What Happens After You Field Dress a Deer?

Unless you’re a very adventurous, or very hungry, hunter or cook, you probably don’t bring the stomach, intestines, lungs, etc. home to cook. I’ve eaten everything from Cape buffalo testicles to deer heart but I prefer to stick to the “meat” and leave the organs in the field.  I’ve always wondered what happens to the “guts” of game animals after field dressing, and this year I decided to find out.

The Test
After shooting a whitetail buck in southeast Alabama last winter, I dragged him to a trail where I could load him onto a vehicle. Once on the trail, I field-dressed his carcass and left a trail camera to monitor the comings and goings.

The Results
Here are the visitors to the buffet: