October 25, 2006 02:11 AM
Remove Wind Pipe when Field Dressing a Deer?
I received the following question from "Nikky"
Nikky asks
"we've come to a question that i havent found an answer to yet i have got a field dressing and deboning video and they leave the wind pipe in all the way through the deboning process, but i have several friends that say that ruins the meat and needs to be removed when field dressing. can you please help with this as i'm not sure which way is right. thankyou for your help"
Nikky,
Thanks for your great question.
I have been processing wild game for over 24 years and have seen a lot of venison wasted because of improper field dressing.
Your friends are correct. Leaving the windpipe in could cause the meat in the neck to spoil quicker. This is especially true in warmer weather.
The only time to leave the windpipe intact during field dressing is when you have harvested a trophy buck and you plan to take it to a taxidermist.
For a trophy buck, you will not cut through the ribcage during field dressing. Rather you will stop where the ribcage begins and carefully reach up into the chest cavity as far as you can with one hand and pull on the windpipe. Then, very carefully with the knife in your other hand, cut as much of the windpipe out as you can.
You will want to cape the deer yourself or have the taxidermist do it for you. Have the caping done as soon as possible.
As soon as the cape has been removed and your deer is hanging, then cut through the ribcage and down the deer's neck to expose the windpipe.
Once the chest cavity is open, wipe the inside of the cavity with damp clean towels. Follow up with dry paper towels to insure all excess liquid is removed.
Place a small block of clean wood in the ribcage to open the chest cavity to allow air to cool the inside of the deer.
By field dressing a deer properly, you allow the body heat to escape quickly. This allows the meat to cool much quicker and reduce the chance of spoilage.
Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunitng-tips.com
Posted by Marty Prokop at 2:11 AM | Comments (4)
