NOTE: the method of field un-dressing big game that I describe here may NOT be legal in your hunting area/state.  Be familiar with your state/area hunting regulations.

You can snoop around elsewhere and get a lot of good info - most of it basically derives from the notion that you first of all `gut' the animal, maybe bleed it out first, and so on. Then take it to the butcher, or skin it and butcher it yourself, or skin it and then take it to the butcher, whatever. Your state game department might even have tips on their website.

We take a different approach. Once we down an animal, we take some pics, etc., then get it to a place we can work with it. We orient it with it's backbone uphill, if you're on a hill ... then, cut the deer's skin along the backbone. You'll want to puncture the skin, and then work with skin from the underneath. If your blade is against the fur it will dull fast. Anyway, we then peel the skin down the side ... if the deer has been dead only minutes, you hardly need a knife ... but the longer dead you'll have to pull with one hand and assist the separation with your knife. Take a sharpener and keep your knife sharp. It gets more difficult peeling down the legs - that's where a friend helps. (One person pulls and the other works with the knife.)  Peel down past `meat' and then stop. As you get areas `opened up' - cut away the muscle groups and put them in clean bags (plastic or game bags). Keep your knife clean, hands clean, meat clean. Take all the meat from one side. Don't mess with destroyed / damaged meat. Stay away from stomach fluids, gew, etc., if it has oozed out of a bullet hole or a screw-up with your knife. Go clear up the neck and get neck meat - will make good for ground deer. If you know where the tenderloins are - go after them - but last - in case you mess up. (Study a deer's anatomy from a book or from this website first.)

Turn the deer over, and repeat.

End product = meatless deer. All the meat is in your bags.

You need to know the proof of sex, etc. rules for your state - they may require you have proof of sex of some kind attached to some of the meat. Generally we leave some portion of the genitals attached to a portion of the rump meat, and put in a separate bag.

Depending on the deer you may have 60 - 80 lb of pure meat, maybe more with bigger deer.

Take the ribs/rib meat if important or required. You might bring a saw in that case - but one's not necessary otherwise (unless you want to saw out the antlers and leave the rest of the head).

So, again, you have a meatless deer on the ground - and all the meat in your bag(s). If you're alone - you can probably carry out a whole deer (deer's meat) in one pack.

In the wilds of Idaho the abundant predators take over after we leave and `clean up'. If you are hunting on private land, you may want to come back later and dispose of the rest of the animal.

Results = you'll have premium meat if you keep it clean, and cool. Since we have essentially pre-butchered the deer - we go ahead and finish butchering it ourselves. (I don't trust anyone else with our meat.)

With some practice you can have a meatless deer within an hour after your trigger pull. But it will take a lot longer at first - and can be exhausting.

If all this is too complicated sounding - then walk up to your shot deer, pull out your knife, cut open it's stomach, pull out all of its intestines, stomach, lungs, heart, along with all the gew, acids, fluids, and yuck (especially if gut shot), it's vomit (depending on how it died), and blood. Then carry or drag it to your vehicle, and drive it to the local butcher. They will charge more if they have to skin it for you. They may also give you a disgusting look if it's filthy and smells like ... And don't be surprised if people complain about that `gamey' taste. 

Go for it !!!
 

... found some pics ... mine, copyrighted.

http://www.serioushunter.com/adventures/un-dressing-deer-pics.htm

The backstrap is the `column' of meat on both sides of the ridge of the backbone - considered by many to be the best part of the animal ...

You will find that the meat (muscle) is in `groups'. Take the meat out by groups. Often the groups have kind of protective films (semi clear-white membrane) - that if you can keep intact - keep your meat clean and `together'. The groups also separate from each other fairly easily.

If you work `with' the anatomy, you will be surprised how little you actually use your knife.

When you are doing the final butchering, the film can come off, along with any dirt and germs that may have come along for the ride.

Try not to cut across muscle groups. You open the meat up to more contamination, and you will have some awkward problems in final butchering/cut/wrapping.

Done right you never even get into the internal organs (unless you want to extract the heart, liver) ... though you do get close on your way to the tenderloins.

In hot weather if you work fast - you will also be effectively cooling your animal as you take the skin off, and then the muscle from the frame. Exposing the muscle groups will expose enough moisture to give you evaporative cooling.

One final thing ... especially if you are alone ... BE CAREFUL. You will be working with, supposedly, a sharp knife. If you get tired, don't do something stupid, and end up cutting yourself. Take a break, take your time. Do it in stages, if necessary.