Does bleeding out virsus just gutting have anything to do with meat quality?

[wideopenthrottle]

helped a friend in an abattoir once and cows were hit with the stun gun (a few wire rods that went into the head and scrambled the brains) the dead cow was then lifted by the back leg and the throat was then slit...when he did it, the old butcher was telling him about how important it was to simultaneously slice both jugulars to get the best and most complete draining of the blood (some gravity/syphon effect I guess)...not cutting them completely in one fell swoop was considered a rookie move...

[RiverOtter]

The bleeding I've seen done by butchers was never a slit throat, as that approach severs the wind pipe and allows stomach contents into the neck area. They ALWAYS inserted a knife in near the base of the neck/brisket and used kind of a twisting motion to cleanly cut both arteries. I stuck a pig or two under instruction and could actually feel a notch with the blade. At that point I was told to make a sort of 'V' cut with the tip of the knife. Definitely a cool experience, but not something I'd wanna do 100+ times per week like the guy who had that job on the kill floor. LOL.

[Jelvis]

=-/--> (If) you shoot a record size buck, you don't slice the throat, the cut will show on the cape.
learn how to cape an animule properly IF your going to mount it for the wall, first b4 you reck the hide.
Jelly Belly -- it's not hard to do -- just cut in different spot, so check web for proper cuts.

[Dannybuoy]

=-/--> (If) you shoot a record size buck, you don't slice the throat, the cut will show on the cape.
learn how to cape an animule properly IF your going to mount it for the wall, first b4 you reck the hide.
Jelly Belly -- it's not hard to do -- just cut in different spot, so check web for proper cuts.

Actually Jelly belly, either you can cut the jugular via a small cut or use a cape from the taxi... they keep some preemo ones on hand for just that occasion

[Jelvis]

Yah butt a person who shoots a 175 typ mule buck wants the hide from the original mule.
-- Eveything about that mule 175 is what he or she wants, not another bucks cape.
I shot some large bucks, mule and blacktail, and I wanted my own buck a toids, hide and hair, antler -- cuz it's only natural.
Jel -- I want all of the original mule --

[last light]

I shot a deer in the neck once, a fatal shot but not an instant death, it was a flesh wound only. In this scenario the animal was in convulsions on the ground with eyes rolling back so I wanted to dispatch it as quickly as possible without shooting it again. Took out the 119 and slit the throat and right then I knew where the expression "bled like a stuck pig" came from. That deer sprayed and pumped out blood like crazy but like others have mentioned only when the heart is still beating. Otherwise like others have said, most heart/lung shots the bleeding is internal and comes out during the gutting process.

[Gateholio]

a brain shot animal will be lights out dead, but the heart will continue to beat for some time. Sometimes a shockingly long time. I would absolutely bleed it if I got to it in time and the heart was still beating (assuming I didn't care about the cape)

I've killed lots of livestock and it's always a shot to the head, animal drops, stick the jugular and the blood pours out until the heart stops beating.

No need to bleed for lung/heart shots.

[TUGGER]

I had the great fortune to work with a farmer from the old country .We would get a beef from him every year only stipulation was that i had to help kill and skin mind you these were farmed raised beef he would put him in the barn and shoot them with a 22lr cut the jugular wait for a while till he quit moving then we would grab a front leg and pump the heart the animal would stir we would do this until no more movement always had great beef

[gcreek]

Does anyone know the reason why domestic animals are bled out ? If blood isn't detrimental to the cuts if meat why not leave it in ?

Domestic animals are bled out because the heart still beats for a time after a brain shot and you can bleed them out. Bleeding does enhance meat quality and saves having the quarters drip while hanging.

Much prefer to use a lung shot on any game I am involved with. They bleed out completely when this is done.

[brian]

Last year I butchered three of our lambs, the first I bled out properly and the other two I did not. One got a partial bleed as the bullet severed an artery on the way out and the third had no immediate bleed out. I couldn't tell any difference in the meat of any of them. My theory is so much blood comes out when gutting that there really isn't much left in there any ways. I don't know why it is standard practice among commercial abattoirs, I have a feeling that bleeding out is more about killing a stunned animal rather than it is about meat quality. But there was no more blood content in any of the animals carcasses, no spoilage, and no flavour difference.