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With the deer on its
back, make a shallow cut through the skin just below the breastbone. Make
sure that you start your cut well away from the brisket, allowing plenty of
uncut skin for your shoulder mount. Insert two fingers of the free hand,
cradling the blade, to hold the skin up and away from the entrails. |
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Cut straight down the
belly and around the genitals, separating but not severing them from the
abdominal wall. Slit the belly skin all the way to the pelvic bone. Note: Start the
incision below the caping line. |
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Cut deeply around the
rectum, being careful not to cut off or puncture the intestine. Pull to make
sure the rectum is separated from tissue connecting it to the pelvic canal.
Pull the rectum out and tie string tightly around it to prevent droppings
from touching the meat. Lift the animal's back quarter a bit, reach into the
front of the pelvic canal, and pull the intestine and connected rectum into
the stomach area. |
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If you want to make a
full shoulder mount, do not cut open the chest cavity. Cut the diaphragm away
from the ribs all the way to the backbone area. Reach into the forward chest
cavity, find the esophagus and wind pipe, cut them off as far up as possible
and pull them down through the chest. |
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Roll the deer onto its
side, grab the esophagus with one hand and the rectum/intestine with the
other. Pull hard. The deer's internal organs will come out in one big package
with a minimum of mess. |
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Caping, the process of
skinning out a trophy animal, is best left to the taxidermist. Their
experience skinning, especially the delicate nose, mouth, eyes, and ears is
invaluable toward producing a quality mount. Damage to a hide is costly to
repair. Some types of damage simply cannot be "fixed" by the
taxidermist. |
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Many trophies are
ruined in the first few hours after death. As soon as the animal dies,
bacteria begins to attack the carcass. Warm, humid weather accelerates
bacteria growth. In remote areas, or areas not near your taxidermist, a
competent person may be required to cape out the hide in order to preserve
it. |
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Every taxidermist has
a preferred method of caping a hide. Contact your taxidermist prior to your
hunt in order to get instructions on their caping requirements. However, the
following techniques are generally acceptable. |
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There are two major
methods of skinning for a large life-size mount such as deer, elk, or bear.
These methods are the flat incision and the dorsal method. |
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The flat incision is
used for rug mounts and for a variety of poses. Make these slits (cutting the
feet free from the carcass) and pull the skin off the carcass. The head is
detached as with the shoulder mount. Note: If you can't take your
hide immediately to a taxidermist, freeze it to your taxidermist's
specifications. |
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The dorsal method is
the preferred method for life-size full mounts. The dorsal method of skinning involves a long slit down the
back (from the tail base up into the neck). The carcass is skinned as it is
pulled through this incision. The feet / hooves and the head are cut from the
carcass as with a shoulder mount explained later. Only use this method with
approval and detailed instructions from your taxidermist. Use this method
only when the skin can be frozen quickly after skinning. |
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With a sharp knife,
slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the
midway point of the rib cage behind the front legs. Slit the skin around the
legs just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back of
the leg and joining the body cut behind the legs. |
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Peel the skin forward
up to the ears and jaw exposing the head/neck junction. Cut into the neck
approximately three inches down from this junction. Circle the neck, cutting
down to the spinal column. After this cut is complete, grasp the antler
bases, and twist the head off the neck. This should allow the hide to be
rolled up and put in a freezer until transported to the taxidermist. These cuts should
allow ample hide for the taxidermist to work with in mounting. Remember, the
taxidermist can cut off excess hide, but he can't add what he doesn't have. |
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Note:
When field dressing a
trophy to be mounted, don't cut into the brisket (chest) or neck area. If blood gets on the
hide to be mounted, wash it off with snow or water as soon as possible. Avoid dragging the
deer out of the woods with a rope. Place it on a sled, a rickshaw, or a
four-wheeler. The rope, rocks, or a broken branch from a deadfall can easily
damage the fur or puncture the hide. |
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Animals, coyote sized
or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional. Don't gut the
animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil quickly because of
their thin hide and bacteria. If you can't take the small game animal
immediately to a taxidermist, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put it
in a plastic bag and freeze it. With the epidemic of rabies evident in many
areas of the country, take every safety measure necessary when handling your
game. |
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Do not gut the bird.
Rinse any blood from the feathers with water. Take the bird immediately to
your taxidermist or freeze it. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing,
being careful not to damage the feathers, including the tail. If the bird's
tail feathers do not fit in the bag, do not bend them. Let the tail stick out
of the bag and tie the bag loosely. |
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Do not gut your fish. If you cannot take
your fish immediately to a taxidermist, wrap it in a very wet towel and put
it in a plastic bag, making sure all the fins are flat against the fish's
body (to prevent breakage) and freeze it. A fish frozen in this manner can
safely be kept in the freezer for months. Note:
A fish will lose its coloration shortly after being caught. A good color
photograph immediately after the catch may enable the taxidermist to
duplicate the natural color tones of that particular fish. |
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