Field Dressing a Deer???..........it's only July!
I know but I am review stuff...Big plans for this fall. Dallan has a great piece on field dressing with pictures and all. Question: Why is it that the testicles are suppose to be cut off? I don't have a lot of experience...aammmm 3 deer to be exact but never removed the testicles.
Last year pretty much followed Dallan's artcle exept that. What am I missing?

on a buck you need to remove the testies and the scent glands on the hind legs.

they can and will give a odd taste to the meat.

It's not too early to hunt! In 4 weeks, deer hunting will open up in Aiken County, South Carolina, one of the longest deer seasons in the nation I believe. I hunt South Carolina and Georgia and have taken some nice bucks over the years in August. Probably one of the only chances to take a trophy buck in velvet. But you better not be afraid of biting critters like, helicopter sized mosquitoes, deer flies, leeches, ticks, chiggers, and Cotton Mouthed Diamond backed Rattle moccasins! LOL I have seen or had them all attached to my tender body at one time or another. Oh........did I mention the heat? Try 90 plus temps with matching humidity. Not for the faint of heart or cardiac patients.
Yotebuster

Yotebuster, sc ? I am looking at trying to get out this coming Christmas either in NC or SC. It looks like SC out of state licenses are much more expensive.
My son lives in NC and parents-in-laws live in Conway, SC.
I am hoping to find someone with farm contacts in SE NC. I will only have 4, maybe 5 days to get out..the last week of Dec. Any thoughts.
(I should probably start a new thread--this is off topic--but any quick thoughts?)

Archery season for blacktail deer in California opens I think in a week... so no this post isnt premature.


-DallanC

DallanC, ok Bud, I still don't see removing testies?
I reviewed the pictures on field dressing and your write-up. I just grabbed the penis, lifted it, and started cutting skin around down toward the anus, as you explained. That seems to work really well. I have seen other write-ups that don't explain the details. Just so you know I think you have a great article. It took me 15 to 20 minutes but it was in the woods, pitch black with a flash light. I don't see where any sent stuff gets involved???

Hunting seasons. My first deer was a California Blacktail August 4 with a 7mm mag. Poor deer got blown right off the trail.........and I sold the old used savage and got into TC contender at that point. A little too much gun I think.

Spacedone wrote:

on a buck you need to remove the testies and the scent glands on the hind legs. they can and will give a odd taste to the meat.

Could you explain exactly how this happens? I do neither, and have good meat, always. When a deer is dead, the blood quits moving through the body and unless you cut them off and rub them on the meat, they will not affect the taste. miles

squirrelbait wrote:

DallanC, ok Bud, I still don't see removing testies?I reviewed the pictures on field dressing and your write-up. I just grabbed the penis, lifted it, and started cutting skin around down toward the anus, as you explained. That seems to work really well. I have seen other write-ups that don't explain the details.

There is no true reason to really cut off the testies other than to just get them out of the way. There could be some "fluid" that could run out depending on how you hang it but no real reason so you could concider that step optional. When I learned it the first thing my dad always did was grab'em and cut'em off... so I did it that way too.

Quote::

Just so you know I think you have a great article. It took me 15 to 20 minutes but it was in the woods, pitch black with a flash light. I don't see where any sent stuff gets involved???

On deer on the inside of each hind leg is a patch of hair with a scent gland in it. If you touch it it does stink up your fingers and as most of smell is sensations coming through your nose, it does "taint" any meat it gets on. I usually dont bother cutting them off myself BUT I goto great lengths to avoid touching it too. I even skin my deer from hinds down to shoulders, and I start well below that gland so there is no risk to touching it.

Thanks for the compliment, its a subjective thing for sure on how to go about it, I dont mind that people have other ways to do it... in fact I'm always open to finding even better ways to do things (like the gutless method :)).

My best ever compliment was from a guy last year who had never hunted in his life nor his dad. They decided to give it a try, found my guide, printed it out and took it with them in the field. Those lucky guys shot 2 nice 6x6's and dressed them out all from the guide. They sent me profuse thanks and pictures of their hunt, makes me feel good to know people find it useful.


-DallanC

Dallan, and there you have it!
It is a damn good article. My first two deer I did a little different but find your approach easier............just picking at it. A doe is a little different but the approach, seems to me will be the same.
You do good kiddo.

Personally I eat the testicles,and the tongue,liver,heart,kidneys and until the whole CWD thing also the brain. Boil them for about 2 hours,split open lenghtwise with knife serve lightly salted on crackers.Delicious! Tastes like beef sweetbreads (a cows saliva glands) if you ever tried them.

Roklok,

Never had testicals, I do however eat the tongue, liver, heart and kidneys. Yummy!

However most people I know think that its "discusting" eating them and there face turns like this when I mention I eat it ->

I myself boil them like you and BBQ them for a really little bit, just to brown them alittle. Or make a stew out of it

Dimitri

Squirrelbait, I hunt along the GA, SC border on private land leased by our hunting club. The out of state license will run you $225 or more if you are hunting Game Management Land. Sorry I can't be of any help for the NC or Conway areas.
Yotebuster