I got a pretty good buck on 10/19, took it to my butchers the next morning, and just got it back last night (10/29). He caped the deer out for me as requested, however, it smells rotten and the eyes are all sunken in. Apparently, he simply placed it in a cooler and not a freezer. I spoke with a local taxidermist and he said a way to tell if the hide is still viable is to gently tug on the white hairs on the inside of the ears and if they come out easily, the hide is trashed. Well, needless to say, they pulled out easily. I placed the head and cape into a freezer, but it seems like i may have lost the cape. it appears that i will be getting a european mount now Has anyone else ever dealt with a situation like this, and has the hide already slipped?