How to field dress a moose (Or an elk)

It’s election season and GOP candidate Sarah Palin is vying to bring a new set of skills to the vice president’s office — including her much-touted ability to field dress a moose.

It’s also hunting season. Few moose live in Oregon, so it’s illegal to hunt them here. But the state is home to about 120,000 elk, which are close relatives of moose. Nearly 20,000 hunters will harvest an elk in Oregon this fall, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Those hunters field dress their kill to prevent bacterial growth and make the carcass easier to transport. Here is how they do it:

1 Clear a space and lay the animal on the ground, belly-up. If needed, use rope to tie the animals legs apart.

2 Make a shallow incision through skin only from the anus to the throat.

Use the ax and saw to cut through the breastbone.

3 Carefully slice through the abdominal muscles. Be careful not to nick any digestive organs this could contaminate the meat and release a ghastly smell.

4 Reach into the chest cavity and sever the windpipe and gullet, as close to the head as possible.

5 Pull the organs out and onto the ground, preferably downhill from the carcass.

6 Roll the carcass on its side to drain as much blood as possible. Wipe the inside of the carcass dry using rags or towels.

7 Cool the meat by hanging the animal or, if the weather is warm, by placing bags of ice inside its body cavity. A large animal may take hours to cool.

If needed, cut the animal into quarters to transport it out of the woods.

Supplies needed

Sharp knife

No hunter should leave home without a razor-sharp, fixedblade knife.

Bone saw

To open up the animal and cut it into quarters, youll need a good saw.

Ax or hatchet

A hatchet is used to cut through some of the tougher joints.

Rope

Used to hold the animals legs in place, and hang it for draining and cooling.

Towels/bags

Towels come in handy for cleaning the inside of the carcass, and bags for transporting pieces of the animal.

Surgical gloves

(Optional) Keep blood off your hands and out from under your fingernails. Not all hunters use these.

Sources: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Hunters like Sarah Palin dont stalk, shoot and field dress a moose for nothing. Moose-eaters say the meat has a mild, pleasant taste similar to beef but leaner and much harder to find. Wild game cant be sold in the U.S. But some species bison, for example are now raised commercially and sold in specialty supermarkets.