Field Dressing the Deer

Gonyaul walked slowly over to the deer, admiring the animal that would continue it's journey by becoming energy for his own. He gestured for Wim to watch as he began to take charge in field dressing the creature. It was crucial that they remove the animal's entrails in order to preserve its meat. It would help cool the carcass, slow bacteria growth and remove blood and paunch materials from the meat.

Kneeling down beside the dear, Gonyaul began to get to work. "First, recover arrow head." He carefully located all the parts of the multiple arrows and removed them. With deer then moved on its side, Gonyaul knelt behind it and cut a coring ring a couple of inches deep through hide around the anus. "Start here" he said. He slid his knife deeper into the pelvic canal and retraced the coring cuts to slice attached membrances and free those last few inches of colon. He was careful not to puncture the colon. Its contents can taint the meat. He pointed to the colon, "No cut."

Next he dragged the deer over to a slope in the ground and positioned the deer belly up with its head elevated. He took a nearby couple of rocks and secured the carcass by wedging them under its ribcage. It would have been easier if he had rope to tie things, but this would still work.

"New cut." Gonyaul grabbed the skin where it forms a "V" between the rear legs. He cut a shallow 1-inch slit through the skin. Using the first incision as a starting point, he cut open the belly from the pelvic bone to the breastbone. He showed Wim how to hold your index and middle fingers inside the hole to separate the hide from the organs and guide the knife. He also showed Wim that it was important to hold the knife with its blade facing up to avoid puncturing organs, and then cut all the way to the sternum.

Next Gonyaul straddled the deer so that he was over it's chest cavity, with the blade facing away towards the head. He cut through ribcage until reaching the neck. The sounds it made, were as unpleasant as one might imagine. It required strong, steady leverage. He stopped before the neck. "No cut neck."

Gonyaul moved off the deer, and cut through the diaphragm to reach the chest cavity's organs. He did so from the cavity's walls and worked all the way to the spine in order to separate it. With his free hand, he reached up and grabbed the windpipe above the lungs and heart. Holding tight, Gonyaul pulled it towards himself until it was taut. With his other hand he took the knife and carefully severed through the windpipe to free the entrails.

His hands and lower forearms were covered in blood at this point. This was messy work. Gonyaul began showing Wim how to remove the entrails. He put the heart and liver aside, because those could be used for good eating. "Pull hard." With one long, strong pull on the windpipe all the entrails came easily. The internal organs which were no longer necessary he picked up and moved to the side. "No eat" he explained. "Leave it."

Gonyaul then reached under the deer and turned the body over and spread its legs so the cavity is open against the ground. He found a few sticks to help lift is slightly to increase drainage and air circulation. This helped any pooled blood to drain. He was careful not to let any of the meat touch the ground or debris. "Blood now drain. We wait."

The Vauxian sat back from the deer pleased with his work. "Once blood stop, cut meat out. Make fire?" Gonyaul figured they could make a fire to cook some of it now to eat and then Wim could take any parts he wanted back with him for later. He stood and without waiting for an answer began the necessary preparations for starting a fire from scratch.