then removing the meat from the carcass. In
most of the areas I hunt it’s legal to take care
of the animal this way, so be sure to check
your local regulations. Most areas that allow
this require proof of sex along with the meat.
There are some areas that don’t allow leaving
anything beside a gut pile and require taking
out the rest of the animal. In these areas it
best to get the critter back to the truck as
soon as possible and then get the hide off
and the meat into a cooler with ice.
I also use the gutless method when I am
only mile or less from the truck. There are
a few ways to employ the gutless method
but I will explain my preference. I start with
the antelope lying on one side and make a
cut following the spine from tail to ears. If I
am saving the cape for taxidermy purposes,
I don’t cut all the way to the ears. It is a
good idea to check with your taxidermist to
learn how they like the cape prepared. Once
you have that cut made you peel the hide
off the top side from the spine to the belly
exposing the meat. Once this is done there
are basically 2 ways to continue. First, take
the front and back legs off leaving the bone
in. When doing this take the rear leg off at
the hip joint and the front leg will separate
along the ribs. The second method involves
deboning the meat and leaving the bones
in the field. I always use the second method
for a couple of reasons. First, your pack
will be lighter on the way out. Second, you
don’t have the extra bones to worry about
when it’s time to butcher the antelope.
When deboning I basically follow the muscle
seams and remove the meat according to
those groups. Once the leg meat is removed
you can take the back strap, inside loin and
any other meat scraps, including the neck
and rib meat. The next step is to roll the
animal over and repeat the process.
Once the meat is removed and packed I
make a beeline for the truck, which has a
cooler and ice waiting. Once at the truck, the
meat filled game bags are hurried into the ice
filled cooler to cool as quickly as possible.
Now, if you’re in an area that prohibits leaving
any animal parts behind except the gut pile
then you have 2 options. The first is to get the
antelope whole, minus the intestines, back to
the truck as soon as possible. A game cart
can be a great tool to utilize in a situation
like this. Once there, if you don’t have quick
access to a meat locker or butcher, I would
get the hide peeled and the meat off the
carcass and into the cooler as quick as
possible. The second option is to use the
gutless method and then drag the carcass
out with you.
There are plenty of tutorials online to learn
more about the gutless method. There are a
few extra items I bring along in my pack when
using this method that I call my “kill kit.” The
contents are some rubber gloves, a short
length of paracord, game bags, and a sharp
knife. For game bags I use B.O.M.B. bags
made by Pristine Ventures. I prefer a Havalon
knife as well. With its replaceable blades
I never worry about having a sharp knife.
Remember, you must get your meat cooled
as quickly as possible and I guarantee you
will end up with better table fare. I hope you
have some success this season and try out
some of these methods.