Some hunters may choose to leave the chest intact for mounting purposes. Otherwise, use your knife to saw through the sternum and up into the chest for easier access to the organs housed inside.  Keep the blade oriented down toward the deer as you press down and saw back and forth with the blade to separate the sternum the best you can. You can still access the organs in the chest without doing this, but it may make it easier. The diaphragm is a thin layer of tissue that holds the entrails on the ribs of the deer. Slide your hand into the chest cavity and use the blade to cut the diaphragm away from the ribs so the entrails come out easily.  If you want to keep them, seperate the heart and lungs by cutting them free from the organs you’ve removed. Place each in separate plastic bags and put those bags in a cooler if you have one available. Don’t pull anything out of the chest cavity as you cut unless it comes out loose. Be extremely careful cutting inside the chest cavity where you can’t see. Depending on whether or not you were able to saw through the rib cage, this can be a difficult step. Reach both hands up into the chest cavity toward the deer’s head and grab the windpipe and esophagus (2 tubes running up to the deer’s mouth). Grip them both with your non-dominant hand and cut both tubes.  This will separate the windpipe and esophagus from the deer’s mouth above where you cut. Move slowly and deliberately to ensure you don’t accidentally cut yourself. Don’t let go after you cut the windpipe and esophagus. Remove the entrails and organs out of the deer’s chest by keeping your grip of the windpipe and esophagus as you pull your hand back down toward the stomach and out of the deer. Use the knife to cut any snags that hinder your progress.  If you cut the diaphragm well, most of the entrails will come sliding out as you pull. Most of the entrails of the deer will now be removed. Use any sturdy stick you find lying around to help hold the opening open. Propping the cavity open will allow you to get a good look inside to spot anything you may have missed while also helping to dry the cavity out.  It can be difficult to see down into the cavity while you’re working. With the stick in place, it will allow more light to get in. If you choose, you can use clean water to help clean out the cavity, but its not necessary. Remove any chunks of entrails or debris that may have fallen into the cavity while you were working.  Be sure the cavity is cleaned out completely. Use a knife to cut away anything that’s left stuck to the inside of the ribs. If you use water, you can also use paper towels or whatever else you have around to help dry it out. Cleaning out the entrails and drying the meat is the most effective way to prevent spoilage until you can get the deer quartered and refrigerated. During that time the deer will cool and more of the blood will drain out. Draining the blood will reduce the weight of the deer and make it much easier to transport out of the woods. If you have a long drive home, add ice to the body cavity and wrap the deer in plastic to protect it from exposure to heat and debris.  You may want to prop the deer up on a nearby tree to help with draining. Be careful not to slip in the blood while working around the deer’s body. Cleaning and drying the meat will help to prevent spoilage. Get the deer out of the woods and quartered as quickly as you can once it's dry.
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One-sentence summary -- Saw the sternum all the way into the upper chest area if you want easier access. Cut the diaphragm away from the deer’s ribs on both sides. Reach into the chest with a knife to cut the windpipe and esophagus. Grip the windpipe and pull downward while cutting away any snags. Prop the body cavity open with a stick. Clean out any remaining entrails or debris. Dry the cavity by letting it sit for an hour.


The method for doing this depends on your version of Microsoft Word.  In Word 2003, select Reviewing Pane on the Reviewing toolbar. (If the Reviewing toolbar is not already displayed, select Toolbars from the View menu and then select Reviewing.) In Word 2007 and 2010, select Reviewing Pane from the Tracking group in the Review menu ribbon and select Reviewing Pane Vertical to display the pane beside your document or Reviewing Pane Horizontal to display the pane beneath your document. Click the "X" in the upper right corner.
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One-sentence summary --
Open the Reviewing Pane. Close the Reviewing Pane when finished.