ORIGINAL: khuengo
I would love to have my first buck head mounted for this hunting season but I do not know procedure to get it done after I kill the buck? Could you guys please give me some insights? What are first steps after I get the buck out of the wood? Cut the head around the shoulders? Clean it/Freeze it and transportto the taxidermist? etc ...
Thanks
Hi, here is what I have written on my site. it should be all you need to know
Caping & Skinning
When you decide your deer is going to be mounted, you need to take care of the cape soon after you harvest the animal. The cape needs to be removed as soon as possible. Always remember that it is easier to skin a warm freshly killed deer, than one that has hung on the gamepole for hours. To skin a deer for the taxidermist, you need to first hang it up by its hind legs. Once you have that done, grab a sharp knife and get ready to skin. Make an incision all the way around the deer, several inches behind the front legs, and then pull the skin downward and continue to skin in a tube like fashion. When you get to the front legs, carefully keep skinning around the brisket and legs and then cut the skin off the legs at the knee joints. Continue skinning down. Stop skinning when you reach near the base of the neck. Get a saw and cut off the head at the base of the neck and then fold the cape and unskinned head of the deer. Wrap it in a plastic garbage bag and then put it in another bag; tie the bags tightly and place the cape in a freezer as soon as possible to prevent spoiling. Just take it out when you are ready to take the deer to the taxidermist.