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SPLITTING OPEN THE CARCASS

Field dressing requires a lot of equipment. Plan carefully.

To make the process of field dressing easier to understand, the steps outlined below will focus on how to process a deer. However, you can easily apply the same process to other animals and even birds. For the first step, make sure you work on flat ground, especially with a larger animal such as a deer or elk. Place the animal on its back to expose the belly. Some hunters hang deer upside down in a tree for gutting . Other hunters prefer to hang a deer by its head for the process. Either method allows the blood to drain out of the carcass. You can also purchase a metal folding tripod for this purpose. To hang a deer by the hind legs, you will need to make a slit between the main leg bone on the ankle and the large tendon that runs behind it. Do this on both legs. Slide a metal bar or wooden pole through these slits. The deer can then be hoisted up and hung using a rope or chain attached to the middle of the bar or pole.

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