Field Dressing An Elk
How to field dress an elk is a question for which those hunting elk on Afognak or Raspberry Islands in the Kodiak Archipelago or on Etolin Island or Zarembo Islands in Southeast will need an answer. RaptoRazor provided this video to help show you how to butcher elk.
Rick describes how to field dress elk using the gutless method, and in the process shows you some of the RaptoRazor cutting tools that can make field dressing an elk, or any big-game animal, easier.
The steps Rick takes to take apart elk include the initial cut through the hide from neck to tail along the spine, removing the backstrap, skinning the hind quarter, removing the hind quarter, skinning the front quarter, removing the front quarter, removing the tenderloin, and removing the neck meat. After these steps are completed for the first side of the animal, you simply roll the animal over and repeat the steps on the other side of the carcass.
The two RaptoRazor products used in this how to field dress elk video were the BIG GAME SKINNER & MANŌ COMBO. These tools, as well as the steps to complete how to field dress elk, can be applied to other ungulate big-game species, such as Sitka blacktail deer, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and mountain goats. The BIG GAME SKINNER & MANŌ COMBO comes with a BGS housing, a MANŌ housing, two handles with survival compartment, each with extra screws, non-slip knurling grip, Phillips screwdriver for quick disassembly when cleaning and switching out blades, seven blades (four for the BGS and three for the MANŌ), two blade protectors, a carrying case with belt loop and Velcro cover. The entire kit weighs just 14.1 ounces.
RaptoRazor makes different sizes of their cutting tools to better match specific species. Additionally, replacement blades are available.