How to Cape your Trophy
Ok to begin. . . . . lots of hunters like to field dress their animal befor they move them out of the woods. When you field dress your animal don't split the rib cage.
Also don't cut the throat to bleed out the deer. If the deer is dead it realy does no good. Once the heart has stopped pumping, the blood stops flowing. By cutting the throat you can cause a great deal of damage to the cape. Once the animal is shot, more than likely the deer has bleed out inside.
Get your animal caped out and put in a cooler, freezer, or to a taxidermist as soon as possible after killing it. If you put the animal in the freezer double bag it, but leave the bags open til the head is completely frozen. This will allow heat from the cape to escape. Once the head is frozen, tie off the bags. This will help keep your cape from being freezer burnt. If you have to put you cape in a cooler (not a beer cooler) at a meat processor make sure it doesn't stay in their longer than 24 hours. Either get it to a taxidermist or in your freezer.
Remember to keep the cape as dry as possible. Moisture and heat are a capes worst enemy. They cause bacteria to grow around the hair roots. This bacteria will cause the hair to fall out, sometimes in large clumps. This is what taxidermists refer to as slippage. You also don't want to drag the deer behind a 4-wheeler while coming out of the woods. This will cause damage to the hair and can cause bald spots where the hair is rubbed off.
1. Leave the cape / head in the cooler longer than 24 hours.
2. Get the cape / head wet.
3. Drag the animal behind a 4-wheeler when bringing it out of the woods.
4. Cut the neck to bleed the animal out.
5. Ride the animal / cape around in the back of your truck all day showing it off to freinds and family. Tell them to meet you at the processor or take pictures.
I don't know how you skin your animals but I try to have them hanging by the back legs. It just makes capping a little easier. Their are 2 methods of caping that can be used on most large game animals: Deer, Elk, Moose, Goat, Sheep, etc....
This is the FIRST METHOD:
(Photo # 1) Begin by severing the two front feet at the knee joints. Make an incission around the circumference of the animal. Atleast 8 inches behind the front shoulder.
(Photo # 2) Sever both front legs at the knees. On the back of both front legs make an incission all the way up the back of the leg and up the lower part of the rib cage. Bring it all the way up until you reach the incission around the circumference of the deer.
(Photo #3) Once all the incisions have been made use your knife and start skinning the cape off the deer. While you skin the deer be very careful. Keep as much meat off the cape as possible, leave it on the deer. Skin it up to the head and neck junction just behind the ears. Than sever the head off the body where the head and neack come together.
This is the SECOND METHOD:
This method begins by making an incission around the circumference of the animal atleast 8 inches behind the front shoulder. Sever both front legs at the knee. Now you will tube skin the cape off of the deer. When you get it skinned down to the front legs you will be able to pull the leg free. Continue working the cape down the animal til you get it all the way to the head. Then cut the head and cape off of the carcas by severing the head where it joins to the neck.
How to skin a Bear for a Rug or Life - Size Mount and Field Care
Bear Rug Skinning Method
The Bear Rug diagram will show you where to make your incisions when skinning out your bear for a rug. Start your incision at the anus and run it up to the top of the chest. Than make a second incision from the back of the pad on the front foot across the chest to the back of the pad on the other front foot. Your third incision should be made from the back of the pad on the rear leg up the back of the leg through the anus to the back of the pad on the other rear foot.
Life-Size Skinning Method
The next 2 incisions (Belly Incision, Ventral Incision) should be used if you are undecided if you want a Rug or a Life-Size Mount.
When using the Belly Incision start about 2 inches below the anus (do not cut through the anus) and make your incision to the top of the chest. Make sure you cut around the genitals on male bears and do not remove them. If you remove them you will be lacking that detail on your mount. If you decide later to have a rug made they can be removed later.
When using the Ventral Incision start at the back of the pad. Continue the incision up the leg and at least 2 inches 2 inches below the anus to the back of the pad on the opposite foot.
Once you have made your incisions and begin the skinning process you will have to sever the paws off of the carcass at the wrist and ankle joints leaving them attached to the hide. This will help free up the skin. When you get to the head go ahead and sever the headfrom the carcass at the base of the skull, leaving it in the hide. Also be careful around the genital area.
You don't have to remove the skull or paws out of the skin if you want to freeze it or if you are going to take it right to the taxidermist. If you decide to freeze the hide don't roll the hide. . . . .FOLD IT! It will help the hide thaw out more evenly and quicker. Also don't put the skull in the middle of the hide when folding. It can take up to 3 days for a bear skull to freeze all the way buried in the hide.
It is important, once you get the bear skinned out, to get it to a freezer or to a taxidermist as soon as possible. You will want to keep the hide as cool and as dry as possible. Heat and moisture are a hide's worst enemy. They promote bacteria growth that will cause the hair to slip (hair falling out), sometimes in large patches. Once this has started it doesn't stop until all the hair has fallen out of the infected area. If it is hot outside you will want to work as quickly as you can. If it is below 40 degrees you will have a little more time to work.
Fish Field Care
Fish Field Care is pretty basic. When you plan a fishing trip a good thing to have along is a cooler about 3/4 full of ice. If you find this is not enough I am sure their is a gas station or store where you can buy some. You will also need a bath towel. The towel should be big ehough to cover the fish.
When you catch a fish that you want mounted be careful not to touch the body more than you have to and be careful when you do. Pick it up by the bottom lip if possible. Don't drag it onto the bank. When removing the hook don't rip it out of the fishes mouth. Try to remove it with out tearing the skin.
Once the hook is removed get your towel and get it wet in the body of water in which you caught the fish. Lay the fish flat on the towel making sure all te fins are laying flat against the fished body. Wrap the towel around the fish and put it in the cooler. The towel will keep the fish from flopping around in the cooler and causing damage to itself.
Get the fish to the taxidermist or in the freezer as soon as possible. Befor you put the fish in the freezer put it in double plastic bags. Make sure he isin the freezer where he won't get bumped. Especially the tail because it is realy frigile when it is frozen.
How to measure for Reproduction Fish
Their are some fish that won't stand up if they are skin mounted and some that just can't be skinned mounted. In these cases we offer reproductions of your fish.
Fiberglass reproductions ( REPO's ) fish are an alternative to a skin mounted fish. Nothing of the original fish is used in a Reproduction except the measurments. Thin skinned and oily fish that would other wise have a limmited life span as a skin mount are better suited for a reproduction. Also if you are fishing a Bass Tournament and it is mandatory catch and release their is no way to have a skin mount done. Reproductions are also good if you are going to be on a week long camping or fishing trip to a remote location.
All you need are the measurments off of the fish and pictures. Their are only two measurments that are required to find a repo for your fish. The Length; which is measured from the tip of the nose (with mouth closed) to the tip of the tail. The Girth; which is taken around the fatest part of the fishes mid section. Make sure you go armed with a camera to take pictures of your fish so the taxidermist can make adjustments to his paint schedual to match your fish.
(Please feel free to print this and take it with you on your next hunting or fishing trip for reference.)
