Bleeding big game

[Rotorwash]

Is there some technique to get an animal to bleed in those cases where it dies immediately? I hard a perfect heart shot and it died instantly. There was a fair amount of blood in the chest cavity but there is still some blood in the arteries and viens.
Is there anything to be done about that or is it what it is?
Thanks

[walks with deer]

I normally bleed with a bullet..

If it's on a slope I will tilt it and slit the throat if I am not caping but generally I don't worry about it.

[butcher]

You don't need to worry about it. Hydrostatic shock is your friend.

[MichelD]

Last deer I shot was kind of an odd situation. Shot it through the neck and it dropped but there was only a trickle of blood where it should have been gushing. Poked at the wound with my knife and a bucket of blood splooshed out. My guess it that the impact of the bullet had tucked the severed end of the jugular neatly under the skin until I released it.

[trapperRick]

I always cut the throat

[steel_ram]

Removing the heart and lungs is about as open as your going to get on the circulatory system.

[Steeleco]

Not once had to worry about bleeding an animal. The bullet usually does the job and if dealt with soon enough any residuals will drain away once hung. Once the animal is dead, any blood in the rest of the body needs gravity to help it get out. Commercial cutters cut the throat of live animals, but they have a pumping heart and gravity on their side as the animal is usually hanging by it's back legs

[kennyj]

I've never worried about bleeding an animal.
kenny

[swampthing]

Old wives tale, this bleeding thing!

[the force]

Haha, depends on shot placement and how quick you get there... If the critter drops and is still twitching when I get there I'll stab I just below the neck bone and cut outwards to help bleed it out. Might not be necessary but I've had them bleed out a fair bit doing that. Other times I don't bother cause there is no blood pumping when I get there.

[HarryToolips]

I normally bleed with a bullet..

If it's on a slope I will tilt it and slit the throat if I am not caping but generally I don't worry about it.
Same here..........

[Corb89]

unless im caping for a trophy(rare) i usually cut the throat,years of butchering beef has made it a habit i guess

[scotty30-06]

Good thread....interesting to see the different personal preference.....I personally don't bleed them out

[Downwind]

If you're really worried about bleeding it pump the rear legs. That will work a bunch of blood out. Or you can just use an arrow. That will bleed it out better than anything :D

[300rum700]

Once the heart stops it's pointless

[Gateholio]

Only time I cut the throat is if I brain shoot livestock.

[honeyman76]

I always wondered about this. I know some people bleed out salmon too and I am wondering what difference does that make? All those salmon caught in nets never get bled out and taste fine.

[Fisher-Dude]

Old wives tale, this bleeding thing!

^^^ What he said.

I see guys dragging deer out that are sliced open from asshole to breakfast with a massive "bleed" cut across the throat, and wonder who's going to clean that mess up before the butcher gets it.

Most of the time, if possible, I'll drag them guts in to keep things clean. If they are in a tough spot, then I have to clean them before dragging.

Exposing any of the animal to the elements (and sticks and pine needles and dirt and cow shit) is hanging out the welcome sign for bacteria to enter the system.

I just open them enough to spill the guts out and take the arsehole out. The rest can be dealt with in a cleaner environment like hanging in my shop when I skin it.

That's why our dinner guests say "What? This is deer? I've never tasted one so mild!" ;)

[steel_ram]

To those that slice the throats of dead animals, how much blood comes out? Little if any I bet. Add to that making an extra cross cut in the hide adds a lot more loose hairs to cling to meat.

[rocksteady]

^^^ What he said.

I see guys dragging deer out that are sliced open from asshole to breakfast with a massive "bleed" cut across the throat, and wonder who's going to clean that mess up before the butcher gets it.

Most of the time, if possible, I'll drag them guts in to keep things clean. If they are in a tough spot, then I have to clean them before dragging.

Exposing any of the animal to the elements (and sticks and pine needles and dirt and cow shit) is hanging out the welcome sign for bacteria to enter the system.

I just open them enough to spill the guts out and take the arsehole out. The rest can be dealt with in a cleaner environment like hanging in my shop when I skin it.

That's why our dinner guests say "What? This is deer? I've never tasted one so mild!" ;)



HOLY CRAP BATMAN.......

Finally something you and I agree on !!!!!


I only open them up to the breastbone to get out the guts, I don't crack the ribcage right to the throat, just opens up a dirt collection..

If the critter is dead, no need to bleed it.. Once its hanging being skinned, gravity removes what is in there and a wash with a garden hose cleans it up really nice..

[MichelD]

I always wondered about this. I know some people bleed out salmon too and I am wondering what difference does that make? All those salmon caught in nets never get bled out and taste fine.

I was gillnetting in Alberni Inlet with a buddy this summer and my job was to gut the gills of every fish and dump it in a bleeding tank. A bled salmon is better eating. Full stop. I have another gillnetter friend in Copper River Alaska who has invented a whole assembly line bleeding mechanism for his fish . He sells fresh fish for enormous prices across the entire U.S. thanks to Alaska Airlines.

[Corb89]

To those that slice the throats of dead animals, how much blood comes out? Little if any I bet. Add to that making an extra cross cut in the hide adds a lot more loose hairs to cling to meat.
plenty of blood comes out-my experience. this is an interesting topic,I may try not bleeding my next deer, see how it turns out.

[scoutlt1]

Once the heart stops beating the only thing that "causes" blood flow is gravity.
I've never cut the throat of any game animal. Like FD said, the less cutting in a dirty environment the better.

Bleeding out a salmon is different. Cut is best made while the fish is alive and the heart is pumping, and I believe a large percentage of a fish's blood is in its gills.
When a cow (for example) is stunned (or even brain shot), hung upside down and the throat is slit, the heart is still pumping and gravity is doing its work.

[Seeadler]

Cutting their throat is a myth. Like others have said, I also prefer to get a deer home quickly and skin and gut in a clean environment. I've seen guys dragging deer, getting them full of dirt and what not and then wondering why they taste poor.

[bcsteve]

Never slit the throat.