Alternative is the gutless method. None of the entrails are ever touched. Each front quarter comes off with the neck meat from the corresponding side all in one piece. Then the backstraps get fileted out. Then the two hind quarters are removed by fileting around the pelvis, with zero meat lost. And finally the tenderloins are taken, which is the only tricky part, but not bad. So then you have 4 quarters to hang, or take to the butcher. No reason to take backstraps or tenderloins to a butcher. Just eat or freeze those wink

It may not be for everyone, but the gutless method is common on big game hunts out west, where you have to pack out the carcass on your back. Nothing to prevent using it on whitetails off the back 40 either. The other benefit is that it gets the meat cooled down much faster.


--------------------