Gutless field dressing and boning video
Nic Barca is a hog hunter and wildlife biology (or something like that ) student in Hawaii. I’ve long sat and drooled over his stories of hunting in the islands for wild hogs, goats, and wild cattle (don’t laugh… these cattle are wild and rank… the poor man’s Cape Buffalo). It’s not just that he gets to do all this great hunting, it’s the beautiful place where he’s doing it!
Anyway, Nic has been doing some video work in addition to his hunts and stories. Most of them are worth seeing, and if you take a look at YouTube and look up nbarca, you can find some great stuff. But when I saw this video that lays out the process for gutless field dressing, I thought it was worth sharing. I’ve used the method on elk, deer, and hogs, and it’s worked great. Folks have asked me about it, and while I’ve explained it, maybe seeing it on video will make it a little more clear.
So, without further ado…
Great video! I’m curious, though: Are the hams not worth the trouble?
September 26th, 2008 at 8:32 am
That’s the way we do things. Never open the body cavity - slide in between the ribs to get the tenderloins…much cleaner meat that way.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Josh,
Personally, every piece of edible meat is worth the trouble to me. In some states, like Alaska, you’re subject to a ticket and fine if you don’t take all the edible meat. However, in some places, HI is one of them, these guys kill so many hogs and often so far back in the jungle that they’ll only take the easiest cuts. Personally, I can’t believe he didn’t pull the tenderloins, despite their small size, but there ya go…
It’s a great technique, especially when you’re way back in there and have to backpack your animal out. Once you’ve done it a couple of times and figured out the trickier parts, you’ll never go back to field dressing and dragging a whole animal again!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
This probably solves the mystery of the Chupacabra…
But seriously, that is absolutely fascinating - and good to know from Tom that there’s a way to rescue the tenderloins too.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Hey Tom, could you do a video that shows how you get the tenderloins out with that method?
September 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Hmm…this is all very interesting to me. We always gut everything, except turkey.
I can understand this technique though, considering the area they are hunting, and how far back they are in the jungle when the kill happens.
It is definitely intriguing.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Good video Phillip!
This is the method which I have had to do with all of the Bears which I have killed in Florida and here in California.
In each case I was by myself and had to pack out everything all in one trip.
Once I tried to do a complete Bear from the Cache Creek B.L.M. area and by the time I went back in to retrieve the hide, I found that the hide had already gotten too warm and grease saturated and was starting to slip.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am
Holly,
The tenderloins are pretty easy once you’ve removed the other meat from the carcass. Once the hams, backstrap, and rib meat are out of the way you can just reach up under the backbone and tug on ‘em. I find they usually need jst a little help from the point of my knife to come free, but that’s the case either way.
One thing I have found with this is that you may still need some help with big critters. On my last elk, I got one whole side boned out, but then couldn’t manage to roll him over to do the other side. Part of that was due to our position on the side of a mountain, but part of it was just a matter of sheer size.
Michael, I may get a chance to try this on a bear this coming weekend.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Break A Leg Phillip!
Where ya’ goin’
September 30th, 2008 at 4:17 am
I had a friend show me this method a few years ago. The only way to do it, and Tom’s right about the tenderloins. Easy to get to. I miss the heart now days… but not that much. ;^)
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Michael, I’m headed up to Mendocino (Covelo) to see if I can fill this B zone tag, and get the scope on a bear. With the weather coming in,it’s not a bad sign…
Cory, if you bone out the brisket and shoulders, you can get right at the heart without having to pull everything out through the abdominal cavity.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm