HARVESTING YOUR HUNT

If you intend to make a plush rug out of that gorgeous brown bear’s hide,
you’ll need to be prepared in advance. The same goes for getting the most
from that elk or caribou meat you’re eyeing up – that’s right, we said it
before and we’ll say it again: plan ahead.
When you’re hunting for a big game trophy or the aforementioned bear skin
rug, you’ll want to consult a local taxidermist for specific instructions
regarding handling your animal carcass. Though the principles for preserving
the head and antlers of most four-legged species are relatively similar, each
taxidermist has their own way of mounting a trophy – and if you fail to follow
their specific instructions, you’re unlikely to get the best possible result. So
talk to a taxidermist, or if you intend on doing the mount yourself, read up
on the best practice and take a brief how-to guide written on a 4x6 recipe
card that you’ve either laminated or sealed in a small zip-top bag. Having the
card to hand will ensure you’re able to get the best of your catch in terms of
display.
In brief, a head mount will need to be carefully removed, and this is best
done by stringing the animal up so you can ‘cape’ the animal without
worrying about blood or debris getting on the head. Think of how a cape falls
across your own shoulders, and don’t cut anything on the animal above the
place that line would translate to them. This will make doing the rest of your
field dressing tasks a bit more complicated, but overall the job of meat
preservation takes priority for most hunters.
Now, to preserve your trophy, make an incision around the animal along this
cape line. Then, work to carefully roll the hide forward from there, right up to
the ears. You’ll always want to leave more hide than is absolutely necessary
for your taxidermist to work with – after all, it’s easy to cut off any excess,
but impossible to ‘make’ more hide if what’s available falls short of
requirements. Next, cut the neck about three inches below the junction of
the head and neck. Once that cut is complete, you should be able to twist the
head off by gripping the base of each antler firmly and applying a reasonable
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amount of pressure.
The other leading consideration for hunters is how to best preserve the meat
they’ve won. Again, this is something with basics that remain the same
across virtually all species we hunt. The most immediate concern is getting
the meat cool, as this helps protect the meat from spoiling.
To field dress most birds and small game, all you’ll really need is a good
hunting knife. For larger game, you need significantly more than this. The
essentials are a good hunting knife, a compact folding saw, a hatchet and a
sharpening stone. You’ll also want to take along some rope to stabilize the
carcass while you’re working and a kit to hang the animal if you need to.
Whether you’re field dressing your kill for meat preservation or to create an
exquisite trophy, a good tip is to bring a couple pairs of rubber gloves while
you’re working – they’ll keep some of the grot off your hands, give you a
truer grip on the slippery bits and, most importantly, provide a little
protection against nicks and cuts.
Whether you opt to skin your kill, bone, quarter or simply haul the animal out
whole, there are a few things you’ve got to consider. First, heat is the
enemy. You need to cool that carcass down if you want to eat the meat at a
later date, the fastest way to do this is to gut and skin the animal. The quick
and simple guide to gutting is as follows:
· Slit the animal from anus to brisket (or lower, depending on your
requirements) – take care not to puncture the innards
· Cut carefully around the anus and genitals, again taking care not to
puncture anything
· Reach inside the upper-end of the cavity and work to roll the innards
down and push them out the end of the animal. Cut away the
diaphragm to gain access to the upper body cavity
· Continue cutting organs from the upper part of the body cavity out,
carefully going along making precise cuts the whole way. The innards
should slough out through the bottom of the carcass easily enough,
bear in mind that if you intend to save the heart, kidneys or liver,
you’ll need to pack them in bags and get them on ice as soon as
possible.
· Once the innards are removed, you may need to quarter your animal
to pack it out
Second, once you’ve packed the animal away from the kill site and have it
back at your base camp or in your rig, you need to find a way to keep it cool.
Avoid storing the carcass in an enclosed space, like a car trunk. Third, you’ve
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got to keep the meat clean – that means free from debris as well as bugs.
One good tip for fending off insects is dusting your kill with a can of black
pepper, and a solid piece of advice for keeping dirt at bay is to skin with
great care so there’s a layer of fat remaining around the carcass. Finally,
secure your game properly for transport – the last thing you should do is tie
it to the hood of your vehicle. Instead, be sure it’s properly bound in the rear
of your ride. On the other hand, you should be careful not to limit air flow
around the meat – limiting air circulation can lead to spoilage and make the
rest of your efforts all for naught.