fishnhunt

I may be getting a little optimistic for this hunting season, but anybody have a good link or instructions on how to cape out a buck that you want mounted? I know that the guys I am hunting with will know/be able to help, I just dont want to go into it blindly.

It is my second year out and I am getting really excited.

Thanks in advance

M.Magis

Don' t try caping out a deer for the first time on a deer you intend to have mounted. It' s not extremly difficult, but very easy to screw up. Even if it goes well, it can, and often does, make more work for the taxidermist. Just keep a few things in mind when dressing the animal. Do not split the body cavity past the sternum and don' t cut the throat. Skin down the neck however far you can get and cut the head off. Get the hide and head to your taxidermist as soon as possible. If you can' t get it there for a few hours, or til the next day, go ahead and wrap it in a plastic bag and freeze it til you can get there. Taxidermists do this everyday, and will appreciate it if you leave it to them. Good luck.

Tazman

M. Magis said it all, skin your deer while it is hanging and pull the skin as far as you can over the head and cut the head off. If you can' t stick it in a freezer then get a 5 pound bag of salt lay the skin and head out flat, pour the salt all over the meat where you cut the head off and then rub in as much salt as you can into the inside of the skin, you will be surprised how much salt you can rub into it. Now lay it flat and roll the skin up as tight as you can with the fur side out and get it to a taxidermist ASAP.

PaJack

I have to agree,let the taxidermist do it...

WV Hunter

fishnhunt...here' s what I do.
First, field dress the deer, but do not cut up through the sternum. Then when hanging, I make a cut all the way around the deers mid section(about where your filed dress ended). Then I cut the front legs completely off at the elbows(saw). Then skin the animal down towards the head carefully and slow. Push the stubbs of the front shoulders through the hide and continue skinning down as far as you can to the base of the skull. Cut the head off and then you have it. Do not try and skin out the face, let the taxidermist do it. The end result is there will be no cuts in the hide at all, and it will look like a short sleeve tshirt where you pulled his shoulders through. Also, there will be plenty of hide for whatever pose mount you decide on. I do it this way so there aren' t any unneccesary cuts that the taxidermist has to contend with. He can make incisions where he wants. I know the old school way said to cut up the back of the neck....don' t do it. That' s just another seam that has to be dealt with. I don' t know if it' s the absolute best way, but it seems to work great. Good luck on getting one you' ll have to have mounted!

fishnhunt

Thanks for all the advice. It makes sense to do what you said. I want to waste as little of the meat that I have to.


I have to let you all know, I stumbled across this board about 6 months ago. When things are slow at work I spend a lot of time reading. I have learned so much. I knew nothing last year when I went hunting, my friend put me in a stand and pointed out where the lanes were. I feel a lot more confident going out this year.

Thanks again.

noway

fishn,
I learned how to skin heads by skinning coyotes. It is pretty easy if you take your time and are patient.
On a backpack hunt there is no way I am going to carry out the head when it only takes 15 minutes to cape out the head and cut off the horns on a deer.
The tough part on a deer is skinning around the horn bases and remembering to cut deep under the glands right under the eyes.
If you contact the taxidermist you plan to use he can probably give you a card to take to the field with you with instructions on what to do.

The biggest mistake people make is not leaving enough cape. Don' t be shy about leaving lots of cape. Better to cut way back on the body than to cut too close to the front shoulders.

As the other posters said if you have no experience and have no time to shoot a couple coyotes to practice on then leave as much of it as possible to the taxidermist.

bearlot

I agree , that is a job that I want my taxidermist to do. I would not want to mess up the cape on the buck that I wanted to get mounted.