I got my buck yesterday morning at 8:35. It stumbled a few yards in a grassy field and keeled over. Two hours later, I had finished field dressing it (about 45 minutes of work) and dragging the 120 pound carcass across a bare, muddy field. I then consumed a 850 calorie lunch, a larger dinner, and was still worn out this morning.
Hunting is a terribly inefficient way to get calories.
Even 45 minutes seems extended for gutting a deer.
I field dressed two deer last Tuesday in 15 - 20 minutes. With an hour one was hanging from my meat rack, the other was stretched out in the back of my truck to cool.
Admittedly, the butchering takes longer, but field dressing is pretty quick.
Can you imagine what it would have been like without a rifle.
Spears, arrows, and group strategy were the weapons. And there was a good chance that you might get injured if the animal wasn't completely dead. If only injured, maybe enough to cause infection and then death.
Not an easy life.
"Hunting is a terribly inefficient way to get calories."
Look on the bright side. It is a great way to burn them.