Proper Field Care

First and foremost, to achieve a trophy mount of the highest quality, it has to start with proper field care.  Both the customer and the taxidermist share the responsibility of proper specimen handling.  Below are some guidelines for proper field care before your trophy arrives at the taxidermy shop.

1. Avoid unnecessary cuts and follow how-to instructions for proper field dressing.

2. Never drag a trophy against the flow of the hair.

3. Do not hang a trophy with a rope around the head or neck.

4. Never get the hide wet (do not rinse with a hose).  If access blood needs to be cleaned off, wipe with a damp cloth.

5. Avoid cutting up the brisket.

6. Get the trophy to the taxidermist as soon as possible!

7. If you cannot get your trophy immediately to the taxidermist, place the specimen in the freezer.  For smaller mammals such as coyotes, place in a garbage bag and freeze whole.  If the trophy is to be used for a shoulder mount, skin down to the base of the head and remove head with cape attached and place in the freezer.  If you wish to completely cape the trophy out, although this process is best left to the taxidermist, follow the how-to instructions for proper caping.

8. If you are unsure how a trophy should be handled, please contact us for guidance. 

Proper Skinning Instructions

There are two basic methods for skinning life-sized animals: flat incision and dorsal cut methods.  Depending on how a trophy is to be mounted, one method over the other may be desired.

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Flat Incision

This method is generally used for rug mounts and other variety of poses.  Refer to the figure below for a reference of where to make cuts.  As with a shoulder mount, the head should be removed with the hide still attached.

 

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Dorsal Cut

This method is generally used for life-size mounts only.  This is done by cutting from the back of the neck to the base of the tail.  The carcass is then skinned as it is pulled through the back incision.  The feet/hooves and head are cut off of the carcass and left attached to the hide for the taxidermist to complete the skinning process. The skin must be placed in a freezer immediately afterwards for storage.

  

Caping for a Shoulder Mount

1. Start with cutting around the body of of the animal approximately midway of the ribs behind the shoulder.  It is important to start a minimum of several ribs behind the shoulders to allow enough cape for mounting (refer to figure 2A).  

2. Next, slit the skin around the legs just before the knee joint (refer to figure 2A and 2B).  

3. Now, make a slit alongside the back of the leg joining the knee slit to the circular body slit (refer to figure 2B).

4. Skin the trophy from the rib slit to the back of the head where the ears start and the head/neck junction is located.  

5. Cut through the neck muscles and spine approximately three inches back from the head/joint.  This will now allow the hide to be rolled up to the head and placed in a freezer to be stored and later transported to a taxidermist (refer to Figure 3).

 

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