Question

[Hunting Man]

I still see on several photos the old cutting of the neck thing on dead deer. How many hunters still practice this and why? I'm not a doctor, but I'm thinking unlike farm animals that are stunned then hung up and bled out by sticking them, a dead deer on the ground isn't going to bleed out when the main pump is shut off. This has always been an interesting bit of hunting history with me cause I've never understood the therory behind the practice. If the deer are still alive then I'd be the last one to try to slice and dice a live deer. What do you think?

[timetohunt]

From my experiences, a deer killed by a hunter, either with an arrow or bullet has already bled out. I think this is the main reason they expire, especially with good shot placement. When the deer is field dressed, most of the blood is removed with the internal organs. When shot through the heart lung area, the chest cavity is filled with blood as all the blood is passing though these organs on a continual basis. I don't think that cutting the neck is necessary. It just adds an extra opening to allow bacteria in that can cause meat spoilage. Any extra blood that is in the muscles will drain out when the deer is hung. I prefer hanging my deer with the head down. This allows any fluid to drain out though the neck and not though and over the hind quarters. I also haven't observed much blood pooled under my hanging deer, suggesting that most of the blood has alrady been removed during field dressing.

[timetohunt]

Just thought of this too, if a deer is still alive when approached, I would not recommend trying to cut the throat. Not only do I view tis as inhumane but I have seen a friend get kicked by a deer. Sharp knife + freightend deer = High risk of seroius injury.

[Hunting Man]

and I don't see blood clots or pooled blood in the muscle tissues when butchering. Just my opinion, I believe its a tradition in some areas thats been passed down most likely from early farmers who were use to sticking their own animals and it just spread out to hunters. We hang the animals from the head. Tradition I guess.

[Body Bag]

Never cut a neck. I don't really think it is inhumane though.

My My brother in law is a crack shot. He is only 17, but he like to show off and head shoot deer. Well 2 years ago is was hunting the big box with my father in law and a good 8 point walked out and he aimed for the eyeball and the deer dropped.

My father in law would rather clean 2 so he climbed down to drag the deer off the lane so he could hunt some more. When he walked up there wasn't any blood and one antler was missing. He reached down to and grabbed the other antler to look at the other side and the deer rolled its eyes. Sat down quickly on the front shoulder and cut the throat.

My brother in law had hit the base of the antler and knocked the deer out cold. They agrued the rest of the day about who should tag it.

That is about the only way I would advocate cutting a throat. if you know you don't have a shot to finish him with your rifle on the ground but you are going to be in trouble if he gets up.

[gfdeputy2]

Huh never heard of doing that?
but which way to hang a deer sounds like a good debate

its for sure old school from killing farm animals is my guess but i never seen anyone try to ring their necks so why would you. thats the way my dad did it and still does for all i know. i never saw the point of cuttin the throat. first off the pump is broke so it ain't pumpin, second there is a hole in the pipe system already, and thirdly your going to take the heart out in just a monent.

[Ontario Hunter]

I have always cut the neck as long as I have been hunting, but not for any of the above reasons. We always cut the neck all the way through the wind pipe as close to the chin as you can get. We then reach up in the chest cavity and pull the wind pipe out. The tissue of the wind pipe is one of the first areas of a deer that will rot and turn the meat around it bad. If you take your deer to the butcher the day it is killed it is not to bad, but we spend a week at the camp with the deer hanging and if the weather is warm the wind pipe will rot quick.

Originally Posted by Ontario Hunter

I have always cut the neck as long as I have been hunting, but not for any of the above reasons. We always cut the neck all the way through the wind pipe as close to the chin as you can get. We then reach up in the chest cavity and pull the wind pipe out. The tissue of the wind pipe is one of the first areas of a deer that will rot and turn the meat around it bad. If you take your deer to the butcher the day it is killed it is not to bad, but we spend a week at the camp with the deer hanging and if the weather is warm the wind pipe will rot quick.

never heard that one before, something new. i have never seen one rot and my dad would hang them for a week. it will be interesting if anyone else has heard of this or if it regional thing. maybe some of those southern boys?

[joel the signman]

i dont cut the neck i think its disresepctful to the deer .I hang em from the rear legs some german hunters put a hemlock branch in the mouth as a symbolic last meal