anyone ever NOT use the gutless method on an elk?

[pointysticks]

i've had the pleasure of taking apart 3 elk. low number for sure compared to some of you veterans.

the first one, i instinctively used the gutless method. my elk died in a tiny creek and there was no moving it around. the rest we could roll some. i cannot imagine gutting one of those beast!! maybe if i was near a road and could access some farm equipment to lift the sucker.

before the gutless method came to light...you guys doing it old school? like a deer?

[Elkduds]

It is as big a job as you think. An elk's internal organs are a slimy, heavy pile of yuck w no handles. And they smell good, too. You either saw the ribs next to the sternum, or reach inside the ribs to the esophagus, cut it all away from the spine and pull heart/lungs/trachea out, like gutting a massive fish. You either split the heavy pelvis bone, or cut the anus out like coring an apple, while keeping your knife point away from the full bladder right next to it, while holding the intestines away from the blade, while the flies buzz in your ears. And then the bears show up. The only upside is it is quite easy to reach the tenderloins. Gutless+2

[zpd307]

I gutted my first and only elk, a cow. actually help gut my buddies cow also. we were on a private ranch and could drive right up to it..... it is was messier and harder than a deer. first off, their stomach grow unbelievably large after they die, which makes not puncturing even harder....

[under H2O hunter]

I use the gutting method all the time without a problem. I always make new guys learn the dirty way before showing em the gutless method. I actually think gutting em first before quartering up is faster. I have a pretty fast way of removing the guts that doesn't get me all bloody either. By gutting em first I also save more of the tenderloins plus I can take rib meat if I want. Personal preference both will work. Here is a cow from this year.

[GoldToyBox]

Gutting an Elk by yourself (alone) is about all one man can do. I've done it alone 5 times and thank goodness the weather was cold or in the snow, in hot weather things can go bad quickly and I had enough rope to tie up legs and enough trees close to tie off to. I'm 66 yrs old now and I would not want to do it again .... don't know if I could? From 1980 to present I've gutted 40+ elk and only once did we use the gutless method. As the youngest of the group I usually inherited the duty of gutting for my Uncles. They were great "leg holders", "advice givers" and other very help theings. The one time we used the gutless method was on a horse back trip and we boned a small bull on the spot. Every Caribou I've seen done was by the gut less method.

[ElkNut1]

These days gutless method on every animal killed. Sure we used to gut every animal for years but not for close to 20 years have we gutted any animal. Gutless any day for us. An elk takes 45 min & it's in the game bags, done!

ElkNut1

[easeup]

NOT use the gutless method? sure, that happens on the years when I don't get one.

[Indian Summer]

Yeah.... been there done that. Never again. I get my inner loins out just fine. Don't take rib meat. I have no reason to take several times longer to wallow in elk guts.

This fall I believe I am going to have to gut a moose. Man I am NOT looking forward to it. especially if it tips over in the water. But the regs where I am hunting mandates that ALL meat must come out on the bone including neck and ribs. Think about that... moose... all on the bone. I think that's an insane regulation.

I saw a video a couple weeks ago of a guy slaughtering a pig. He sat it bely down on a table and used the gutless method. After removing the back straps and quarters he cut the ribs off at the spine with a sharp heavy cleaver and then peeled them down and cut them free. I'm thinking about giving tat a try. I do NOT want to gut a bull moose.

I'm going to see if I can find that pig video. You have to see this guy to believe it. He is incredible.

[elk.addict]

Yep, used to gut everything. Stopped about 10 years ago and never looked back.

[Ridgernr]

I use gutless on all my elk, deer sometimes I still gut just because I like to have it all hanging together, less maet exposed to air less dried out.
When you guys say you do it everything , do you mean deer , bear, etc, or every elk you kill?

[Indian Summer]

I gut my deer. It's so quick and easy. After gutting an elk it's like gutting a trout. Plus I'm not going to quarter it when I'm done either. If I was in the high country hunting mule deer and was going to have to quarter it to pack it out I'd go gutless.

[ElkNut1]

Yes sir, we use gutless on everything but I don't bear hunt so haven't done it with them! Our Deer & Elk are killed well away from roads so yes we quarter or bone out all critters & pack them out on our backs. Only Antelope hunted once but we also used gutless method on him.

ElKNut1

[Ghost]

Been so long since I gutted one, Im not sure if I know how to do it either way

[tdiesel]

well not sure when the actuall gutless method came about it seems to be all the rage lately. I never knew a different way my grandpa taught my dad the gutless method back in the 50-60's so I know its been around that long at least. we have gutted if leaving overnight in the colder months to come back in the morning and quarter it out. its not that bad of a job but for about the same amount of time you could already have the meat off.

[jmez]

I'm with elknut, gutless on everything. I haven't hauled a deer out of the woods in years. It literally takes about 15 minutes to debone a deer in the field. Why drag it home?

[2011bullyelk]

I can honestly say that I have never used the gutless method. I think I am going to make the gutless way my go-to method from now on. I have never even thought about why I take the guts out only to leave the ribcage there anyway??

[Huntrgathr]

No. Well, I take that back - I used to notuse it before I learned it. Once you know the gutless method I can not think of one single good reason not to use it...

[Gselkhunter]

I have gutted out plenty of animals. The idea was it would cool out the meat faster on a warm day. Difference in time is maybe 20mins but guttless is a lot cleaner.

[shaneatkinson82]

I only know the gutting method. But then again as a whitetail hunter before moving to Co that was no issue. All I knew. Now I need to look deeper into this gutless method.

[WapitiTalk1]

For you cats that haven't used this method before, here's an older gutless de-boning VID by Aron Snyder from a few years back. It's very similar to the way I do it. There's a few different ways to do the gutless method, this is just one that works pretty darn good IMO.

[shaneatkinson82]

Thank you. And as always on a YouTube video the comments are funny to read.