Gralloch

19 January 2010, 12:47

Boghossian

Gralloch

Some interesting pdfs from the deer initiative.
These are the best practice guidelines for UK deer stalkers...

http://www.thedeerinitiative.c...ralloching010509.pdf

<a href="http://www.thedeerinitiative.co.uk/pdf/guide_carcass_lardering010509.pdf%5B/URL%5D" target="_blank">http://www.thedeerinitiative.c...ring010509.pdf</a>

I wonder how often the 'full monty' is done in the field rather than just removing the green gralloch?

Any different ways from other countries?

19 January 2010, 13:46

glogin

I do everything in the field and take clean carcass home

Greg

19 January 2010, 15:08

Dom

In Germany, most of mine are taken to the Wildkammer, or a room with light, running water, winch, etc. Makes it easier, especially if it's dark when you shoot, though I have done it with flashlights and/or headlights.

The documents aren't bad, I noticed that animal must not have been shot

or if it was in the head as there was no damage. Makes for nice pics! That said, we dress anus to snout, and do not stop at ribcage and then cut esophogas free to draw down and out with stomach, etc. So after cut all the way up to jaw, cut windpipe and esophogus, and pull it all down and out. Waidmannsheil, Dom.

19 January 2010, 21:33

MarkH

Hi

I do the same as Dom, ie take out everything from the tougue to the anus.
Its very quick and clean method, once the sternum is split access is easy. All the blood drains off easily and makes less mess transporting
Finally it speads up cooling and getting the beast into the chiller.
Pity they dont tech this on the UK courses.

Mark

19 January 2010, 21:35

DJM

On Wild Deer I normally do a full gralloch in the field.

Method 1 if animal has to be dragged to extracted or cannot be suspended.

I stick the animal in the base of the neck to bleed it,
then pull out a small section of food pipe which I either place 2 cable ties around it and cut between the 2 or tie it off and cut through it,
open the stomach wall from the sternum to pelvis,
then tunnel the anus but NEVER split the pelvis,
then cut the diaphragm and pull out all of the Pluck and Gralloch.

Method 2 if the animal can be driven to or is a short drag or carry out.

I stick the animal in the base of the neck to bleed it as soon as I locate it,

I will then get the animal to the vehicle and use the gallows I carry with the truck, or use a tree to suspend the animal.
Open the carcass from pelvis to jaw,
Cut the sternum with a SAW,
then tunnel the anus etc but NEVER split the pelvis,
then cut the diaphragm and let gravity extract Pluck and Gralloch for me.

I like method 2 as a you can then remove the head, put a hook through the nose and hang the Head, pluck and gralloch up to inspect it in one piece without grovelling around on the floor.

I can remember being shown splitting the pelvis in the field on a course many years ago but thankfully those days have long gone.

I can see splitting the chest being frowned upon in the field before too long.

20 January 2010, 01:19

Pete E

quote:
Originally posted by DJM:
On Wild Deer I normally do a full gralloch in the field.

Method 1 if animal has to be dragged to extracted or cannot be suspended.

I stick the animal in the base of the neck to bleed it,
then pull out a small section of food pipe which I either place 2 cable ties around it and cut between the 2 or tie it off and cut through it,
open the stomach wall from the sternum to pelvis,
then tunnel the anus but NEVER split the pelvis,
then cut the diaphragm and pull out all of the Pluck and Gralloch.

Method 2 if the animal can be driven to or is a short drag or carry out.

I stick the animal in the base of the neck to bleed it as soon as I locate it,

I will then get the animal to the vehicle and use the gallows I carry with the truck, or use a tree to suspend the animal.
Open the carcass from pelvis to jaw,
Cut the sternum with a SAW,
then tunnel the anus etc but NEVER split the pelvis,
then cut the diaphragm and let gravity extract Pluck and Gralloch for me.

I like method 2 as a you can then remove the head, put a hook through the nose and hang the Head, pluck and gralloch up to inspect it in one piece without grovelling around on the floor.

I can remember being shown splitting the pelvis in the field on a course many years ago but thankfully those days have long gone.

I can see splitting the chest being frowned upon in the field before too long.

Dave,

Excellent post!

People seem to get all caught up in the smallest details while missing the over all aim of the exercise ie that we are trying to get the carcass back to the larder in the most hygienic condition as practically possible and in a timely fashion.

An approach that works well for a tiny Muntjac carcass in Thetford Forest is going to be completely impractical on a 20 stone Stag half way up a mountain in Scotland...

Regards,

Peter

20 January 2010, 01:41

DJM

Thanks Pete.

Here is a 26 stone Red stag but fortunately it was on a Breckland Heath not a Scottish Moor.

I found another photo from a cull I helped with earlier this season showing a larder with 40+ fallow 4 of us had culled and gralloched in a morning.

20 January 2010, 02:44

SLDG

For me its a small opening in the stomach and out with the green and thats it.The rest is done at home and everything is checked pelvice is cut through and the full animal is opened with spreaders for cooling. No thigh meat touching as this will cause heat and will spoil at the pelvis.

20 January 2010, 02:45

Richard E

Dave
just a quick question
why do you split the chest but not the pelvis??
more out of interest than anything else

20 January 2010, 12:39

Boghossian

Don't want to answer for DJM, but I don't split the pelvis either - because it is a pain in the neck having the legs flopping rather than 'fixed' together. Also, it is a bit more time consuming.
G

20 January 2010, 15:52

1894mk2

Muck on the sternum isn't so much of an issue as most of that doesn't get eaten. Contamimation of a split pelvis is right on the haunch and is an issue. I do split the pelvis of reds in an unchilled larder when I am away from home to ensure that area cools effectively (easy to go green on a large animal)

I do all in the field on the ground. If it's going on a roe sac or I can drive the car up I split the sternum with a knife and if it's to be dragged I take it all out via the abdominal incision.

