Dan,

Thanks for the tips. I just finished the caping. Only took me four hours. <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

I cut him first around the girth, behing the brestbone. Cut straight up the spine until about 3&quot; from the antlers. Split the cut to a &quot;Y&quot; to the back of the bases. Went around the bases, got the eyes good (didn't cut the lashes. Got around the mouth great, and his whole snout is attached.

Not sure what &quot;turning the ears&quot; is. I was told to just cut the ear canals off at the skull and don't mess with them any more (I'd have ruined it otherwise, I'm sure).

I think I did a good job. Didn't nick the hide at all. I'll leave the fleshing to the pro. At this point I don't feel like pushing my luck.

I'd have LOVED to just skin to the head, cut it off, and go from there. With the carcas import ban in IL, I can only bring back boned out meat, hide, antlers attached to a clean skull cap, and finished taxidermy. That meant cape it myself, or find a taxidermist up here to mount him. I decided to cape him out, and take it to a guy near home who's an &quot;artist&quot;. He does great work, and I don't know anyone up here.

JRW

Sorry I am late, but congratulations anyway! Man, sounds like a beauty for sure. I hope you remembered to flash us that winning smile in the pictures! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I gotta' ask--were you wearing your traditional hunting garb (Truck-Stop Blue eyeshadow and the pink tu-tu)? <img src=icon_smile_kisses.gif border=0 align=middle>

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

splitting the ears is turning the outside from the inner ear apart. Its easier then you'd think and NEEDS to be done or the hair in the ears will slip! If you havent salted it put your hide in a freezer immediatly, your hide will be fine in the freezer!!! If you have salted it, I'd call a taxidermist and learn how to turn the ears immediatly!

Also did you turn the eyes, nose and lips? I think you can get away with the eyes if its fleshed really well and salted good (I personally wouldnt chance it however). You cant however on the nose or lips and thats hair thats hard to replace! If not call a taxidermy shop and ask if they can turn it all for you so you can salt it. Many will and charge you a very small fee for it, not to metion properly flesh the cape for you too making the salting job that much easier! Also you might be able to get a tannery to take care of this for you. I wouldnt let them tan it though and give the hide to the taxidermist to have his tannery of choice take care of the tanning process.

Jason why did you shot such a little deer? Saw the picture on the stickbow. Congratulation. Like that fishermans says, &quot;Son, that's a big one&quot;. Congrats again.

Roggie it's Ted A. Young AKA COB

Dan,

My dad's neighbor has an upright freezer that she never uses. She was nice enough to plug it in for me. As soon as the cape came off, I folded it hide to hide, hair to hair, and put it in the freezer. No salt. I figured that way the taxidermist can just unthaw it and pick up where I left off.

I should be able to take it to him in a couple days.

Thanks again for the help. It really came in handy.

JRW

Congrats man, cant wait to see the pics. Everyone is doing better than I am. I havent seen a deer in almost 4 full weeks. Its pretty hard to entertain a 14 year old on his first deer hunt when you sit all day and not see anything.

good move! Its one thing every hunter who has been out for a year or 3 should know just in case they happen to shoot something they want to mount. Its a shame when they dont.

This fall in Wy I watched a 362 class HUUUUGE 6 point hide start slipping and there was nothing I could do. The guy had to drive back home in Idaho in a pickup with camper, pulling a small trailer with a 4 wheeler, the only place the antlers would fit were on the wheeler and he didnt cape the head out! The hole hide was thrashed by the time he was home. A trophy of a lifetime wasted. You can sometimes buy a new hide, like with whitetails, the more exotic the animal, the harder it is to find a cape. He was talking up wards of another 300 for a cape. Now imagine if my sheep hide would have slipped! I am not big into mounting animals, but there are some I wouldnt bat an eye at doing, sheep being one of them.

Also for those of you going places like to Alaska on a caribou hunt, or canada.

You can sell hides to make up a couple hundered bucks if you know what you are doing and you shoot a good &quot;hided&quot; animal. Like a white main caribou, not a summer hide (early aug as opposed to late sept/oct hide). Many taxidermist's each fall up here are looking for them, just something to think about on your next big hunt or for those of us who are lucky to live in the big hunt areas, a typical hunt.

Last but not least if you even THINK of mounting an animal, cape him out. You can always throw the hide later or sell it to a taxidermist if you dont decide to mount it! If you dont however you can plan almost doubling your taxidermy fees. The guy who shot that big elk didnt want to mount it and took 4 people to tell him to atleast cape it out. Its a shame he didnt do the head like I said before.

enough ramblin, later.......

Congratulations, JRW. Good going!


Sag.