Using a Cleaver (or equivalent) to Split a big Carcase.

C

coote

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Apr 3, 2006
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Anybody here use a cleaver or other big blade to split an animal carcase down through the backbone?

I havent tried to do this in a while because I've had accuracy problems and created too many chips of bone. So when I've had to cut an animal into chops and make a neat job of it I've used a saw.

I'm now thinking that if I use a heavier cleaver, or maybe a big khukuri, I will be able to make effective cuts without having to raise the blade too high (thus losing accuracy).

I'd appreciate reading any tips on using a blade to split a big carcase (sheep, deer etc).

Thanks in advance.... Coote.
 
Really your best bet is a saw, you'll be taking multiple swings into the bones to cut them.
 
How about using a baton on the cleaver or knife...no accuracy issues...I've used a dead-blow mallet as a baton when separating chops for the same reason.
 
Yep 65535, that is how I've viewed things to date. But I like big blades and they are easier to maintain and keep clean than a saw. Besides I know that the job can be done with a cleaver, but I've never seen an expert do it. I'd love to know their secrets if they have any.
 
Instead of splitting down the spine, try to separate the rib cage on one side where it attaches to the spine. You won't be going through bone so much as cartilage and connective tissue. That will be much easier, and shouldn't involve cutting bone at all, except when you get to the pelvis. This can actually be done with your normal animal processing knife, don't really need a cleaver for it.
 
That batoning is a good idea thanks. It might take two people on a big animal to maintain accuracy (if splitting the backbone). Well worth a try. A nice hardwood baton with no loose bark or flaking wood could be just the thing.

Chopping the ribs rather than down through the backbone certainly would be easier. In fact in my very early attempts in my youth that is where my axe ended up when really I wanted it to go down through the middle. So certainly this will split the beast in two... but it will mean that only one lot of rib chops will have meat at the 'eye' end (a big bit).
 
I really like that idea of batoning down the spine. I have split some fairly hefty logs using a baton and a heavy slasher blade. (If you don't know what a slasher is, it is a tool used for cutting scrub...perhaps there are different names for the tool. Down here it is generally a big socketed blade that fits on the end of a sturdy handle. You can get quite a swing with one, although I seem to have difficulty getting decent results with them.... a machete seems more satisfying to use).

But I'm still keen to hear from anybody who has made a decent job of splitting a big carcase down the spine with a cleaver in the traditional manner.
 
rocketbomb said:
Instead of splitting down the spine, try to separate the rib cage on one side where it attaches to the spine. You won't be going through bone so much as cartilage and connective tissue. That will be much easier, and shouldn't involve cutting bone at all, except when you get to the pelvis. This can actually be done with your normal animal processing knife, don't really need a cleaver for it.
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+1

I use my machete to remove the ribs. First I remove the loins with my hunting knife, then wack down the side of the spine with my 12" ontario seperating the ribs from the body. The whole cage should fall right off.

Can you smell a Dexter Russel fish splitter? would be perfect for the job at hand. As well as the jobs in your other post. hint hint
 
I hear you Evbouret. I've found a New Zealand equivalent of the Dexter Russel fish splitter and I might just get one. It is made by Victory Knives. We used to use this brand in the big fish processing factory I worked in. Here's a link if you want to have a look:

http://www.victoryknives.co.nz/fish_fishsplitter.htm

So what do you do with the ribs? Do you cut the meat off them? Cook them with the meat on?
 
Personally I dont carry anything I'm not gonna eat or hang on my wall out of the mountains. When I shoot an animal, it is cleaned, gutted, hung from a tree, skinned, deboned and put into 2-3 different pillow cases. Then the bags are hung in the shade to cool while I rest and clean up. When they lose a lot of their heat I throw them in the bottom of my backpack. Put all my other gear in a trash bag and hike them straight out. In this type of case I cut the tenderloins/loins out, then 'scrape' the outside of the ribs to get any extra meat for sausage.

If the animal is shot close to the truck (not very common), then the animal is gutted, tied into a 'backpack' and carried out whole to be cleaned and butchered at home where it is a lot easier for everything to stay clean. This is when I'll take the time to cut the whole ribs off. If we're talking about hogs, the ribs are brined/marinated, boiled, then slow roasted in an oven with tons of bbq sauce. Make sure you get plenty napkins!
 
You can cut the meat off and use it for burger/jerky/sausage. You could also smoke or BBQ them. It can be done whole(need a big oven or smoker), but usually works better if you section them into more manageable pieces, which is by far best done with a saw. Then again, if you've got a saw for cutting the ribs, you could probably just use the saw to split the carcass anyway.

