its hanging upside down)

Throttlejockey,

with turtles yes you cut off the head, but thats so they dont bite you. snappers will still bite and move after death. I dont imagine it would be very sanitary to hang it for several days unless it was winter. I have never put out turtle lines in the winter

when you get down to the heart, yes it will still be beating. pretty cool. it takes a while to get to the heart too.

I also chop off the tail and feet just behind the claws.

 

[irishfan]

When making the "gut cut" approach the "hole" area slowly, tie it off, then cut around it and remove. I've always been a fan of cleaning small game as soon as I retrieve it, just like big game. This is known as "field dressing", whereas the actual processing/butchering is left for later with big game and usually not required of small game. You really should remove the innards as soon as possible with anything you intend to eat. Avoid getting urine and feces (or stomach contents for that matter) on ANY part of the animal at all cost.

i just pinch it with my fingers. you only have to pinch the back end (top if its hanging upside down)

Appreciate the info! I only remember seeing an animal skinned and that was squirrels and rabbits. Also, I remember seeing deer right after skinning but I really don't know the critical part of cleaning the guts out before in contaminates everything. So what most of you are getting at is you dress the smaller game immediately and for others like deer you dress them as soon as possible but can wait until you get out of the field?

I do appreciate all the infor and I should have gotten practice on this a long time ago but I am trying to add some needed skills not only for me but so I can pass on to my son when he gets older.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Appreciate the info! I only remember seeing an animal skinned and that was squirrels and rabbits. Also, I remember seeing deer right after skinning but I really don't know the critical part of cleaning the guts out before in contaminates everything. So what most of you are getting at is you dress the smaller game immediately and for others like deer you dress them as soon as possible but can wait until you get out of the field?

I do appreciate all the infor and I should have gotten practice on this a long time ago but I am trying to add some needed skills not only for me but so I can pass on to my son when he gets older.

I have not hunted deer yet so take what I say with a grain of salt but I know a lot of deer hunters and from what I hear they gut it/yank the intestenal track out int he feild then cut it up at home.... this way they can just leave the stuff they don't want (guts) in the feild for other critters to eat.

 

[E5RANGER375]

I have not hunted deer yet so take what I say with a grain of salt but I know a lot of deer hunters and from what I hear they gut it/yank the intestenal track out int he feild then cut it up at home.... this way they can just leave the stuff they don't want (guts) in the feild for other critters to eat.

yes deer needs to be bled out, so let it hang.

Irishfan. i personaly do not gut small game in the field. never have. i cary a trash bag with me (so the hair, flees, blood, etc) doesnt get everywhere on the way home, then I gut and cut. i like to let the meet soak overnight in salt water before i cook it too. it draws out the blood.

 

[dross]

There's really no need to skin rabbits in the first place. Here's an instructional video on the alternate technique:

YouTube - Fatal Attraction ~ Rabbit Soup