I like Ohio Farm Girl's tutorial. Very well done and to the point. You can see how they gut on the ground. Works well, and you have less of a chance of busting the guts. A tarp makes a great clean work area as well.
A few things I've learned after butchering 40+ deer, elk, and bear that might help include:
1. Use zip ties to seal off the penis, bladder, bung hole, etc. The 6-8" ones are what I carry in my pack. They don't come undone. Two zip ties near the bung, and a cut between the two allows you to remove the anus once the animal is hanging.
2. Buy or make a gambrel. Looks like a hanger on steroids.
3. Buy a chain hoist if you are going to be doing this regularly. $40-50 at Harbor Freight. You can move animals up and down with ease, especially if you are a female or young boy. You can see the chain hoist in the pics above.
4. When skinning use the "one dirty hand" and "one clean hand" method. Knife hand is clean, while the other hand draws the skin down.
Both of my boys have it down pretty good now.
5. A Sawzall with a dedicated 12" wood/metal blade is one of the best tools in the world for breaking down an animal. You can split the spine of an elk in about 30 seconds, and it is handy for removing legs, or for cutting out rib sections on pork. Cordless ones are great if you need to cut something REALLY big in half. Toss the blade in the dishwasher after butchering.
A few things I've learned after butchering 40+ deer, elk, and bear that might help include:
1. Use zip ties to seal off the penis, bladder, bung hole, etc. The 6-8" ones are what I carry in my pack. They don't come undone. Two zip ties near the bung, and a cut between the two allows you to remove the anus once the animal is hanging.
2. Buy or make a gambrel. Looks like a hanger on steroids.
3. Buy a chain hoist if you are going to be doing this regularly. $40-50 at Harbor Freight. You can move animals up and down with ease, especially if you are a female or young boy. You can see the chain hoist in the pics above.
4. When skinning use the "one dirty hand" and "one clean hand" method. Knife hand is clean, while the other hand draws the skin down.
Both of my boys have it down pretty good now.
5. A Sawzall with a dedicated 12" wood/metal blade is one of the best tools in the world for breaking down an animal. You can split the spine of an elk in about 30 seconds, and it is handy for removing legs, or for cutting out rib sections on pork. Cordless ones are great if you need to cut something REALLY big in half. Toss the blade in the dishwasher after butchering.
