Tag your deer immediately. The tag must remain with the deer at all times, or you risk confiscation of your deer among other nasty effects. If you have shot a buck, remove the genitals from the carcass, leaving the scrotum for sex identification. If you have shot a doe, remove the udder from the carcass.

It is highly recommend to purchase game gloves, found at you local sporting goods store. They are a plastic glove that goes all the up to your armpits. These allow you to put your whole arm in the deer cavity without getting blood all over your sleeves. Take a couple rubber bands along to slide up on your arms to hold the glove sleeves up. These are well worth the one dollar price of the gloves.

Carefully cut a circle around the anus so it's free and can be removed from within. Some folks tie it off with string to prevent its contents from tainting the meat. Starting close to pelvis, open the belly skin cavity all the way to the ribcage, until the blade actually hits the ribcage. When starting the cut, carefully use the first two fingers of your other hand to help guide your knife and pull belly skin away from stomach. You must only cut through skin and a thin layer of meat to miss the stomach and organs. Continue cutting through the ribs and skin, following the breastbone, on up to the neck. This is no problem with a large folding or sharp hunting knife. Don't twist the blade while it's between bones, a brittle knife blade could easily break if twisted. Use a sawing motion instead. Continue cutting on up to the base of the skull. Sever the windpipe and esophagus at the base of the skull. Cut the diaphragm loose. This is the sheet of muscle that separates the stomach area from the chest cavity.

Allow the animal to roll on its side and with your hands, pull the organs out. You'll have to pull a little, but they should be mostly free. One good tip is to arrange the animal to where the belly is facing downhill. That way, most of the organs will slide out on their own. Be extremely careful in removing the bladder! You must reach up into the pelvis and pinch it shut while you cut it free with the other hand. If any urine is spilled on the meat, remove it immediately with water from a thermos or a clean cloth. Clean any debris from the cavity. Any stomach contents or other substances should be removed as quickly as possible. After all of the contents are out of the cavity, use paper towels to soak up any remaining blood. The dryer the better!

Remove the heart and liver if you or someone you know likes to eat them. Cloth bags are recommended for keeping these clean and allowing them to cool. Get the animal to final processing as soon as possible.

Tips: If you plan to have your deer mounted, don't cut it above the ribcage. You'll have to reach up through the ribcage to cut the esophagus and windpipe. Leave the caping (the skinning of the head & neck) to a professional. When opening the stomach cavity, slip two fingers of your opposite hand underneath the sheet of muscle you're cutting through, and pull it away from the entrails. Try to insert only an inch or so of your knife blade when gutting the belly skin. On warm days, buy 3 or 4 bags of ice and lay them inside the animal. This will help cool the deer. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes.

Tennessee Deer Processors For The 2007/2008 Season