Dave, I believe what he meant was to open them from the anus to the throat. Split the pelvic, then run the cut through the chest and I usually stop at the neck but can continue it to the skull.
Congrats....
There is no need to ever split the pelvic bone.
The proper way to gut a deer is to first make a deep circular cut encircling the anus....kinda like coring an apple.
Then with a tool such as the Wyoming knife....slit just the hide from there to just above the rib cage.
Then make a deeper cut with the same tool through the membrane opening the gut cavity....then comes the bigger knife again.
While standing over your quarry take a large hunting knife and reach in just behind the rib cage and split the rib cage just off center of the brisket bone towards the neck.
When you have it split pull it apart and reach in side as far as you can and get a hold of the wind pipe.
With your larger knife sever the wind pipe and the lift and start to stand......pull back till you encounter the diaphragm...slice the diaphragm and continue pulling and standing.
If you've made the proper cut around the anus the entire breathing and digestive tract from the wind pipe to the anus will all come out in one piece and you should by now be standing there holding it all.
