DEER BIOLOGY
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Be a cold day before I let this info go down the tubes
Deer Stuff
Deer Stuff
I take that life if I can, with regret as well as joy, and with the sure knowledge that nature’s ways of fang and claw or exposure and starvation are a far crueler fate than I bestow. – Fred Bear
Re: Deer Stuff
Field Dressing Deer Instructions:
The following pictures, and instructions presented by Survive Outdoors, Inc. is that of a graphic nature. The content below will explain and show images of how to field dress a deer. If you are offended by graphic depictions of field dressing animals, I strongly advise that you do not continue with this page.
In this day in age with chronic wasting disease and lyme disease, all hunters should wear gloves. In photo 1, the deer is laid on its back, hind legs spread, and a small incision is made around the genitals moving up towards the chest in a vertical line. Be careful not to puncture the body cavity at this point.
Slowly skin the deer back away from your mid-incision line 4 to 6 inches on either side. This will decrease your chances of getting hair inside the body cavity and on the meat.
After you have made your incision up to the sternum, you may now start at the genitalia and carefully cut through the body cavity and move upward. A gut hook is a great way of opening the body cavity without cutting the intestines. If you do not have a gut hook, you can use one finger next to the knife to lift up skin giving you space between the knife blade and the intestines.
You will find in older deer the sternum is difficult to cut through, and a larger knife will be helpful. For the most part, a deer can be skinned and de boned with a 4 inch fixed blade knife.
After opening the body cavity, one can reach inside and begin cutting away the lungs and heart away from the body cavity. All organs as in a human are attached by the peritoneum. In the picture to the right, the heart is being cut away and saved. The heart is very tender and edible when cooked. As in Native American tradition, eating the heart of the deer was to have high spiritual significance. All parts of this deer can be used and Survive Outdoors strongly discourages trophy hunting only.
After the intestines and organs are removed, the deer should be taken back and thoroughly rinsed out. A saw is beneficial in cutting the pelvis bone to allow better cleaning access to the ****** and bladder area.
Before processing, if the temperature is 45 degrees or less, it is beneficial to age the deer for a day or two leaving the skin on. This is done by hanging the deer upside down in a cool environment. Again, we need to stress the importance of irrigating the body cavity. A garden hose works well, as well as propping the body cavity open with a stick to allow airflow.
The following pictures, and instructions presented by Survive Outdoors, Inc. is that of a graphic nature. The content below will explain and show images of how to field dress a deer. If you are offended by graphic depictions of field dressing animals, I strongly advise that you do not continue with this page.
In this day in age with chronic wasting disease and lyme disease, all hunters should wear gloves. In photo 1, the deer is laid on its back, hind legs spread, and a small incision is made around the genitals moving up towards the chest in a vertical line. Be careful not to puncture the body cavity at this point.
Slowly skin the deer back away from your mid-incision line 4 to 6 inches on either side. This will decrease your chances of getting hair inside the body cavity and on the meat.
After you have made your incision up to the sternum, you may now start at the genitalia and carefully cut through the body cavity and move upward. A gut hook is a great way of opening the body cavity without cutting the intestines. If you do not have a gut hook, you can use one finger next to the knife to lift up skin giving you space between the knife blade and the intestines.
You will find in older deer the sternum is difficult to cut through, and a larger knife will be helpful. For the most part, a deer can be skinned and de boned with a 4 inch fixed blade knife.
After opening the body cavity, one can reach inside and begin cutting away the lungs and heart away from the body cavity. All organs as in a human are attached by the peritoneum. In the picture to the right, the heart is being cut away and saved. The heart is very tender and edible when cooked. As in Native American tradition, eating the heart of the deer was to have high spiritual significance. All parts of this deer can be used and Survive Outdoors strongly discourages trophy hunting only.
After the intestines and organs are removed, the deer should be taken back and thoroughly rinsed out. A saw is beneficial in cutting the pelvis bone to allow better cleaning access to the ****** and bladder area.
Before processing, if the temperature is 45 degrees or less, it is beneficial to age the deer for a day or two leaving the skin on. This is done by hanging the deer upside down in a cool environment. Again, we need to stress the importance of irrigating the body cavity. A garden hose works well, as well as propping the body cavity open with a stick to allow airflow.
