Field dressing / Quartering
Field dressing
Each person field dresses a deer differently but I have found the easiest way is to hang the deer upside down from its back legs using a spreader bar. This page addreses this style. To hang the deer upside down cut a small slit between the deer's leg bone and tendon right above and behind the knee on both legs, insert spreader hooks. Be careful to not cut or knick the tendon.
NOTE: If you have harvested a trophy buck please refer to Taxidermy tips before field dressing begins. If you do not follow the Taxidermy tips the save the head and hide for mounting then you will ruin the mount in step 6 of this procedure.

1) Carefully cut a circle around the anus freeing all skin from it. Continue working the knife downward (while holding the anus) toward the body cavity cutting all muscle and meat away until the anus is free.
2) Using a ty-wrap or string tie of the anus to prevent any contents from tainting the meat.
3) If this is a buck, you will need to carefully cut underneath the penis until it is free from the main body. DO NOT cut the penis off, it must stay intact or urine will taint the meat. Keep cutting all skin away unti the penis is freed and able to be pulled down into the body cavity like the anus.
4) Begin cutting between the back legs of the underside close to the pelvis and downward until you reach the body cavity.
5) Use a finger or two, insert into the body cavity just behind the skin to guide the knife downward while cutting the skin and meat towards the rib cage. Your fingers will be used to seperate the entrails and the skin/meat while cutting towards the rib cage so that a mishap of opening any internal organ does not happen.
6) Continue cutting thorugh the ribs and skin, through the breastbone and into the neck. A sharpe knife and hard downward pressure will cut thorugh the breast bone. Only use the tip of the knife because the entrails have gravitated to this area and if the knife is inserted by more than the tip you could penetrate an organ.
7) Continue the cut to the base of the skull.
8) Cut the windpipe at the base of the skull.
9) Pull the anus and penis (if applicable) into the body cavity.
10) Spread the rib cage apart and help the entrails to fall out. During this process you will need to cut cartrage away from the entrails allowing them to fall freely out of the body cavity. Be careful to not puchure any organ, especially the bladder. If the bladder is compromised immediately wash the insides with water after all organ parts have been removed.

Quartering
The taste of deer meat depends on how it is treated. If the deer is quartered and the meat placed on ice immediately then there should not be a problem. If the deer is left unquarter at the camp and the temperature is high or the carcuss is transported in the back of a pickup during hot weather then you may not like what you have. Quartering a deer is the best route to take. Immediately after removing each portion, bag it and place into a cooler with ice. Keep the drain plug of the cooler open allowing melted ice to drain and preventing it from damaging the meat.
1) With the deer still hanging head down start skinning from the back legs to the head.
2) Use a bone saw and cut the head and hide from the carcus at the base of the skull.
3) Once the skin is removed go for the tenderloins first. This meat tends to dry out quickly so this should be the first cut. The tenderloins are located within the body cavity next to the spine, close to the pelvis.
4) Next remove the backstraps. As the word indicates the backstraps are located on the sway of the back next to the spine, close to the rumps. Backstraps are a very long piece of meat so ensure that you get the entire cut.
5) Take a bone saw and cut the front legs about 2 inches above the knee freeing the shoulder from the leg.
6) Take a knife and start cutting each shoulder from the carcus. The only thing holding the should to the body is meat and tendons so cut close to the rib cage as possible to obtain all the shoulder meat.
7) Start trimming between the ribs, neck and remove the skirt steaks (located at the top of the ribs next to the spine) and any other meat desired. These scraps can be used for sausage making.
8) Now its time for the hams. Take a knife and start cutting from the pelvis down to the hip joint freeing all meat. Start on the other side of the ham close to the spine and start cutting upwards towards the hip joint freeing all meat. Once all the meat has been cut to the hip joint take a knife and start working the ball of the ham out of the hip socket. Most people will tell you that a saw is needed to cut the ham away but it is not by this method. By freeing both hams from the hip joint the carcus can be discarded.
9) Take a bone saw and cut 2 inches above the knee freeing each ham from the leg.