Shot a little buck....(grin)
11-14-2002, 06:08 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Montgomery IL USA
Posts: 1,231
Shot a little buck....(grin)
I was on stand today and saw five different bucks and two does. LOTS of rutting going on up here in WI. Anyway, this little doe was coming in, so I decided to take her.
She was moving in slow, and not looking back, so I figured she was alone. She offered the shot, I started to pull back. At about half-draw I decided to check her back-trail again.
AND THERE HE WAS!!!
A NICE ten-pointer, just a gruntin' and a watchin' that doe. I decided that the doe would have to live another day.
The buck came STRAIGHT in...not good. He stood there, nose to the ground, facing me, and three yards from the base of the tree. I wanted him...BAD...but NOT at that angle. I prayed, and he turned.
Sent a Woodsman out of my recurve through one lung and center-punched his heart. Sixty yards later he crashed, gasped, and it was over.
Very easy trail, and my dad helped out. He was there to see this "big buck" that I told him I'd shot, probably expecting to see "junior". When he spotted the rack from about 20 yards away he said something I can't post here...but it was good.
We finally got that HOG out, checked him in, and hung him up. I couldn't resist printing out a P&Y score sheet and putting a tape on him.
He green-scored a gross of 141 1/8", and netted 137 2/8". After drying, and being measured by an actual MEASURER, he should make book with lots of room to spare.
You'll have to excuse me...but I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. Tomorrow I'm going to take him down, shoot a couple rolls of film, and try to find a taxidermist up here to mount him (carcass import ban in IL).
JRW
She was moving in slow, and not looking back, so I figured she was alone. She offered the shot, I started to pull back. At about half-draw I decided to check her back-trail again.
AND THERE HE WAS!!!
A NICE ten-pointer, just a gruntin' and a watchin' that doe. I decided that the doe would have to live another day.
The buck came STRAIGHT in...not good. He stood there, nose to the ground, facing me, and three yards from the base of the tree. I wanted him...BAD...but NOT at that angle. I prayed, and he turned.
Sent a Woodsman out of my recurve through one lung and center-punched his heart. Sixty yards later he crashed, gasped, and it was over.
Very easy trail, and my dad helped out. He was there to see this "big buck" that I told him I'd shot, probably expecting to see "junior". When he spotted the rack from about 20 yards away he said something I can't post here...but it was good.
We finally got that HOG out, checked him in, and hung him up. I couldn't resist printing out a P&Y score sheet and putting a tape on him.
He green-scored a gross of 141 1/8", and netted 137 2/8". After drying, and being measured by an actual MEASURER, he should make book with lots of room to spare.
You'll have to excuse me...but I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. Tomorrow I'm going to take him down, shoot a couple rolls of film, and try to find a taxidermist up here to mount him (carcass import ban in IL).
JRW
11-14-2002, 06:13 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brookport IL now in Colorado
Posts: 174
RE: Shot a little buck....(grin)
Congratulations.
Sounds like what I have been looking for for the last several weeks. I just haven't had any good bucks cooperating this year so far. If I wasn't so far south in IL, I would be glad to provide taxidermy services.
Sounds like what I have been looking for for the last several weeks. I just haven't had any good bucks cooperating this year so far. If I wasn't so far south in IL, I would be glad to provide taxidermy services.
11-15-2002, 03:35 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: egypt
Posts: 1,994
RE: Shot a little buck....(grin)
congrats Jason!
Look for a lady going by the shop Still Life Taxidermy. She was from Wi but was living and running a shop in Forestlake Mn where I grew up. After the divorce to my knowledge she moved back to Wi with her son and I havent heard hide nor hair of them. Her work was outstanding though. Her ex was a guide up here in Alaska, needless to say I spent a ton of time in the shop! I dont know how to point you to them other then there old shop was in Scandia. They then moved just north of Forest Lake...then poof the divorce happened. If you do find them or something of them, let me know as I am interested in talking to them again! I can put you into contact with the strip mall they worked out of.
