My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

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Mohawk
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#11 Post by Mohawk »

Sounds like a great time and even better hunt! Congrats!

Captainkirk
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#12 Post by Captainkirk »

dhaverstick wrote:Thanks, all! The entire trip was quite an adventure.

Kirk, here is how I cleaned my caribou: Starting from the anus, I cut the skin up the belly, brisket and about half way up the neck. I then cut around the neck and up the inside of the two legs on the top side of the bou to where I would cut the hooves off had it been a whitetail. Working from the belly, I started skinning the animal towards the top of the back. When I had the top side skinned, I cut off the shoulder, hind quarter and back strap. Due to time constraints, I did not get all the meat off the neck or ribs but I did get the brisket meat. I also had to leave the tenderloins. Caribou swell up like a beach ball after you kill them and are under pressure. Had I punctured the body cavity to retrieve the inner loins, that body contents would have come spewing out and we didn't have time for the cleanup. After I was done with the first side, I stretched the loose hide to lay flat above the caribou's back and then flipped him over on it to keep off the dirt. I repeated the skinning and butchering procedure on the other side and then completely removed the hide from the carcass. There's not much to it and it certainly keeps the mess down. The only real trick is removing the tenderloins by feel and I didn't do that on this animal.

Darren
Darren, is it much different from this method?

https://tradbow.com/gutless-field-dressing/
Aim small, miss small!

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Shadowhntr
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#13 Post by Shadowhntr »

I know ur askin Darren Kirk, but for conversation sake....I do mine similar to the video, but the skinning cuts are a bit different. I make one cut up the underside center and my leg cuts meet up with that. It's the same result though...working one side then the other using the animals pelt as a make shift tarp to work on keeping clean. I'm basically done ever dragging deer.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

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dhaverstick
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#14 Post by dhaverstick »

Yeah, the concept is the same. I did bring a small tarp with me in case I had to cut one up away from camp. That way I could have room to lay out the quarters and debone them in the field. No reason to pack any more weight out than you have to!

I am still flabbergasted that those guides didn't have a clue about what I was talking about. They kept asking me about where they should cut the hide up the legs and such and I kept thinking to myself, "Have you never skinned an animal before?". They even punctured the body cavity, both times, while trying to get the hind quarters off.

One other thing: I used an Outdoor Edge Razor Lite scalpel/knife to skin and quarter that bull and it made the job one heckuva lot easier. You can find deals all over for the replacement blades and it sure is a lot easier to take a dull one off and put a sharp one on than it is to stop and sharpen your knife. Well, at least for me it was easier!

Darren

Captainkirk
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#15 Post by Captainkirk »

Thanks, both Darren and Jase for your responses!
I had sort of heard of this method, in an offhand way, but never really considered it. I don't believe it is legal for deer-sized game in either Illinois or Wisconsin.
Aim small, miss small!

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Shadowhntr
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#16 Post by Shadowhntr »

I could see it being illegal for a tag of a specific sex deer. It's hard to imagine why they would make it illegal, for an ANY DEER tag.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

Captainkirk
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#17 Post by Captainkirk »

I will have to dig into the regs to confirm. More later...we now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
Aim small, miss small!

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dhaverstick
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#18 Post by dhaverstick »

Usually you have to have proof of sex attached to one of the hind quarters.

Darren

Captainkirk
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Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#19 Post by Captainkirk »

From Illinois Hunting/Trapping Digest, 2017-2018:

In all other counties and seasons
(pertains to firearm, muzzleloading rifle,
archery, late winter antlerless, special
CWD seasons)
• Successful hunters must register their
harvest by 10 p.m. on the same calendar
day the deer was taken by calling the
toll-free telephone check-in system at
1-866-452-4325 (1-866-ILCHECK) or by
accessing the online check-in system at
http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting.
• The harvest confirmation number must be
written by the hunter onto the temporary
harvest tag (leg tag). If the condition of the
tag precludes writing on the tag in the
appropriate space (i.e., bloody, etc.), the
confirmation number shall be written elsewhere
on the tag, or onto a piece of paper
and attached to the deer along with the
temporary harvest tag.
• The deer must remain whole (or field
dressed) until it has been checked in.


Pretty much disqualifies quartering a deer.
Aim small, miss small!

Longbowfanatic
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Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:41 am

Re: My "Beat the Clock" Caribou

#20 Post by Longbowfanatic »

Great job and awesome bull! Congrats!

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