I began hunting in the West several years ago. When it came to field dressing an animal, the only experience I had was “gutting” a whitetail— just like how everyone else in my family did here in Pennsylvania. One of the first things I had to figure out once we committed to our first western backpack hunt was the “gutless method”. Otherwise, good luck dragging a 600 pound a gutted elk off the mountain back to the truck.
After a few of Youtube videos, I was finally able to practice this method for the first time on a whitetail in Pennsylvania. I knew it would be foolish to try this for the first time deep in the Rocky Mountains on an elk. The first time might partially be a hack job. But this method can be super effective for many reasons. When I still lived back East (I moved to Idaho a few months prior to this post), this actually became my go-to way of field dressing. And I have never gone back to any other way. Here is why:
Saves Time and Money
This method can save you time but there is some nuance here. Yes, in the field this will take more time than the traditional “gutting” method. But it will ultimately save you in the long run. If you are someone who does their own butchering, you know are coming home with four quarters of meat ready to be broken down. Your meat processing job just became much more expedited.
But not everyone butchers their own deer. You either might not want to deal with the mess or prefer some nicer cuts to be made from your local butcher. Either way if this is you, your wallet will thank you for utilizing the “gutless method”. Personally, I butcher most of my deer myself. If I am fortunate enough to bag several animals during the fall, I will drop one off at my local processor for some nicer cuts. If you utilize this method, you may find yourself getting a discount! When I was still living in Pennsylvania, I would drop my deer off already quartered and have a miscellaneous bag of meat. My local shop there only charged 50% of what they normally charge for a standard cut of a whole deer. Hard to beat that!
No Limits
This is the biggest reason I never went back to field dressing a deer the traditional way. If you are someone who likes to hunt solo and likes to hike in deep— there are now no limits for your pursuit. You will never again think, “Yeah that spot looks good but how will I ever get one out of there?”. You will also not have to be reliant on a buddy to drive all that way to your hunting spot to help with your “drag”.
When I would chase my public land whitetails back East, I would utilize my framed pack I would take to hunt the West. I would attach a smaller 2000 cubic inch bag loaded down with my gear and my mobile hang-on setup. This way I was ready to pack an animal out once I found success with a well-placed arrow. Then once it was time to head West, I would attach my larger volume bag to the frame to chase elk or mule deer in the backcountry.
I was completely self-sufficient to hunt the East and pack everything out with this setup. This system also allowed me to get into deeper and steeper areas of hill country public land that other hunters may not want to explore. They may be too worried about dragging a deer out of some of these spots. That’s fine. More land for me to explore.
Also make sure you pick up some quality game bags. I have used cheap ones before and have had experiences with the bags starting to tear open once loaded down. I run the Kifaru Elk Kit game bags for all my hunts. Even when I was hunting Pennsylvania whitetails, I would simply just leave one or two bags I know I will not need at home. But then when it was time to head West in September, I was ready with the full kit.
Wrapping Up
The “gutless method” is by far an underutilized way of field dressing. If you are reading this from back East or down South, I recommend giving it a try on your next whitetail. What started as a method I began learning to backpack hunt the West, ultimately became my go-to way of field dressing. My family has undertaken this method as well. They all still live in Pennsylvania and once they head to deer camp after Thanksgiving, they are all ready with their framed backpacks and game bags.
I do just want to point out that you should double check your local regulations to make sure this is legal in your hunting state. This has not been an issue in the places I have hunted but I would be remise without mentioning that. If your state gives the green light for quartering out your animal in the field, this might just open up a whole new world of hunting for you. I can attest it did for me.