How much to preserve to mount head ?

[Ninja_En_Short]

Hi guys,

I'm going hunting for the first time next week end and I'm wondering : if I happen to kill a deer (one can hope), how much has to be preserved in terms of bone structure ?
I'm specifically talking about the headand some of the neck, maybe down to collar bones.

I've read some people saying to keep rib cage in one piece to mount but is it required for just the head and neck ?

Thanks,
Ninja

 

[Scamaniac]

You need the cape cut behind the shoulders for a chest mount. Sever the head from the spine at the base. Have a taxidermist or someone competent cape the head. Google is your friend.

 

[Brots]

You don't need any bone structure at all but if you don't know what you're doing skinning it the taxidermist might not be happy with what you bring him. As Scamaniac said just skin the back behind the shoulders and keep the spine and head in one piece. The taxidermist will skin the head for you and do a much better job than you could your first time.

So what you want is the head cut off at the shoulders all in one piece with some extra hide skinned off of the body.

Hope that helps.

 

[Ninja_En_Short]

I could do the skinning but since Quebec demands the deer to be registered full (if not i'd have butchered it in the field to save me some weight), I'm going to be lazy and tell the butcher I want to keep the pelt and neck+head intact for the taxidermist.

 

[maynard]

Cut the hide behind the front shoulders and skin it forward (like rolling down a sock) to the base of the skull. Do NOT cut the throat when field dressing to remove the wind pipe. My father was a taxidermist for 50 years so I have seen a lot of trophy deer that were screwed before they brought them in. Leave as much hide as you can to give the taxidermist something to work with. Your butcher will likely not want the hide on it when you take it to him.

 

[rral22]

I could do the skinning but since Quebec demands the deer to be registered full (if not i'd have butchered it in the field to save me some weight), I'm going to be lazy and tell the butcher I want to keep the pelt and neck+head intact for the taxidermist.

I'm not in Quebec, but I know of no butcher shop that will cape a deer for you. I guess enough money may convince one to go for it, but I expect they are way too busy to fuss with caping.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I'm not in Quebec, but I know of no butcher shop that will cape a deer for you. I guess enough money may convince one to go for it, but I expect they are way too busy to fuss with caping.

Caping is an art, not to be trifled with. Also, better to have too much cape than too little.

Grizz

 

[fingers284]

Cut the hide from the base of the ribs (deer don't have "collarbones" LOL) all the way around to the backbone just behind the front shoulders. Now peel the hide over the shoulders (you will have to split the hide from front leg ankle back to the original cut you made at the ribs, can be peeled all the way down to the ankle but not necessary and a lot easier to split) all the way down to right behind the ears, now cut the neck meat and the neck bone here as close to the last vertebra that you can. Taxidermist only needs the skull, hide and horns and all in one piece, he will split the hide and skin the skull/face to his own liking and experience as to how he needs it for re-creation. . Now take a tape measure and measure around the neck in 3 0r 4 places, rutting bucks can vary a lot in "neck swell" and your taxidermist will need these measurements to order a similar sized "mount form" to build and re-create your deer as he was when he stood in front of you.

The caring for after the skinning job is as important to safeguard the hide quality for the taxidermist...idealy you would want to deliver the head to taxidermist within a day of skinning the animal. If that's not an option (wilderness hunts that is never possible) then you have to freeze the head & hide ( roll the hide up behind the ears, not over them, you don't want to fold or bend the ears while they still have the ear lining in them...they will be a b!tch for your taxidermist to skin out) or salt the whole thing copiously with just plain household salt...when you think you have enough salt on ...double it. A hide that has "hair slippage" is worthless to your taxidermist.

It might sound like a lot of friggen around but it's not really, you have to skin the front of the animal and remove the head anyways so that's not even an issue and the salting will take 20 minutes at the most.