You Got Your Trophy...Now What??

Most of us dream of the day that we will take a wall hanger whitetail buck. Let me first say that in my opinion all deer are trophies, but for the sake of argument we will simply use the word trophy in how you define it after all a trophy deer is a personal thing anyway.

There are some things to consider when taking a trophy buck. First and foremost you want to shoot the buck through the vitals for humane and cosmetic reasons. Shooting an animal in the head or neck makes a lot of extra work for the taxidermist and after all his time is your money.

So what do you do once your trophy is down?

Do not cut the throat of an animal that you want to have a head mount of. This is a mistake many hunters make.

Try not to drag the animal for any distance because this can cause hair damage.

Cape the animal out as soon as possible.

If you do not know how to do this take your buck to your taxidermist right away or have your meat processor cape the head out for you.

·If you choose to cape the animal out yourself it is relatively simple. Start about six inches around behind the shoulder and cut completely around the animal. Initial Cuts.

·The next incision will be made about six inches down each front leg. Cutting completely around each leg.

·Once these incisions have been made, join incision #2 to incision #1. To perform this, make a cut from incision #2 through the armpit area until you reach incision #1.

· Next skin the specimen all the way up the shoulders and neck until you reach the head. Leave about six inches of neck attached to the head, which will be used for measurements and cut off the neck at this point.

·Place the cape on ice as soon as possible. Remember to keep it dry. Skin down to the head. Leave about 6" of neck attached.

Be sure to get the caped head to the taxidermist as soon as possible. If you cannot, you may choose to store it in your freezer for the time being. Wipe as much blood as possible from the hair and keep it as dry as possible. Moisture and bacteria will cause the hair to fall out of the cape. Double bag the cape and tape the bag around the antler burrs or horn bases to prevent air from entering the bag and causing freezer burn. (make sure the cape has cooled down before placing it in plastic)

Don’t leave the cape in your freezer for too long or your cape may suffer freezer burn and this may affect your final mount’s appearance.

Another method of caping deer. Make the same initial cuts, then make an incision along the back of the neck. If skinning out the head make a 'Y' cut from the base of the neck to the antlers.

Remember to have appropriate tags with your trophy when you take it to your taxidermist.

*** Field Dressing Tips ***

· With the deer on its’ back make a shallow cut through the skin just below the breastbone. Leave plenty of uncut skin behind the shoulders for your shoulder mount.

· Cut straight down the belly and around the genitals, separating but not severing them from the belly skin all the way to the pelvic bone.

· Cut deeply around the rectum, being careful not to cut off or puncture the intestine. Pull to separated from tissue connecting it to the pelvic canal. Pull the rectum out and tie a string around it to keep the droppings from touching the meat. Lift the animal’s back quarter a bit, reach into the front intestine and pull the connected rectum into the stomach area.

· If you want to make a shoulder mount do not cut open the chest cavity. Cut the diaphragm to the breastbone and reach up into the cavity and pull out the esophagus pulling it down through the chest.

· Roll the deer onto its side, grab the esophagus with one hand and the rectum/intestines with the other hand and the deer’s internal organs will come out in one big package with a minimum mess.



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