Basic Field Care
When caping a deer shoulder mount we recommend you do not attempt to fully cape your deer yourself. If you must, follow this preparation guide.
Animals may be brought in fresh or frozen (and registered if required by law). If you do not plan to bring in your trophy fresh, there are some steps that should be taken in order to preserve the condition of your trophy until it gets here.
All animals should be allowed to cool off as soon as possible after harvest to prevent meat and hide spoilage.
All animals should be allowed to cool off before sealing them in airtight plastic bags and freezing them.
Excessive blood should be washed off prior to storage to prevent blood stains and spoilage.
Remember: prolonged exposure to dry air inside a freezer can cause irreversible freezer-burn damage.
FISH
DIRECTIONS
Do not skin. Place a wet towel around your fish and place it in the freezer.
SMALL GAME
DIRECTIONS
Do not skin. Can be double-bagged in plastic or garbage bags, sealed airtight, and frozen.
BIRDS
DIRECTIONS
Do not skin. Place whole bird in a plastic bag and seal tight. Freeze immediately. For turkey tails, cut off the entire tail with about 2" of skin with back feathers still attached. Cut beards off with skin still attached. For feet and spurs, cut off feet at the ankle joint at the bottom of the feather line. Place them in an airtight plastic bag and freeze.
BIG GAME
DIRECTIONS
For best results bring entire trophy into the taxidermist. If you must skin before hand see the following...
When field dressing, do not make any cuts beyond the base of the brisket. To be safe, leave hide attached up to the middle of abdomen. Skinning heads yourself is acceptable, but not highly recommended to an untrained person. Untrained skinners may damage the cape, which will require you to pay for cost of additional repair services.
