Gut a Spring Black Bear?

[skagway]

When field dressing a spring black bear do you gut it out before you skin it and butcher?
Thanks for your info

[groundpounder]

I like to gut them first for meat quality purposes- also if you shot them at dark and want light to skin them out- they cool out nicely, with no chance of hair slip issues.

[homerdave]

skin 'em.. pop off the quarters, get the backstraps, take the ribs off and walk away from the gut pile.
i haven't gutted an animal in years, but you need to be pretty expeditious in your approach. if it's gonna take you 2 hrs to skin a black bear maybe you should gut it first... it takes me a 1/2 hour or so to get one skinned up to the head, then i get the meat off and to the side before i skin out the head and feet.

[AK145]

Nope...you sure don't. You can skin him out, take the quarters and straps without gutting him.

[Bill S.]

And since the guts don't touch the quarters or the backstrap, a little extra time, (couyple hours, not days) makes little difference.

[AK DUCKMAN]

i haven't gutted an animal in years,

Thats about how I feel about it also. But what do I know I'm just a stupid duck hunter.