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

Higgy15jh

Around here you can just field dress it and take it right inand they will take care of it from there... also they will quarter it for a fee of around 20-30 dollars and you can pickup the meatvacum sealed and ready to put in the freezer.. i suggest calling the taxidermist you are thinking of taking it to and ask what they prefer for you to do.

nctaxi

Honestly, your search for a trophy mount should start before the season even begins. Go and see a few taxidermists and ask questions, like how they preserve the skin. Do they send them out? In House tan? DP? Take a look at their work. FInd a taxi that you like and get along with, kinda like a friend. As far as what I like, I want my clients to skin it out before they bring it to me, leaving 6" of neck attached to the head. I charge extra if I have to skin it out. Check with the guy that is going to do your work and see how he wants it. Here's a tip, look at a mounted deer, where don't you want to cut? Don't cut the brisket, the neck, the shoulders, etc. ALso do not drag your deer, if you can help it, it will tear the hair out.

livbucks

In my family we have always let the butcher cape the head out. If you do it beforehand you will get hair in your meat. Then we take it home pronto and put it in the refrigerator inside good plastic bags, squeezing out most of the air. Keeping the skin from spoiling is very important. If it is 40 degrees or less then no worries, for awhile.
With the modern forms with full shoulders, you will need to include more hide behind the shoulders than you think. Tubing the front legs is not a bad idea either. One wrong cut can make form selection difficult so safer is best. One of the pros here could give more specific advice as far as skinning for the newer forms.

TEmbry

Ive learned from expereince...DO NOT drag your deer whatsoever. If there is no way possible of gettin an atv or truck to it, then drag it the shortest distance you can by hand. I drug my deer from my 4wheeler all the way back to the house, and the result was 1/2 the shoulder having real hort hair with bald spots from the gravel. I have no idea what i was thinking. You definitley want to pick out a taxidermist before hand. I would leave the skinning and caping out to them, but if they prefer you to do it, then be sure to leave an extra 4-6 inches then what you think will be used on the mount. Better safe than sorry. Good luck and good hunting.

Alex The Hawk

Good advice and don't throw it on the hood of the pick up and ride around showing it off ,the heat from the engine will cause hair slippage.
Do not dragg it and cape as soon as possible.

Piebalddoe

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.

khuengo

wow, those are really good advices. Thanks a lot guys.