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Skinning and Gutting Your Kill

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By popular demand, I've added a couple animations and a diagram below showing what you need to know about skinning and gutting small game. If I get out for a little springtime hunting, I'll try to take some pictures to update this page.

First, you'll need to THUMP THE CRITTER!

And now to skin and gut the critter...

Note: Refreshing the page will restart the animation

THE GUTS - A Few Pointers

A "gut hook" or "belly zipper" is the curved hook that is sometimes found on the back of hunting knives. This is used to hook under the skin and "unzip" the pelt without snagging on internal organs. If you don't have one on your knife, you must be very careful when opening your critter up!

Once you have exposed the internals of your critter, you may feel like you are back in high school science class. If your memory fails you as to which organs are which, I've made this quick guide.

In the picture below, you'll see a (somewhat exaggerated) picture of what major organs you'll find and approximately where. I've had to move them around a bit in order to show it all in one picture (stomach and kidneys would be lower, some organs would be obscured, etc), but the general locations will be the same in pretty much EVERY MAMMAL on earth. A convenient point is that most of that internal mess is only connected at the throat and the anus. Cutting those two points will allow you to remove it all in one big mass.
 

ESOPHAGUS - This is the throat/windpipe which connects the mouth with both the lungs and the stomach. It contains a lot of cartilage and gristle, and is not really worth eating.

STOMACH - This contains a lot of harsh acids along with whatever the critter has been eating. Unless properly prepared, you really DON'T want to be eating it!

LUNGS - These are edible, but most folks aren't fond of them. Your choice, but in a survival situation, go for it. PS - You may want to search the critter. If you find cigarettes, avoid the lungs :)

HEART - Solid muscle... ie: MEAT. Good eating, but this is pretty tough muscle and is a bit "chewy". Tenderizing or boiling will soften it up.

KIDNEYS - Good eating. Enjoy!

SMALL INTESTINE - This contains a lot of harsh acids along with whatever the critter has been eating. Unless properly prepared, you really DON'T want to be eating it!

LIVER - Typically good eating and packed with vitamins and minerals... BUT you should examine it carefully. If there are any discolorations or spots on it, you should discard it.

LARGE INTESTINE - This contains a lot of waste product (shit). Unless properly prepared, you really DON'T want to be eating it!

Most internal organs are edible, but you should stick with the easy ones if you don't know what you're doing. The liver, heart and kidneys are probably the easiest to recognize and are packed with vitamins and minerals. These should definitely be eaten. I've marked them in the diagram with an asterisk (*). The rest would require extensive preparation, and should thus be avoided. You may want to use some of these as bait for other critters or fish!

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