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FIELD DRESSING:
1. With deer on it's back, make a shallow cut though 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 free
fingers of the free hand. cradling the blade, to hold
the skin up and away from the entrails (Figure A).
2. 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 (Figure B). |
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3. Cut deeply around the rectum,
being careful not to cut off or puncture the intestine.
Pull to make sure that the rectum is separated from the
tissue connecting it to the pelvic canal. Pull the
rectum out and tie a 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.
4. 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 down to the
backbone area. Reach into the forward chest cavity, find
the esophagus and windpipe, cut them off as far up as
possible (Figure C), and pull them down though the
chest.
5. Roll the deer onto it's 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 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.
Most 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 you 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-SIZED BIG GAME:
There are two major methods of skinning for a large
life-sized mount such as deer, elk or bear. These
methods are the flat incision and the dorsal method.
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THE FLAT INCISION: This
method is used for rug mounts and for a
variety of purposes. The areas to be cut are shown in
Figure 1. Make these slits (cutting the feet free from
the carcass) and pull the skin of 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: This method of skinning involves a long slit down
the back from the tail base up to the neck (Figure 1A). 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
instruction from your taxidermist. Use this method only
when the skin can be frozen quickly after skinning. |
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CAPING FOR A SHOULDER MOUNT:
1. With a sharp knife, slit the hide circling the body
behind the shoulder at approximately the mid-way 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 joining the body
cut behind the legs (Figure 2A and 2B).
2. Peel the skin forward up to the
ears and jaws exposing the head/neck junction. Cut into
the neck approximately three inches down from this
junction. Circle the neck cutting down 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. Also, avoid dragging
the deer out of the woods with a rope. Place it on
a sled, rickshaw, or 4-wheeler. The rope, rocks,
or a broken branch from a dead fall can easily damage
the fur or puncture the hide. If you need to drag
it out with a rope, attach the rope to the base of the
antlers and drag your trophy carefully. |
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Note:
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. SMALL MAMMALS: Animals,
coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless
by 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 off any blood on 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 can not 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 with this
method can safely be kept in the freezer for months. Note:
A fish will loose 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 the ears for
attachment.
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Songbirds, eagles, hawks, and
owls are protected by Federal Law and can not be
mounted unless with special Federal permit.
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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
information was provided by McKenzie
Taxidermy Supply.
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