When I went out yesterday afternoon, I found a gut pile right next to the parking area. It had been there maybe a little over a day. However, the actual hunting area was about 200 yards farther into the WMA. It seemed odd that someone would drag their kill guts and all at least 200 yards and then gut it right next to where they're parked.

Is this normal? I'm new to hunting, so I was just curious. Where do you gut your kills?

Not normal, but not surprised at it. Lots of stupid people out there.

A lot depends on the WMA rules and landowner rules...some want them gutted in the field and others at camp. I gut mine on the spot the drop usually or close to it. Could also have been someone who killed/gutted elsewhere and just dropped the guts off there. See this all the time on backroads.

maybe they weren't sure just how to do it and had someone already at the car that could, or they left their stuff in the car?? I did that just this year with my first hunt over here? Killed a deer but was actually out for hogs. Didn't know if gutting the deer would bother the hogs so went and brought it to the stand, finished the hunt, then took it to the cars and gutted it where there was light and a place to hand/wash it out. Wasn't as big as the stuff you folks are getting tho... May have weighed 45 pounds...

Daven,

Good point, hadn't thought about those possibilities.

Was there a water source near the parkig area? Lot's of guy's like a water hose handy when field dressing. I know I do.

That depends, do you consider a stagnant pond 30 yards away a water source?

I see this all the time down our road. Drives me absolutely crazy.

Could also have been someone new to dragging animals out and worried of getting dirt, leaves, ect into the body cavity.

I think Daven's theory was likely correct. Early morning/late evening and needed light.

Yup one lease I hunted wanted you to gut in pasture, last one wanted them gutted at her skinning rack by the house only.

If im going to have to drag the deer I will usualy gut it after dragging keeps dirt leaves etc. out of the cavity... unless its too far and I want to make it lighter.

I gut mine abt 25 yards from my buddies stand behind the mesquites trees. May be why he only sees yotes and buzzards and the deer are at my feeder.

We gut where ever the deer falls.

Highly doubt it matters much, Ive shot deer in the afternoon eating corn out of a puddle of coagulated blood from the morning hunt.

might have needed to reduce the weight to load it

On private I seldom gut, I usually can drive right up to it load it and have it quartered with in 30 minutes of shooting it.

Public I gut according to rules

This is exactly what I do as well...

I gut them where they drop as soon as possible. I want to get that heat out as quick as possible and start cooling the meat as soon as possible.

I won't gut a critter until after I finish dragging it to wherever I need it to go. I've seen far too much dirt, rocks, and leaves end up in the cavity when others do it, and I just can't handle that. So, I drag it to where I can get the truck, and then either gut it there, or haul it back to the house and gut it in the driveway.

Seeing a gut pile right next to the parking area would bug me a bit, but not much. Put it 25 yards away, and I'm okay. I figure something will come in and clean it up in a day or two, so I wouldn't give it much thought.

We drag them back to the camp and use half of a 55 gallon plastic drum to catch everything. Then drive that to a designated dump area.

Yup! The warmer the weather, the quicker I want to get the animal dealt with.

Gut my on the ground where they fall,lot less trouble.

You been going down my county roads?

As long as its not to hot ill wait and gun mine when I clean them... I like to wash them off with soap before I put a knife to them

Might as well bust out the razor while they're all lathered up.

No dirt no hair no problems

I usually don't gut animals at all....unless we're talking about MLD whitetails (due to recording the "field dressed" weight).

Once you learn to clean animals without gutting, it's much cleaner and less hassle.