Look for a lady going by the shop Still Life Taxidermy. She was from Wi but was living and running a shop in Forestlake Mn where I grew up. After the divorce to my knowledge she moved back to Wi with her son and I havent heard hide nor hair of them. Her work was outstanding though. Her ex was a guide up here in Alaska, needless to say I spent a ton of time in the shop! I dont know how to point you to them other then there old shop was in Scandia. They then moved just north of Forest Lake...then poof the divorce happened. If you do find them or something of them, let me know as I am interested in talking to them again! I can put you into contact with the strip mall they worked out of.
11-15-2002, 04:08 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Montgomery IL USA
Posts: 1,231
RE: Shot a little buck....(grin)
Dave, my only digital camera is a cheap web cam at home. I'm up here at my dad's house playing on his computer. I should be able to have pictures developed, scanned, and posted by Sunday or Monday, depending on when I get home. I saw a BIG eight-pointer heading into the woodlot about an hour and a half after I shot my ten-pointer...and I've got two buck tags left.
Dan, I forgot about the rifle season up here. Everyone I talked to waits until after hunting season to send capes out to be tanned. Then, it's whatever order they want. With all the rifle kills, and more bow kills this year, I could be looking at 9+ months for a mount up here. I think I'm going to try to cape him today. If it doesn't work out, I'll be happy doing a Euro mount. I just don't feel comfortable leaving the rack & cape for 9 months with someone a state away that I don't know.
JRW
Dan, I forgot about the rifle season up here. Everyone I talked to waits until after hunting season to send capes out to be tanned. Then, it's whatever order they want. With all the rifle kills, and more bow kills this year, I could be looking at 9+ months for a mount up here. I think I'm going to try to cape him today. If it doesn't work out, I'll be happy doing a Euro mount. I just don't feel comfortable leaving the rack & cape for 9 months with someone a state away that I don't know.
JRW
11-15-2002, 06:55 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: ......
Posts: 3,643
11-15-2002, 01:17 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: egypt
Posts: 1,994
RE: Shot a little buck....(grin)
Jason,
Caping is easy enough! Make sure you get a scalpel of some kind for around the antler bases, eyes, lips, nose and ears.
Turning the ears is simple if you can use the end of a broom stick.
Stick your finger in the eyes before ya get to them DONT CUT THE EYE LASHES!
I do the lips before the nose. There are two ways, one to do the nose first and just keep peeling inside out till you get all the lips. I prefer to take that scalpel and cut just below the teeth getting as much lips as I can, do the top, and the bottom. Start in the middle waaaay back, or do it last if you dont feel comfortable making the cut.
Take off enough cartalige on the nose, you can split it later. Dont split the nose in half unless you have a BIG nose.
Flesh the hide the best you can getting as much meat off as possible
Once everything is turned/split (eyes, ears, nose and mouth) Salt the snot out of it with non iodized salt! DO NOT USE ROCK SALT!!!
Fold the hide in half skin to skin length wise. Then roll it hair to hair from nose to shoulder or visa versa shoulder to nose.
Turn the hide over after 10-12 hours flipping it on the other side. Reason? It draws the moisture out. With all the salt in there, it will make a high concentration and help get the salt into areas you may have missed.
You can stand it on end after awhile. Then open it back up and resalt letting it dry, make sure you unroll it when its drying out.
For splitting the eyes, you'll see the inner membrane, carefully peel it down to the eye lids..>JUST DONT CUT THE EYE LIDS LOL!
The lips is easy, you'll see the gums on the skin side. Take your knife and peel the back do the edge of the lips. You can go deeper then you'd think!
Hit up a taxidermy shop/tannery, they may be able to show you how to do it with a hide already there, the turning and splitting that is.
I have seen guys putting the hole head with cape still attached into a freezer. If you dont feel comfortable DONT DO IT if you can put it in.
Take extra hide also, go mid way back on the body before making the circumfrence cut! The more you have, the more options he can do for as far as different style mounts go. (pedistal mounts look awesome, also the ped mounts that are adapted into a wall mount!)
