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Gut Shot question

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huntncoach

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Joined
Jun 15, 2007
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551
Location
Blount County, TN
Saturday I was fortunate enough to get my first bow kill in four years - just haven't hunted as much nor seen many deer during archery season. Regardless, I shot the deer (doe) coming head on, but almost straight down from my tree. The entry was through the top of the right lung, but the exit was quite a bit farther back. Of course, I went on a field dressed the deer, but there was a lot of stomach and intestinal contents in the body cavity. What's worse, it got warm that late morning and afternoon and I had to help by buddy find his buck he shot about the same time. We did put my deer on ice in a large cooler, but the leftover intestinal junk was still on part of the meat. We hung both deer once we got back home since it was going to be cool and processed the next morning. I just didn't think it smart to keep the tenderloins since they had "marinated" in the literal crap from the deer guts. The same goes for part of the hams, shoulders, and the backstraps. All in all, I got about a gallon and a half of what I though was good meat. Should I have been concerned about consuming the other parts?
 
I always carry paper towel when hunting. I keep them in the truck. but anyway back to what I was saying. I was tought to wipe out as much I could in the field then wash out when I got home. you can get a lot more out than you think just wiping. I can tell you this though if I gut shot one it sets in the freezer for a minimum of thirty six days it kills bacteria that way.
 
I wouldn't eat it with gut marinating it. It would taste like gut shot. I've had a little experience with it.
I also try to not wash my meat off unless it's absolutely necessary. I keep a bucket of water next to me and dip my knife in it for the hair. I use care when gutting it and dragging it out to not let leaves and dirt inside of it.

I really don't know if I've ever just washed and rinsed meat off. I'll pick it off with my fingers.
 
learn to skin a deer with the gutless method.

In your case, you can pull the tenderloins out retroperitoneally with no gut contamination (unless the arrow exited out the tenderloins), and only lose the part of the ham the arrow actually exited out of.

Once you get proficient after doing 4 or 5, you can go from a whole deer on the ground to skinned quarters in the cooler in under 30 minutes. THEN start tracking your buddy's deer.

Once you've done a hundred that way, you can skin and quarter one in just a touch over 15 minutes.
 
megalomaniac said:
learn to skin a deer with the gutless method.

In your case, you can pull the tenderloins out retroperitoneally with no gut contamination (unless the arrow exited out the tenderloins), and only lose the part of the ham the arrow actually exited out of.

Once you get proficient after doing 4 or 5, you can go from a whole deer on the ground to skinned quarters in the cooler in under 30 minutes. THEN start tracking your buddy's deer.

Once you've done a hundred that way, you can skin and quarter one in just a touch over 15 minutes.
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100% If there is any chance of a gut shot that is the way to go, once you open the stomach cavity that stuff goes everywhere. I have only done one, and I processed it traditionally, keeping only what I was sure wasn't touched. Later, after I unfroze some pieces, they still smelled, threw out most of it.
 
Tenderloins are no good if they marinated in gut juice. I had a similar situation and I hung that deer and got the garden hose on it before skinning it. It did not help. The backstraps and quarters were fine, the tenderloins were contaminated and ended up being tossed out (after I tried cooking them). I couldn't even stand the smell. Never did taste the meat.
 
megalomaniac said:
learn to skin a deer with the gutless method.

In your case, you can pull the tenderloins out retroperitoneally with no gut contamination (unless the arrow exited out the tenderloins), and only lose the part of the ham the arrow actually exited out of.

Once you get proficient after doing 4 or 5, you can go from a whole deer on the ground to skinned quarters in the cooler in under 30 minutes. THEN start tracking your buddy's deer.

Once you've done a hundred that way, you can skin and quarter one in just a touch over 15 minutes.
Click to expand...
I will say that a gut shot deer may still have contaminated true tenderloins if gut shot badly, but the rest should not be lost if you use the gutless method
 
EastTNHunter said:
I will say that a gut shot deer may still have contaminated true tenderloins if gut shot badly, but the rest should not be lost if you use the gutless method
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nope, tenderloins are retroperitoneal. You can fill the abdominal cavity with pure $hit and the tenderloins are clean since they aren't in the peritoneal cavity. Only way they get contaminated is if the arrow or bullet penetrates the peritoneum over the tenderloins, or you don't know what you are doing when pulling the tenderloins from the back and puncture the peritoneum when removing them.

I will say this... if you gut shoot a deer and wait over an hour to pull the tenderloins out retroperitoneally, it is MUCH harder not to puncture the peritoneum due to the gas build up inside the abd cavity from all the bacteria released. Get em out QUICK on a gut shot deer!
 
megalomaniac said:
nope, tenderloins are retroperitoneal. You can fill the abdominal cavity with pure $hit and the tenderloins are clean since they aren't in the peritoneal cavity. Only way they get contaminated is if the arrow or bullet penetrates the peritoneum over the tenderloins, or you don't know what you are doing when pulling the tenderloins from the back and puncture the peritoneum when removing them.

