Unless the kill was close to your vehicle, this is going to be a long day or a late night, especially if you are hunting alone. If your game is properly taken care of in the field, the next step, having your animal butchered, will go a lot more smoothly.
I butcher my own game. The tenderloins and back strap are cut into steaks. Most of the front quarters become ground meat as these tend to be tough. The hind quarters are made into a combination of steaks, roasts and stew chunks. These are then wrapped in freezer paper, vacuum sealed, labelled and dated. The trimmings from the remainder of the carcass are added to the meat to be ground. Once the carcass is cleaned of meat, then the grinding begins. Ground meat can be used for, pepperettes, hamburgers, sausage, spaghetti sauce and anything other dish that you can think of. Then the good times begin with the eating of protein. The best part is having your mind at ease knowing exactly where it came from and how it was handled.
There is a lot more than just the kill shot that goes into becoming a hunter.
Showing respect for mother nature, following the laws that have been set, having a professional courtesy for other hunters and land owners, scouting, practicing to become proficient with the weapons you will be using, field gutting and meat preparation, and butchering your harvest in a fashion that it will be all consumed and not wasted due to spoilage or lack of field preparation make you a hunter.
Remember, every pro was once an amateur and every expert was once a beginner, . Introduce someone to hunting, take a child in the bush, and share your knowledge and tips with beginners.
We are one big hunting family, : there are enough activist groups to pick hunting apart, ; we don’t need to pick apart each other that love, and have a passion for the outdoors and enjoy hunting.