to cut or not to cut?

fogducker · Post by **fogducker** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:21 pm

im always hearing of people cutting animals throats after they are dead

..
for the life of me i do not understand why..
if its to take out the wind pipe,i understand why..
but to walk up to a dead animal and slit its throat,im

is this some kind of ole wives tale???

cdup · Post by **cdup** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:23 pm

I choose "not to cut"!

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:32 pm

i have done it once. i was tracking a buck i shot and lost my quiver. when i found him he was badly hurt and unable to move but still alive. i did the only thing i could do to finish him off quickly and with as little pain and suffering as possible

fogducker · Post by **fogducker** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:32 pm

if its dead its dead.........no need to slit the throat..it wont bleed out no more once its dead..

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:34 pm

dumb or not like i said i had what i think is a good reason.

fogducker · Post by **fogducker** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:35 pm

mikej wrote:dumb or not like i said i had what i think is a good reason.

sorry mike that comment was not made for you..as you said your deer was not dead

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:39 pm

i do agree woth you guys i think it is pointless on a dead animal. and it ruins a cape so if it is a buck you think you would like to mount don't do it

aerostarp · Post by **aerostarp** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:18 am

Had a buddy of mine do this on a Mulie he bow-shot in Utah. This was not just a throat cut but it extended way down the chest (he reassured me he did this AFTER it was dead)

. The wound was so jagged and cut so much hair I had to order him a new cape online before I could mount it for him. Looked like Freddie Kruger did it.

Wayne

warningshot · Post by **warningshot** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:32 am

i had to do it this year after i helped a buddy track a deer that had been poorly shot.....ran over and slit the throat didn't take long for it to expire

Farmer · Post by **Farmer** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:15 am

Have never needed to slit an animals throat . As stated once they are dead there is no need .

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:32 am

A good clean shot through the vital area will drain the animal of most blood, especially when that shot is through the heart or lungs. This is true of the liver and most major arteries as well. The blood will be on the ground or in the body cavity.

Gutting does everything that sticking would do so far as "draining" the animal of blood after the kill. It is a good idea to hang the animal up as soon as you can after killing and gutting ... but having done it hundreds of times, I can testify that the amount of blood that drains after a clean, vital-area kill and proper field dressing is very small indeed.

I think cutting an animal's throat after killing in the field comes from the country practice of "sticking" animals when butchering. When you kill a hog or a steer (or whatever) you stun it to incapacitate it (we use a .22 bullet, properly applied), and then sever the carotid artery ... because the animal's heart is still beating, the blood is pumped from the body.

Trust me when I say that if you've never done this, it is a gory, messy scene. Hardly for the light of heart, or weak of stomach. But it's just something that has to be done, and is part of eating meat.

It is my opinion that there's no need to sever an already-dead animal's throat in the field.

Cossack · Post by **Cossack** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:58 am

The purpose for cutting the throat is to kill the animal by bleeding. Once the animal is dead there is no heartbeat to push the blood it, so no purpose to cut the throat. But, if it makes you happy......

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:04 am

I was taught as a youngster to slit the throat to allow the blood to drain. However, after performing this task several times and seeing no flowing blood. I decided not to perform this task any longer. Same with removing the scent glands on the legs . . .you can damage more meat during the removal process than would ever be harmed by leaving them alone, avoid them.

I do find it easier to field dress if the throat is cut through the esophasus. I can reach up into the chest cavity and grab the upper esophagus and pull without trying to get the knife into that confined area inside the chest cavity. I can do this without opening the entire rib cage, which can be a tough job on a larger/older animal.

If I were intending to mount the animal, then I'd never slit the throat.

Grizz is hitting the nail with the slaughter thing . . .the family members that taught me were all slaughter guys at one point, so slitting the throat was automatic when the pig or cow hit the ground. It was a bloddy mess . . .however, the training was good, the sight of blood doesn't bother me in the least.

dutchhunter · Post by **dutchhunter** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:27 am

as a butcher for manyyears we would shoot a cow then as fast as posable put a chain around its back leg and holl it up then slit its throat from the chin to the briscitad then after a few
minutes skin out the head .if it can be done quickly after the shot thy will loes a lot of blood .most shot animals will bleed out on thereown from the wound .DUTCH

bob-s · Post by **bob-s** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:09 am

Ditto with what Grizzly Adam posted -- once the heart stops beating not much comes out.... Bob.

Excalibur Crossbow Forum

to cut or not to cut?

to cut or not to cut?

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re cutting throat ---