The Game After the Shot
ECOLOGICAL AND LOCALLY PRODUCED
In all hunting, it is important to properly handle the game after the shot to ensure good meat quality. Once the animal is shot, it must be field dressed, meaning the stomach, intestines, and other internal organs are removed. This is usually done in the forest, but it can also be done at home.
Once the hunt is over, the animal is transported home and hung in a suitable area. There, the animal can either be skinned immediately, or the hide can be left on for the time being. The carcass should hang for a certain period to “age” and become more tender before it is butchered and frozen in appropriate portions.
If the hunt is for the hide or trophy, proper care must be taken to preserve them. Even in moose or deer hunting, it’s important to avoid damaging the hide, as it can be a source of income for the hunting team.
ABOUT GAME MEAT
Of all the meat consumed in Sweden, game meat makes up about three to four percent.
Game meat is flavourful and, in the true sense of the word, ecologically produced. It often has slightly better nutritional value than meat from domestic animals and contains no residues of antibiotics or other medications.
Game meat is also typically leaner. In deer species, most fat is stored in depots under the skin or in the abdominal cavity, while the meat itself is lean. In wild boar, however, some fat is marbled between muscle bundles, making it a bit fattier. In birds, as in deer, fat is located under the skin and around the organs, not within the muscle.
There are significant differences in flavour and colour between species, depending on genetics, lifestyle, and diet.
Roe deer and fallow deer have a pronounced game flavour, while red deer tastes milder and moose even less so. Wild boar tastes like domestic pork with a clear game note. Bear and beaver have coarse meat with a very strong game flavour. Among birds, meat structure and flavour also vary.
Canada goose has coarse meat, while ptarmigan and pigeon have very fine-grained meat.
Diet plays a big role in flavour. Herbivores usually taste milder than omnivores. Animals that eat small creatures, insects, or fish have the strongest game flavour.
HOW THE SHOT AFFECTS MEAT QUALITY
The correct shot placement for large game is the chest cavity, aiming to damage the heart and lungs. This causes the animal to bleed out internally, with minimal meat damage.
A shot to the neck or head results in immediate death but leads to poor bleeding, which slightly reduces meat quality compared to a heart-lung shot.
A gut shot, hitting the liver or abdominal organs, often causes the animal to flee. A tracking effort is usually necessary. This not only causes suffering but can significantly degrade meat quality. Stomach and intestinal contents contaminate the abdominal cavity and may be carried to surrounding tissues via the wound channel or blood vessels. Bacteria from the intestines can either cause illness in humans or lead to spoilage of the muscle tissue, giving the meat an off taste and odour that’s hard to remove.
WHEN SHOULD THE ANIMAL BE GUTTED?
The first thing to do after shooting an edible animal — such as deer, wild boar, or bear — is to field dress it. This means opening the body cavity and removing the abdominal organs (stomach(s), intestines, kidneys, spleen, liver), and often the thoracic organs (heart, lungs). This is done to cool the carcass and prevent bacterial growth from the intestines spreading into the muscle tissue.
With a clean heart-lung shot, the animal can be field dressed on site. The process is similar for all mammals, though organ appearance varies between species.
Beaver, hare, and rabbit are usually not gutted immediately but later at home or after the hunt.
Birds differ anatomically and are also usually not dressed right away. The reasons include:
- Low risk of contamination from gut contents
- Birds are often shot in numbers and handled later
- In warm weather, gutting can attract flies into the body cavity
FIELD DRESSING – HOW TO DO IT
There are several ways to field dress a moose, deer, or roe deer, but the principle is the same. The anatomy — a body cavity primarily containing the stomach and intestines — is consistent across deer species.
You can:
- First remove the abdominal organs (stomach and intestines), then the chest organs
- Or remove all organs at once
Advantage of removing the abdominal organs first:
Once the diaphragm is cut, blood from the chest cavity will flood into the abdomen, making visibility worse. There’s also a hygiene risk, as blood may mix with stomach contents that may have leaked.
For best access, lay the animal on its right side – this makes it easier to remove the stomach, intestines, and spleen. On the left side, the liver gets in the way.
Use slopes or hills to your advantage – organs fall out more easily and reduce the need to lift by hand, minimising the risk of rupture.
For gut-shot animals, clean the abdominal cavity thoroughly using a knife, spoon, or paper. Do not rinse with forest water, as it is not clean.
CLEANING (SOTNING)
In some situations, it’s helpful to remove the rectum, bladder, and genitalia (penis in males, uterus and ovaries in females) while still in the field. This is known as “sotning”.
To do this:
- Grab the tail and lift it
- Cut around the anus and external genitalia
- Follow the pelvic bone with the knife
- Loosen from the inside if needed
- Cut the penis (which wraps around the pelvis)
- Remove the entire package forward
IS THE ANIMAL HEALTHY?
During gutting, check the internal organs:
- White spots or lesions on liver, spleen, or kidneys may indicate infections (e.g. liver flukes)
- Check lymph nodes – if swollen or pus-filled, infection is likely
- Green nodules in lungs (common in deer, boar, hare) usually indicate lungworm and are not dangerous to humans or dogs
COOLING THE CARCASS
After gutting, ensure air circulation in the body cavity to allow proper cooling and inhibit bacterial growth.
