Game Care

TROPHY GAME CARE

Field Dressing­
A note of caution: Because of the various diseases that wild
game can transmit to humans, always use extreme caution when handling the
carcass. Use rubber or latex gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and
water after handling.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Skinning Life-Size Big Game

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.
The Flat Incision

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.
The Dorsal Method

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.

Caping for a Shoulder Mount
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.
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.
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. If you do need to drag it our
with a rope, attach the rope to the base of the antlers and drag your trophy
carefully.

Small Mammals

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.

Birds

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.

Fish

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.

Tips

  • Always have appropriate tags with your trophies when you take them to your
    taxidermist.
  • Do not cut off the ears for attachment.
  • Songbirds, Eagles, Hawks and Owls are protected by Federal Law and can not
    be mounted unless with special Federal permit.
  • For situations where you are hunting with no available taxidermist or
    freezer, ask your taxidermist about techniques to skin out the entire cape
    (including the head) and salting the hide. This is the only method in remote
    locations that can preserve your hide for later mounting.
This document is copyrighted by McKenzie Sports Products, Inc. and is
intended to help hunters avoid common mistakes in the field.

Printing of
more than one copy at a time without written permission is prohibited.

Copyright Big Tales Taxidermy © 2012. All Rights Reserved.


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