I usually shoot animals close enough that I never bother separating the rib cages out anyway. We take them home and just bone them out hanging in the shed. Deer ribs usually aren't that great, and that's about all I hunt as far as large game, so if anything I use the rib meat for burger or other processed meat.
 
Before CWD came into this area of Wisconsin, I'd use a sabre saw with a long blade and just zip down the carcass, then cut the chop length of the ribs. I hang deer tail up in the shed from a rafter.

Zip through the forelegs and maybe the neck, the rest is just cutting and packaging meat.
 
Hmm. It seems like you guys have a similar outlook to me. The animals shot close to home (or the vehicle) often get taken back whole, otherwise I cut the meat off the bones, stuff it in a heavy duty plastic bag, and tote it home in my pack. I dont always wait for the meat to cool down either, although I acknowledge that should really be done. I've never had a problem though. When it is getting dark or if I have a long way to go I am inclined to quickly strip the meat and head off.

Nowadays I am inclined to leave a bit of meat on the ribs and freeze them for dog tucker. My brother likes to cook up pork ribs but, like you indicated, it can be a messy affair.

Another reason for butchering the carcase on the hillside is that it is a nuisance having to find a way to get rid of the bones and other gunk from home. Leaving the remains on the hill is a better way of recycling.
 
Kismet.... is a sabre saw a small hand saw with a narrow blade? I generally hang by the back legs too.
 
Saw all the way. A very fine tooth bone saw is preferable, but in a pinch any good meat/bone saw will work. Much better than hacking through bone unless you just have no other option.
 
coote said:
otherwise I cut the meat off the bones, stuff it in a heavy duty plastic bag, and tote it home in my pack.
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yikes, get yer self a pillow case man. Putting warm meat into a plastic bag that doesn't breath will hamper cooling and increase bacteria count on your meat. Meat should never be in plastic (besides a cooler), or a tupperware for lunch.

The hunting/outdoors in Hawai'i is very similar to NZ. Its no suprise we're gonna have similar outlooks on what works and what doesn't. I look at NZ as a colder Hawaii. Even complete with a strong polynesian culture. I loved the few monthes I spent there and have been scheming a way to move down there since. It truely is heaven for me. World class surfing, fly fishing and hunting for 5 different types of deer! can you beat that?
 
We used a hand saw for Beef and hog and any big game, My Grandpa however used a double bit ax for everything, killing, skinning and the rough cuts. He was a surgeon with that ax though.:)
 
Your Grandpa would have been one of my heroes Udtjim. I reckon I could probably get good enough with an axe to split a carcase in an acceptable manner eventually, but I don't have the opportunity to practice much. When I have a big animal hanging up, I really want to make a neat job... thus the saw. But I still want to use a chopper of some sort.

Yep Evbouret, folks have admonished me before about putting warm meat into a plastic bag. And I know that they are right. Still, I'd done it for a long time before I had the error of my ways pointed out to me and I've seemed to get away with it (for 20 years or more maybe). But you are quite correct. A buddy made a simple canvas pack for me which would be ideal because it is easily washed, but I havent used it without a plastic liner yet. I might leave the top of the plastic bag open, but I know that isn't as good as no bag. I should take some old cotton sheeting or some pillowcases as you suggest.

We don't have five types of deer in my neighborhood, but we do have two.... red deer and the smaller fallow deer. We also have goats, hogs, rabbits, hares and brushtailed possums nearby. Elsewhere in the country we've got thar, chamois, wallabies plus the other deer you mentioned. I've never bothered about freshwater fishing for the great trout and salmon we have because it requires buying a licence. But I've caught a heap of fish from the sea

JohnDory.jpg
 
Stickman said:
How about using a baton on the cleaver or knife...no accuracy issues...I've used a dead-blow mallet as a baton when separating chops for the same reason.
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I watched a Quebec guide quarter a moose that way. He used what looked to be an Old Hickory butcher knife and the poll of his Fiskers hatchet to baton right down the center of the spine. I had never considered doing that... I really didn't think it could be done. I always thought of bone as being kind of like rock; not something you could drive a knife cleanly through. Guess not!


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Ah Desmobob. This is the sort of eyewitness report I was hoping for. Dang, if you can do it on a moose, you should be able to do it on smaller animals.

I haven't done any scientific tests, but I reckon that the backbone is more spongy than leg bones and maybe a bit easier to chop.
 
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