Make sure when salting to get ALL the edges. Rubbing it in to all the spots, packing into the nose and such just to be safe! Dont scrimp here, the salt will save your butt. Taxidermists dont like when you "lock" a hide up, its more work for them to rehydrated, then finish fleshing and turning if need be. Then they have to resalt it over again. The less handling they do, the better off your mount is going to be
One last thing. You were talking sheep in your emails. Take this from experiences. DO NOT USE A PRODUCTION TAXIDERMIST!!!! Find one who is an artist! If that means hiring one to cape, turn, and flesh your hide out, so be it. Spend the money on a taxidermist who pays attention to detail! My first ram looked good when I received it back...or so I thought. After a sheep seminar in town before this years sheep hunt I'll never go back to him for anything but maybe bears, even then its highly unlikly I'll do that. His work is good, but nothing like another fellas. The other fella (Rich), doesnt do as many mounts and puts more time into what he does. His price's are actually a wee bit cheaper then most in town and his turn around is much much faster! I'll have my ram back in 10 months, not 18 months like my first ram shoulder mt and brown bear rug! Really be a stickler here.....you'll thank yourself later!
Caping is easy enough! Make sure you get a scalpel of some kind for around the antler bases, eyes, lips, nose and ears.
Turning the ears is simple if you can use the end of a broom stick.
Stick your finger in the eyes before ya get to them DONT CUT THE EYE LASHES!
I do the lips before the nose. There are two ways, one to do the nose first and just keep peeling inside out till you get all the lips. I prefer to take that scalpel and cut just below the teeth getting as much lips as I can, do the top, and the bottom. Start in the middle waaaay back, or do it last if you dont feel comfortable making the cut.
Take off enough cartalige on the nose, you can split it later. Dont split the nose in half unless you have a BIG nose.
Flesh the hide the best you can getting as much meat off as possible
Once everything is turned/split (eyes, ears, nose and mouth) Salt the snot out of it with non iodized salt! DO NOT USE ROCK SALT!!!
Fold the hide in half skin to skin length wise. Then roll it hair to hair from nose to shoulder or visa versa shoulder to nose.
Turn the hide over after 10-12 hours flipping it on the other side. Reason? It draws the moisture out. With all the salt in there, it will make a high concentration and help get the salt into areas you may have missed.
You can stand it on end after awhile. Then open it back up and resalt letting it dry, make sure you unroll it when its drying out.
For splitting the eyes, you'll see the inner membrane, carefully peel it down to the eye lids..>JUST DONT CUT THE EYE LIDS LOL!
The lips is easy, you'll see the gums on the skin side. Take your knife and peel the back do the edge of the lips. You can go deeper then you'd think!
Hit up a taxidermy shop/tannery, they may be able to show you how to do it with a hide already there, the turning and splitting that is.
I have seen guys putting the hole head with cape still attached into a freezer. If you dont feel comfortable DONT DO IT if you can put it in.
Take extra hide also, go mid way back on the body before making the circumfrence cut! The more you have, the more options he can do for as far as different style mounts go. (pedistal mounts look awesome, also the ped mounts that are adapted into a wall mount!)
Make sure when salting to get ALL the edges. Rubbing it in to all the spots, packing into the nose and such just to be safe! Dont scrimp here, the salt will save your butt. Taxidermists dont like when you "lock" a hide up, its more work for them to rehydrated, then finish fleshing and turning if need be. Then they have to resalt it over again. The less handling they do, the better off your mount is going to be
One last thing. You were talking sheep in your emails. Take this from experiences. DO NOT USE A PRODUCTION TAXIDERMIST!!!! Find one who is an artist! If that means hiring one to cape, turn, and flesh your hide out, so be it. Spend the money on a taxidermist who pays attention to detail! My first ram looked good when I received it back...or so I thought. After a sheep seminar in town before this years sheep hunt I'll never go back to him for anything but maybe bears, even then its highly unlikly I'll do that. His work is good, but nothing like another fellas. The other fella (Rich), doesnt do as many mounts and puts more time into what he does. His price's are actually a wee bit cheaper then most in town and his turn around is much much faster! I'll have my ram back in 10 months, not 18 months like my first ram shoulder mt and brown bear rug! Really be a stickler here.....you'll thank yourself later!