Never Mounted, What do I do?


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If I bust a good one this year I want to get it mounted.

From the time I kill the deer...what do I do? What if it is reletively warm outside? What pre-work do I do before I kill the deer.

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Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

Someons has to post a pic of where you need to make your cuts for skinning.First, DO NOT SLIT THROAT!!.. hang it upside down and start with back legs..when you get to the ribs, you want to save the hide, from there forward. Slit up the chest to the front legs, then slit right and left to inside front legs, and up the inside of each leg. keep skinning out animal until you get down to the neck, cut off the neck and head with a bone saw and wrap the hide in a garbage bag and immediatly get it in a freezer, or to the taxidermist ASAP!!

I guess before you kill the deer ya gotta find him..???

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Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

For Birds

If you intend to have a bird mounted by a taxidermist, you will be required to take great care of it. Birds with feathers falling out, it’s organs coming out and or soaked in blood or other fluids, will not make good mounts. Furthermore young birds with pin feathers should be avoided. Pin feathers will fall out. If you cannot get the bird directly to the taxidermist do the following:

1) Place the bird head first into a large sock or a stocking.

2) Place in paper bag.

3) Place bird in freezer.

4) Deliver bird to taxidermist within 6 months

Do not gut small birds and ducks !

Wild turkeys can be frozen only after bird is gutted. Make a small cut above the vent and remove entrails. Use a large pair of panty hose for turkeys.

For Fish

Do Not Gut Fish !

1) Wrap fish tightly in wet towel or wet T shirt.

2) Wrap in news paper and duck tape

3) Place in plastic bag

4) Freeze fish

5) Deliver fish to taxidermist within 1 year

For all small game we do the same exact thing as for fish except we want the towel or cloth shirt DRY. If there is any large bullet holes , stuff with dry cotton first and plug all holes. Do not gut any game.

Freezing deer heads with capes attached ,require large chest freezers or walk in freezers. The capes must be laid flat with no folds until the capes become stiff. Then and only then will the cape be allowed to be folded for a hard freeze. Do not roll up warm or even room temperature capes ,and place in freezer. You deer cape will slip for sure during thaw. Do not salt cape !

All K-9 animals must be brought to a taxidermist ASAP unless you have a walk in freezer capable of freezing animal within 2 hours while hanging. Meat eating animals tend to spoil within hours of a kill, starting at the bullet wound area.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

If you have a local taxidermist that you plan on using my suggestion would be to take it to him & let him cape it. The one I use would rather you bring it to him to do rather than do it yourself. Someone that does this all the time can do it very quickly. If it is pretty warm you want to get it to the taxidermist as quick as possible,from what I have been told anyway,before the hide starts slipping. I have caped my own but the moment my taxidermist told me he would rather do them himself I have not caped another one,LOL. Also he has a very nice digital camera & takes several pictures of you with your deer & emails them to you.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

[ QUOTE ]

My taxidermist always wants me to make a straight cut up the back of the neck to the base of the scull too. I didn't notice that in the pics. confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

My taxidermist does the same thing when he capes them out. This guy does a great job. He cuts them up the back of the neck. I guarantee when he is done you will never be able to tell. I guess it is the prefernce of the taxidermist. However he learned to do it. I have no problem with my taxidermist doing it because I have seen & have several things that he has done. Does a great job.

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Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

OK now I am confused. I just read Dartonmans post about being upset that his taxidermist did this & you guys that are saying not to do it in this post are saying it is ok in his post. I thought that was what we were talking about here. Cut up back of neck, t or y out to antlers. Am I missing something in these posts??????????? Some clarification please.

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Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

As a taxidermist I prefer to cape the head out myself. I use a very short Y and therefore do not want a cut down the back. There is no reason for a person to cape the deer themselves, unless they do not have access to a freezer or taxidermist. Just cut the head off and let us handle it from there. If your taxidermist wants it cut up the back, he will do it. Refer to the pics I posted above in this post to know where to cut.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest dedicatedmarine

Re: Never Mounted, What do I do?

Hey guys, here's a helpful hint. I was a taxidermist for about a year and a half, and now do it for myself and a few friends. The number one thing is to keep the cape cool. Say you're out west and don't have access to a freezer/refridgerator, dig a hole and bury it. This may sound wierd, but underneath the ground it's cooler. The next worst thing besides a cape slipping, is not having enough cape. when you cape your animal, cut the hide in half, this ensures that the taxidermist has enough cape to work with and any extra just gets thrown away. Tube out the legs, DO NOT CUT THE BRSIKET!!! and tube out the neck until about 4-5 inches behind the ears, cut the head off and take it in. (the 4-5 inches behind the ears the taxidermist needs for measurements)

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