Field Dressing - hide on 1/4s or not?

[Mnbogboy]

Good stuff in this thread guys-thanks for the shared experiences! [emoji106]

My question was kinda specific and you guys provided a lot of advice. I was gonna leave the skin on the 1/4s like I do on deer, but you guys set me str8; if I get lucky and anchor one:

Skin off-->gutless butcher the edibles--> clean the meat--> into game bag--> into cold storage

(punch tag correctly & retain required proof of sex)

Thanks!


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We do as Ricmic boning everything in the field.
To add to this we carry a "ground cloth" in our pack made from a cheap table cloth cut up in 3 foot squares or so. Another good alternative is pieces of building wrap. The texture of the building wrap or table cloth keeps the meat chunks from "sticking" unlike just plain poly. When conditions are windy we found it best to keep the meat pile upwind so it doesn't get seeds and dust on it while we shuffle around the carcass.
The "ground cloth" can be folded part way over the meat if the wind is kicking up dust on its own.
The meat will get a little extra cooling before packing it in bags for the pack out.
Generator on, meat cooling in freezer asap.
I usually bring the vacuum bagger with pre-made and labeled bags. After supper the lope meat is properly cleaned, butchered, and vacuum packed. All back in the freezer by 10:00 pm.
That is a good day!
Good luck again on your hunt

 

[Rich M]

I used pillow cases to bag the meat off the antelopes I shot in 2017. Meat was clean and easy to handle - just threw the pillow cases in the cooler and drained it 2x daily until processing.

Have 8 pillow cases left - need to get back out there!

 

[Prerylyon]

I had wanted to go to Goodwill ahead of my trip last month to get pillow cases; but ran out of time.

The Walmart in Gillette, WY hooked me up with a set of cotton game bags. I want to say they were $10? I might have the receipt with my trip expense report for my Kommandant (my wife). [emoji38]

I did like everyone advised; pulled the hide off the top, quick quartered, and then all the goodies into the bags. It was my 1st ever DIY quick quarter and it went real well. I had some hair get loose, but it wasn't as bad as some deer I've helped with. Meat was fresh, dry, clean, and cooled quickly.

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[mallardsx2]

Never killed an antelope but I get the hide off my deer as quickly as possible.

 

[NEWHunter]

Got my first antelope this year. Took it apart in the field as fast as I could. Used gutting gloves when getting the hide off to avoid getting any oil/gland stuff on the meat. I took two space blankets in my “emergency kit” in my pack and spread out one to put the meat on to keep everything clean until I was ready to bag it. Threw everything in two of the Alaska game bags (quarter bags). Took just over 6 hours to get it hiked out and in to the cooler where I had frozen 1 gallon jugs waiting. Temps were in the low 70s and the meat is great.

Here’s some info that might help another first timer . . . I’d never butchered my own big game animal before and after watching several you tube videos, was able to cape, quarter and bag my goat by myself in an hour and a half. The weight of my skinned quarters (bone in and lower legs removed), straps, loins, and neck meat weighed 45 pounds.

 

[Mnbogboy]

Got my first antelope this year. Took it apart in the field as fast as I could. Used gutting gloves when getting the hide off to avoid getting any oil/gland stuff on the meat. I took two space blankets in my “emergency kit” in my pack and spread out one to put the meat on to keep everything clean until I was ready to bag it. Threw everything in two of the Alaska game bags (quarter bags). Took just over 6 hours to get it hiked out and in to the cooler where I had frozen 1 gallon jugs waiting. Temps were in the low 70s and the meat is great.

Here’s some info that might help another first timer . . . I’d never butchered my own big game animal before and after watching several you tube videos, was able to cape, quarter and bag my goat by myself in an hour and a half. The weight of my skinned quarters (bone in and lower legs removed), straps, loins, and neck meat weighed 45 pounds.

That antelope weight is "spot" on. Very good info

Thats the way we also handle all western game. The ground cloth idea came up when our first elk meat melted down through the snow into the pine needles. We now use cheap table clothes cut up in 3 or 4 foot squares. We have also used building wrap pieces. The texture of both prevents the meat from sticking (unlike poly).

 

[chiefgobbler]

I was always taught to skin and cool down elk, deer and antelope as soon as possible. This allows the meat to glaze over inside the game bags and has never been an issue. However, this year my group had skinned, quartered and took as much other meat as possible from an Antelope. We also removed any meat damaged from the shot, etc. We took it to a processor in Wyoming due to the heat, etc. They informed us that they would rather we left the skin on. They claimed they would have to remove all of the glazed meat and we would loose about 10% according to them. They do not charge for skinning so there is no incentive for them to state this. I have never heard this in over 50 years of hunting and in most cases the processors have thanked us for bringing in such clean meat.