How to field dress a mooseSo you've just killed your first moose. Now what?
Assuming you had the fire power to take the animal down quickly and cleanly, you've still got your work cut out for you. The moose is a big animal. Females run between 600 and 800 pounds and males average between 850 and 1,580 pounds. That means 400-700 pounds of meat to slog back to your truck.
For this reason, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game urges you to plan ahead: ...seasoned Alaskan moose hunters say "never kill a moose more than a mile from a vehicle of some sort.”
Don't go it alone. Try coaxing a few of your friends into go with you. If that fails, there are plenty of experienced contractors for hire.
Above all, be sure you bring along the right tools for the job. The basics include: one sharp hunting knife, 5- to 7-inch blade preferred; two hunting axes for splitting the pelvic and breast bones (you may substitute a small field saw if you see fit); and four lengths of 3/8-inch rope for hanging the carcass.
Now that you've made all of your preparations, follow these 13-easy-steps to dressing success:
A Brief Step-By-Step Summary Of The Process:
- Clear Your Working Area
- Bleed The Animal
- Preparatory Skin Cuts, Throat to Anus
- Break the Breastbone
Sever the Wind Pipe and Gullet from the Head - Open the Abdomen to the Anus
- Split the Pelvic Bone
- Cut the Diaphragm from the Cavity Wall
- Free the Anus and Bladder
- Roll Out The Abdominal Organs with Anus Attached
- Remove the Neck and Chest Cavity Organs
- Clean the Body Cavity
- Prepare the Carcass for Cooling or Quartering
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2 comments:
Ever tasted moose? It's pretty damn good. I've been lucky enough to have friends willing to share the results of all their hard Canadian chef who prepared the roast for us. Delish!
Much better than eating some antibiotics-bloated feed lot steer that stood in a foot of feces before being commercially processed by illegal aliens.
Harvesting one's own meat is much healthier than buying something wrapped in plastic from the corner grocery. Even "organic" meats still are processed in the same commercial factories. Only difference is what the animal ate. It still gets killed, bled, etc.
If you can't handle hunting, then don't eat meat. Be a pale, weak vegetarian.
part of my post got deleted: I said I was lucky enough to have friends who were willing to share the results of all their hard work. Including an experienced Canadian chef ...
No, the chef wasn't hard.
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