Wild Boar Field Dressing - Gutless Technique

Yes, perhaps you don't wish to deal with guts and all kind of internal organs or you don't like to risk meet contamination because of inner organs leakages; maybe you are hunting alone and drag a 300 pounds wild hog is too much weight, especially if your vehicle is far from the place where the hog felt down...

Whichever the case, for this circumstance there's a field dress technique useful for you; the gutless technique.

By doing so you will leave head and carcass on the field, keeping for your just hams, shoulders and backstraps. Since the carcass left unopen there's not contamination risk and the final edible meat package to carry on is a lot much lighter than the one obtained using the Wild Boar Field Dressing Classic Technique.

Some hunters consider this technique a waste of good meat but certainly if you are not skilled field dressing the boar with the classic technique or it's too much weight to carry on, this is a valid method.

The key here is to leave carcass and head intact haverting only hams, shoulders and backstraps.

Since you won't open cavities it's not necessary to skin out the full body but only legs and edible meat from back, this may save also a little time but everything depends on each hunter's skills and ability to perform the full process.

First thing to do is skinning each leg separately, thus the next steps will be performed four times, one for each limb.

1. Make a circumferential cut on the leg just an inch over the hoof

2. A second cut must be done perpendicular to the first one, from the hoof up to the body

3. The final cut on the skin is following the hip/shoulder perimeter from the front to the back

4. Once all cuts are complete the utility knife must be used to peel the skin and expose meat

5. When the limb is skinned, make a deep cut on the muscle over the joint until reaching it. This way you will be able to detach the limb from the carcass

Steps 1 to 5 must be followed for each limb and finally proceed with back straps harvesting.

6. Cut the skin on the back from the neck to the ham. Two cuts are necessary each one 1 to 2 inches away from the spine

7. Open the hide and skin out the back to gain access to meat

8. Cut the back straps and save the meat

On this point you are ready to pack all that wonderful meat and start your way back home, however some hunters wish to invest a little more time to debone hams and shoulders.

By doing it you will leave bones on the field and the final package will be even lighter since you will carry just meat not bones; nevertheless the final choice is on you; it will be necessary to make a balance between investing time and weight saving; furthermore, some cooks state that leaving the bones is better for meat final taste, thus the choice is on you.