I will say this... if you gut shoot a deer and wait over an hour to pull the tenderloins out retroperitoneally, it is MUCH harder not to puncture the peritoneum due to the gas build up inside the abd cavity from all the bacteria released. Get em out QUICK on a gut shot deer!
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Gotcha
 
Yes, when using the gutless method for field dressing an animal, there is a potential to waste a significant amount of meat, as most people who use this technique choose to leave behind the organs, which are considered high-quality edible meat; this is the primary reason why the gutless method is often criticized for potential meat waste.




Key points about the gutless method and meat waste:



  • Organs left behind:
    The main concern is that when gutting an animal using the gutless method, most hunters choose not to remove the organs like the liver, heart, and kidneys, which are considered valuable cuts of meat.
  • Time saving benefit:
    While the gutless method can save time in the field, especially when dealing with large animals, this advantage comes at the cost of potentially leaving behind a significant amount of edible meat.
  • Situational use:
    Depending on the hunting situation, the gutless method may be suitable, but if maximizing meat recovery is the primary goal, a traditional gutting method is often preferred.
 
BPhunter said:
Yes, when using the gutless method for field dressing an animal, there is a potential to waste a significant amount of meat, as most people who use this technique choose to leave behind the organs, which are considered high-quality edible meat; this is the primary reason why the gutless method is often criticized for potential meat waste.




Key points about the gutless method and meat waste:



  • Organs left behind:
    The main concern is that when gutting an animal using the gutless method, most hunters choose not to remove the organs like the liver, heart, and kidneys, which are considered valuable cuts of meat.
  • Time saving benefit:
    While the gutless method can save time in the field, especially when dealing with large animals, this advantage comes at the cost of potentially leaving behind a significant amount of edible meat.
  • Situational use:
    Depending on the hunting situation, the gutless method may be suitable, but if maximizing meat recovery is the primary goal, a traditional gutting method is often preferred.
Click to expand...
You will waste organs and rib meat with the gutless method.

NM has a wanton waste law. Everything must be taken including neck meat except for organs and rib meat. I killed an antelope, had him skinned and quartered and on ice in the cooler within 20 minutes after the shot (which is CRITICAL when it comes to antelope). Left the carcass in the field. Another tag holder found my carcass and called NM Game and Fish and reported me for wanton waste. They interviewed me, I confirmed I killed the animal, then asked them if they had inspected the carcass yet. They hadn't yet, were just beginning their investigation. They left to inspect the carcass, then came back to me and bragged on what a great job I had done recovering all the meat, even with the gutless method. Turns out the guy that reported me didn't even look at the carcass, just saw it looked mostly intact except for legs and called the warden.
 
megalomaniac said:
You will waste organs and rib meat with the gutless method.

NM has a wanton waste law. Everything must be taken including neck meat except for organs and rib meat. I killed an antelope, had him skinned and quartered and on ice in the cooler within 20 minutes after the shot (which is CRITICAL when it comes to antelope). Left the carcass in the field. Another tag holder found my carcass and called NM Game and Fish and reported me for wanton waste. They interviewed me, I confirmed I killed the animal, then asked them if they had inspected the carcass yet. They hadn't yet, were just beginning their investigation. They left to inspect the carcass, then came back to me and bragged on what a great job I had done recovering all the meat, even with the gutless method. Turns out the guy that reported me didn't even look at the carcass, just saw it looked mostly intact except for legs and called the warden.
Click to expand...
I would not call it a waste if gut shot, but some do it with all their kills. Which isn't a bad thing if done on the ground, and you can still get the organs at the end if you haven't gut shot it and you want them.
 
megalomaniac said:
You will waste organs and rib meat with the gutless method.

NM has a wanton waste law. Everything must be taken including neck meat except for organs and rib meat. I killed an antelope, had him skinned and quartered and on ice in the cooler within 20 minutes after the shot (which is CRITICAL when it comes to antelope). Left the carcass in the field. Another tag holder found my carcass and called NM Game and Fish and reported me for wanton waste. They interviewed me, I confirmed I killed the animal, then asked them if they had inspected the carcass yet. They hadn't yet, were just beginning their investigation. They left to inspect the carcass, then came back to me and bragged on what a great job I had done recovering all the meat, even with the gutless method. Turns out the guy that reported me didn't even look at the carcass, just saw it looked mostly intact except for legs and called the warden.
Click to expand...
They have fools in every state.
 

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