However, the carcass must not cool too fast, or cold shortening may occur – meat tightens and becomes dry and tough due to locked muscle fibers.
Rule of thumb:
Do not cool the carcass below 10°C within 10 hours after the shot.
In cold weather, it’s better to wait and gut at home to avoid rapid cooling. The same applies to small game in winter.
HYGIENE
Game is food – treat it accordingly. Hygiene is vital from gutting to cooking.
- Wash/rinse hands before gutting
- Remove rings and watches; roll up sleeves
- Avoid touching the hide and then the inside of the body
- Use the knife carefully to prevent contamination
For improved hygiene:
- Use disposable gloves or a plastic bag over your hand
RIGOR MORTIS
Rigor mortis sets in within 1–2 days after death. During this time, meat becomes tough and unsuitable for cooking. Do not freeze meat during rigor, or the stiffness will remain even after thawing and may damage the meat.
SKINNING
Once home, the animal should be skinned.
- Moose and large deer are often skinned the same day
- Roe deer and smaller game may hang with the hide on
Warm carcasses are easier to skin, as the hide separates easily. Skin also protects against contamination and drying.
- Skin the animal while hanging
- Avoid contact with soil or contaminants
- Moose and large deer are typically skinned back to front (since they hang from the hind legs), but front to back is easier and follows muscle structure
HANGING (AGING)
From a quality perspective, it is important that the carcass is allowed to hang for a period after being processed. The aging process improves both tenderness and flavour and takes time.
How long the carcass should hang before being butchered depends on:
- Temperature
- Air circulation
If there is little airflow and the temperature exceeds +10°C, the meat surface may dry out.
The aging process has nothing to do with spoilage or bacteria. It’s a natural enzymatic breakdown of muscle tissue that improves texture and flavour.
After a certain point, further hanging will not improve the meat. Aging meat gives a mature aroma, not a spoiled smell. Inspect hanging meat daily and smell it. This minimizes the risk of over-aging.
You can also use meat tenderness meters available on the market to estimate optimal hanging time.
40 degree-days is a guideline used to determine how long game meat should hang (age) to achieve the best tenderness and flavour—without risking spoilage or hygiene issues.
It’s based on a simple formula:
Temperature (°C) × Number of days = Degree-days
The goal is to reach 40 degree-days before butchering the meat.
Examples:
| Temperature (°C) | Days Hanging | Degree-Days |
|---|---|---|
| 4 °C | 10 days | 4 × 10 = 40 |
| 8 °C | 5 days | 8 × 5 = 40 |
| 10 °C | 4 days | 10 × 4 = 40 |
INTERNAL ORGANS
Don’t forget to also take care of the edible offal (liver, kidney, heart, tongue). These should be removed either during field dressing or at home when hanging the carcass.
Unlike muscle meat, organs should not be aged or stored – they must be used immediately.
INSPECTION OF GAME MEAT
The EU has common rules for meat handling, which must be followed.
According to regulations:
- Game must be inspected at an approved game handling facility before it may be sold or given to anyone outside the hunting party
- This applies even to animals from large enclosures that live under conditions similar to wild animals
- The entire carcass must be submitted, including skin, skull, chest, and abdominal organs. Only the stomach and intestines may be removed
Exceptions:
Small hunting teams hunting moose, red deer, fallow deer, or roe deer may freely sell or hand over game meat to restaurants or shops, in limited quantities.
❗ However, if larger quantities are to be sold, inspection at a game handling facility is mandatory.
When it comes to wild boar or bear, inspection is always required, as they may carry trichinella.
Even for private consumption, meat from wild boar and bear must always be tested for trichinella, even though formal inspection is not required.
TRICHINELLA & TOXOPLASMA
Trichinella are small roundworms that may be present in muscle tissue. If a person eats raw or undercooked meat (below ~70°C), they can become infected and seriously ill.
Therefore:
- All meat from wild boar and bear must be tested for trichinella
- This is done at certified game handling facilities or by sending samples to SVA (Swedish National Veterinary Institute) or other approved labs
Sample guidelines:
- Take tissue from chewing muscles (masseter) or diaphragm (pillar part)
- At least 10 grams
- Clean the sample from fat, tendons, and blood
Meat must not be consumed before a negative test result is confirmed
Toxoplasma
Due to the risk of parasites like toxoplasma, always freeze meat that will be consumed raw or dried without thorough cooking.
GAME MEAT HANDLER (VILTHANTERARE)
Regulations also state that each hunting party should have a trained game meat handler (Swedish: vilthanterare), someone with education in:
- Game biology
- Game diseases
- Meat handling
This person is responsible for preliminary inspection of shot animals. If no signs of disease are found, the carcass can be passed on to the official game handling process.
Courses are arranged by the Swedish Hunters’ Association in cooperation with the National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket).
BUTCHERING
The best way to learn butchering is by helping someone with experience. There are many methods, depending on:
- Local tradition
- Animal species
- Size of the animal
Large animals (moose, red deer, wild boar, bear):
- Coarse butchering:
- Split the carcass in two along the spine
- Remove forelegs
- Divide each half into front and hind quarters
- Fine butchering:
- Use anatomical cuts: follow natural muscle groups
- This helps identify and separate valuable cuts like steaks, fillets, roasts, and stew meat
Use clean, sharp tools and work in a hygienic environment to preserve meat quality.