I take that life if I can, with regret as well as joy, and with the sure knowledge that nature’s ways of fang and claw or exposure and starvation are a far crueler fate than I bestow. – Fred Bear
Re: Deer Stuff
AGING DEER:
75% of deer harvested in the U.S. are yearling deer.
The twisting and turning of a deer's ears results in permanent creases in the hair and skin around the base of the ears. Deer 2 1/2 years or younger seldom have ear creases. But by 3 1/2 years the hair has thickened and taken on at least one crease. A two crease deer is a mature animal and is usually between 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old. If a deer has three creases at the base of the ears, it is likely about 7 1/2 years old give or take a year. If a deer has 4 ear creases, it is likely more than 8 years old.
Another method to age a deer is by it's teeth:
Front Teeth (Inisors):
These are the front teeth on a deer jaw. When a deer is 5-6 months old, the central two incisors are replaced. The rest of the front teeth -lateral incisors and canine teeth - are replaced during the 10th and 11th month. Unlike horses, deer do not have upper incisors.
Premolars: The first three teeth on each side of the jaw are called premolars. Deer grow two sets of premolars. The first set appear in fawns and last until the deer is about 1-1/2; years old, when permanent adult premolars push out the baby premolar teeth. An important characteristic of the first set of premolars is that the third premolar has three crowns or cusps. When the permanent teeth come, all premolars have just two cusps.
Molars: The fourth, fifth, and sixth cheek teeth are the molars. Deer only grow one set of molars. Generally, six-month-old deer have only one molar when they enter the fall hunting season. Therefore, six-month-old deer usually have only four cheek teeth. By 1-1/2; years of age - the second fall - the second and third molar have erupted through the gum, though the last cusp of the third molar may still be below the gum line. All six molars and premolars are fully erupted by 2-1/2; years.
The vast majority of deer are 2-1/2; years old or younger. To determine the age of animals in older age classes we need to look more closely at tooth wear.
75% of deer harvested in the U.S. are yearling deer.
The twisting and turning of a deer's ears results in permanent creases in the hair and skin around the base of the ears. Deer 2 1/2 years or younger seldom have ear creases. But by 3 1/2 years the hair has thickened and taken on at least one crease. A two crease deer is a mature animal and is usually between 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old. If a deer has three creases at the base of the ears, it is likely about 7 1/2 years old give or take a year. If a deer has 4 ear creases, it is likely more than 8 years old.
Another method to age a deer is by it's teeth:
Front Teeth (Inisors):
These are the front teeth on a deer jaw. When a deer is 5-6 months old, the central two incisors are replaced. The rest of the front teeth -lateral incisors and canine teeth - are replaced during the 10th and 11th month. Unlike horses, deer do not have upper incisors.
Premolars: The first three teeth on each side of the jaw are called premolars. Deer grow two sets of premolars. The first set appear in fawns and last until the deer is about 1-1/2; years old, when permanent adult premolars push out the baby premolar teeth. An important characteristic of the first set of premolars is that the third premolar has three crowns or cusps. When the permanent teeth come, all premolars have just two cusps.
Molars: The fourth, fifth, and sixth cheek teeth are the molars. Deer only grow one set of molars. Generally, six-month-old deer have only one molar when they enter the fall hunting season. Therefore, six-month-old deer usually have only four cheek teeth. By 1-1/2; years of age - the second fall - the second and third molar have erupted through the gum, though the last cusp of the third molar may still be below the gum line. All six molars and premolars are fully erupted by 2-1/2; years.
The vast majority of deer are 2-1/2; years old or younger. To determine the age of animals in older age classes we need to look more closely at tooth wear.
I take that life if I can, with regret as well as joy, and with the sure knowledge that nature’s ways of fang and claw or exposure and starvation are a far crueler fate than I bestow. – Fred Bear
Re: Deer Stuff
is in the house 2B 
I take that life if I can, with regret as well as joy, and with the sure knowledge that nature’s ways of fang and claw or exposure and starvation are a far crueler fate than I bestow. – Fred Bear