Those fallow look very clean - mine look a lot muckier from external mud and blood from others - are they park?

20 January 2010, 23:02

DJM

I don’t split the pelvis in the field as I don’t find the need, and have not yet been shown it to be achievable cleanly, neatly and hygienically in the field, unless you take a butchers saw and trestle with you.

I am fortunate that I have Chilled larders available so do not have the need to split the chest or pelvis to aid cooling.

When working in Scotland I do a Green only gralloch on the hill, and then finish the animal off in the larder. For stags only I don’t so much split the pelvis as remove a 1" wide piece of bone from the Pelvis with the pissle still attached as this is what is required from the buyers of pissles.

Yes the fallow deer all came from a Park but it is a wild as you will get. It is around 1200 acres 40% Grassland, 30% Mature Woodland 30% 20 year old natural regeneration mainly Birch and Sweet Chestnut. The only advantage is they cannot get out! They are not easy though all are head shot and the typical range is 70-150m with occasional shots out to 200m.

21 January 2010, 03:38

Pete E

Dave,

I hope for the sake of your back,you had some help with that Red carcass!

What are you using as a ramp in the back of the Ranger?

Regards,

Peter

21 January 2010, 11:33

DJM

No didnt have any help Pete!

I shot the one in the above pic along with his 2year old 18stone little brother, so I had the two of them to deal with at the same time.

The ramp is the proper ramp that came with the truck, along with the winch that is attached to the pickup bed bulkhead.

You can see the Ramp in its stowed position and the winch better in this Photo.

The work lights that you can see stowed on the left of the picture go on top of the gallows for evening grallochs so that you can see what you are doing. I will try and get some pictures of it all setup it the next couple of days.

21 January 2010, 18:05

Pete E

quote:
Originally posted by DJM:
No didnt have any help Pete!

I shot the one in the above pic along with his 2year old 18stone little brother, so I had the two of them to deal with at the same time.

The ramp is the proper ramp that came with the truck, along with the winch that is attached to the pickup bed bulkhead.

You can see the Ramp in its stowed position and the winch better in this Photo.

The work lights that you can see stowed on the left of the picture go on top of the gallows for evening grallochs so that you can see what you are doing. I will try and get some pictures of it all setup it the next couple of days.

Cheers for that Dave; I would be very interesed in seeing those pics..

21 January 2010, 23:36

DJM

Right here we go,

Here are the gallows, the carcass tray is the same one as is the above photo under the red carcass. It is the same size a Garden Centre Shooping trolley. They can be ordered without holes from Ace Equipment the size of the tray is 1025 x 575 x180mm .

This is the Mark 1 Gallow for use with a Trailer, Suitable for Deer upto around 150lb in weight. I knocked this one up quickly to test the concept and for use at a training event I was teaching on.

The base slots into one of the trailer posts.

The lights then fit on utilising an anti-loose pin.

Plug the lights into the cigar lighter socket and,

There you have it this picture was taken at around 18:00gmt without flash

The Mk 2 will attach to the tow hitch and be suitable for a Big Lad seen in the earlier photos.

23 January 2010, 01:52

Pete E

Dave,

Thanks for the pics, very interesting indeed!
I'm guessing you like the Ranger?? is that a proper crewcab or the shorter extended cab?

Regards,

Peter

24 January 2010, 01:28

gryphon1

A lot of our Aussie sambar deer are shot well off the beaten track and often the nearest track access for a 4wd can be 'x" amount of kilometres away.

I gut the deer completely and will halve it at the last rib then hang the butt end from one leg and then break the rear end down the spine with a Buck game saw which is surprisingly effective considering the size of sambar which will often outweigh a red 2 to 1.

Having a full deer 1/4 thus I will then tie it to my pack frame then sit on my arse so as to shoulder it and carry out on the first trip and so on.

If within 4wd access we will simply gut from neck to freckle and drag the whole carcase to the truck and then hang it in the hide for a week to 10 days.

24 January 2010, 22:05

DJM

The Ranger is great, not too bad on fuel either.

It is the Full double cab, with 4 proper doors, although it has no rear seats because of the dog compartment and gun safe.

30 January 2010, 22:09

Boghossian

Do any of you use antibacterial wipes? If so in what circumstances?
G

30 January 2010, 22:52

Ghubert

quote:
Originally posted by Boghossian:
Do any of you use antibacterial wipes? If so in what circumstances?
G

I too would like to know the definitive answer to this question.

Thanks to Boghossian for highlighting the issue.

31 January 2010, 00:07

Pete E

quote:
Originally posted by Boghossian:
Do any of you use antibacterial wipes? If so in what circumstances?
G

I use them for all manner of cleaning tasks in the field.

But lets be realistic here, we are not surgons and we do not gralloch beasts in anything that approaches sterile conditions, no matter how hard we try..The best we can do is use good practice and common sense to keep the carcass as clean as possible, and avoid as much contamination as possible.

So for instance, removing blood from a gralloching knife in the field using these wipes helps us to be clean and avoid cross conamination, but don't fool your self into thing the knife is "sterile". Nor does it mean that the knife and sheath shouldn't be cleaned and sterilised properly as soon as practically possible.

Thoe wipes are also handy for cleaning a wound if you accidently nick yourself doing the gralloch...

31 January 2010, 18:12

Steve Latham

The same wipes can also get your scope or bino's cleaned up too, if you have nothing else.

24 June 2010, 23:52

DJM

Well the gallows worked great however they were never man enough to even think about trying to lift a Red.

I had a look around to see what was available there was not anything on the market that would deal with a large wild red.

So I have set to and create a larger version to deal with the Red deer.

And here it is......

P.s

I do take commissions.