Florida Shooters Network

My neighbor now hunts with some guys that do what they call gutless processing when they kill a deer. I am pretty much on the fence about this; they slit the hide along the spine and shoulders, remove back-strap, shoulder, rump and neck meat, then leave everything else on the ground for the scavengers to eat. I see pro's to the above, but not really on this bandwagon. What do you guys think?

As long as they make those two little cuts behind the kidneys and reach in to get the butcher steaks, they're doing it just how I was taught by a man who has done hundreds that way with nothing but a Schrade Old Timer folding pocket knife.

It makes sense with our little Central Florida deer - not much meat on the lower legs and ribs. A monster buck from north of the Suwanee is a different story.

Feral hogs are harvested this way when you have a few trapped in a catch-pen. Smaller pigs can be processed on the tailgate of your truck.
Yes, there is some wasted meat, but better and much quicker to harvest this way than to leave the whole animal for the buzzards.

The kid I hunt with can put backstraps and 4 quarters in the cooler in under 5 minutes using this method.

Why dump 20 pounds of guts on the ground (or your garage floor) when you dont have to?

You guys are starting to make me see the light! Guess I'm just used to Virginia and North Carolina deer that are a lot bigger than the ones down here. Might give this a try next year. Would be a lit quicker and less messy.

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