Just another thought for you. If you are gonna have your Trophy mounted let's not screw up the cape. When you skin him, once again hang him high by the back legs and start at the rear and work towrds the head. Once you get to mid rib cage stop. Pick a line from the base of the strenum (SP?), bottom of rib cage and make 2 cuts, in the hide to the back of the front legs. Cut those fronts off at the first joint. Now peel all that off and then peel the skin back to the top of his neck. Think about how much of that front shoulder area is displayed on your mount. The Taxidemrmist needs a few more inches of hide to pull around the back and secure it.

I am sure this note will spawn some better skining ideas from a few. Just be thinking about this stuff when you start cuttin.

You don't have to leave them on in NY.

Three ways I know of:

1 Don't split pelvis, discect around anus from outside until youcan pull the whole thing out with the guts.

2 Split pelvis, discect around anus and pull whole thing out with guts. Same as #1, but it might be easier if you split the pelvis. Pelvis can be split by skillful use of hunting nice, less skilled use of axe or (what I do) with a little hand-held Stanley folding saw. For example:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1290076

3.Don't discect around anus. Remove guts as far as possible. Tie two strings tight around intestine as far down the "chute" as you can. Cut intestine between two strings and leave the anus in the deer. The tight strings keep the $hit from leaking around. I've used this method and it's quick and easy.

A friend I have, who's literally cleaned 100s of deer, uses a largish fish fillet knife and cleans a deer in about 3 minutes. He says the fillet knive is nice and thin and allows him to reach in and expertly cut inside the chest and around the anus.

Zeke

romanwild when did it change ? last i knew you had to for proof of sex

Don't split the hind legs until you get the deer out of the woods just gut and drag. Splitting the hind legs will get dirt all over the meat on the hind quarters when your draging.

CUTT EM OFF> SAVE THE PISS