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Ok you finally shot
that trophy of a lifetime, now what?
First things first, make
sure to tag the animal properly according to state law, also through out
the process make sure that you comply with the rules regarding proof of
sex, you don’t want to have your animal confiscated for not complying
with the law. Next, you need to decide what type of mount that you want
to do. The type of mount that you choose, the pose, and the species will
determine how you need to skin and field dress the animal.
I will cover the three
most common skinning techniques and how they apply, but first I want to
help you avoid the most common mistakes.
- Do not cut the throat
on any mammal that you are going to have mounted.
- Do not drag the animal,
especially antelope, unless you want a mount with no hair.
- Do not put the skin
in a plastic bag.
- Do not drive around
with the animal in the back of your truck all weekend.
- Do not hang the animal
in your garage for a week in warm weather.
- Last but not least
do not put the animal in a plastic bag or any other non-breathable container
until it is completely cooled out.
The basics that you will
need to properly skin any game animal in the world, possibly with the
exception of an elephant, are a sharp knife and a bone saw. I only use
the bone saw for splitting the brisket or pelvis when field dressing,
or to remove the antlers, or horns from large mammals. For the rest of
the field care I use a $6 victorinox knife, or sometimes my $12 double
bladed Old-timer. It’s not a bad idea to carry a good quality sharpening
steel if you know how to use it. If you don’t know how to sharpen
a knife (don’t feel left out, your one of many) then I would suggest
that you carry at least two and maybe three pre-sharpened knives. One
knife will not cut it, forgive the pun, on a large mammal.
Skinning gameheads.
Shoulder mount gameheads are the most commonly mounted mammals in the
world so this is a good place to begin. The animal can be field dressed
as you normally would with the exception that the belly cut should stop
at the rib cage. When skinning an animal for a shoulder mount (ex. Deer)
I start by making an incision around the midsection of the animal approximately
6” to 8” behind the shoulder. I then make an incision from
the base of the skull down the center of the back of the neck to the first
incision. I then make an incision around each leg at or just above the
knee joint. This facilitates tubing of the legs during the skinning process.
The cape is then skinned off of the carcass up to the base of the neck.
At this point I recommend that you leave the skull in the cape and sever
the skull at the axis joint. Get it cold, keep it cold, and get it to
the taxidermist.
Skinning via
the ventral incision.
A ventral incision in laymen’s terms is a belly cut. This is how
most mammals are skinned for rugs and is also very common for lifesize
mounts. Start by making an incision from the vent to just between the
front legs. Then make an incision starting from each foot or paw down
the back of each leg to the belly incision. Try to make the leg incisions
meet the belly incision at the same point. Carefully remove the skin from
the carcass trying not to cut any holes in the hide. You can leave the
skull in the skin and sever the skull from the carcass at the axis joint.
Leave the feet or paws in the skin also and severe them from the carcass
at the wrist or knee joints. Cool it down and get it to the taxidermist
as soon as possible. Standard field dressing procedure is used when doing
the ventral incision.
Dorsal Incision.
In some cases a taxidermist may prefer to have a dorsal incision when
mounting lifesize animals. Mounts that are in a standing position are
well suited to the dorsal incision. Animals that have short belly hair
and leg hair, such as pronghorn, sheep, and some of the African mammals
are also good candidates for a dorsal incision. If there is any doubt
about what skinning method to use, talk to your taxidermist before the
hunt.
Start by making an incision
from the base of the skull to the base of the tail straight down the middle
of the back. Carefully remove the skin from the carcass. Sever the skull
at the axis joint, and the legs at the knee joints. You should also cut
the tail from the carcass and leave it in the skin. If needed you can
make a short incision from the base of each foot on the back of the leg
up to the knee joint. Sever the feet/paws at the wrist joint and skin
up to the knee, and then cut the joint at the knee to separate it from
the rest of the carcass. Cool it down, keep it cold, and get it to the
taxidermist. When using a dorsal incision I normally field dress the animal
after it has been skinned.
After skinning the animal
it is very important get the skin cooled down and keep it cool. This will
arrest the growth of bacteria and prevent the hair from “slipping”.
Long story short “slipping is when bacteria attacks the epidermis
of the skin and causes the hair to fall out. This is not conducive to
a good mount, so get it cold and keep it cold. Put the skin in a cloth
game bag (never plastic). If the ambient air temperature is low enough
you can simply hang it outside to cool it down, but if the temperature
is warm (40 degrees f +) you will have to resort to other means. Put the
skin in a cooler with ice, take it to town and put it in a meat locker,
put it in a refrigerator, freeze it, use dry ice, whatever just try to
keep it dry if at all possible and get it cold. Keep it cold and get it
in to the taxidermist. On a side note it is just as important to cool
down the meat and keep it cold to prevent bone sour and spoilage. In my
opinion most complaints related to gamey taste in wild animals is due
to improper field care.
Salting the hide
For extended trips in the field, especially during warm weather it may
be necessary to salt a hide in order to preserve it. I do not normally
suggest this unless you are proficient in properly skinning the cape from
the skull, splitting the lips, nose, eyelids, and ears, and completely
removing all of the flesh and fat from the skin. Consult with your taxidermist
on how to complete these tasks and then you can properly salt a skin.
I buy my salt at the local feed store in 50# bags. They usually call it
hay & stock salt, or milled solar salt. Be sure that it is non-iodized.
You can also use pickling salt from the grocery store, but expect to pay
a lot more. Do not use rock salt.
Lay the skin out flat and apply the salt liberally. On a deer cape I usually
use about 1/3 to ½ a 50# bag, on an average bear hide I will use
a whole bag. There is no such thing as too much salt. Let the salt stand
on the skin for 24 hours, then shake it off and salt it again. You shouldn’t
have to use as much salt the second time, but be sure that the entire
skin is covered. Let it stand for another day and then shake the skin
off and let it air dry. Large hides should be rolled before they are completely
dry otherwise they are difficult to transport.
Other considerations.
Velvet Antlers, if you shoot an animal that is still in velvet get it
to the taxidermist as soon as possible. If you can’t get it to the
taxidermists freeze it. If you are planning a hunt where it is likely
that you will kill and animal in velvet talk to the taxidermist before
you go.
- Out of state
or out of country hunts.
If you are traveling out of state to hunt familiarize yourself with
the regulations pertaining to interstate movement of animal parts. With
the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Bovine spongiform encephalitis
(BSE), and other diseases affecting cervids many states have implemented
restrictions on what animal parts can come across state lines, and how
those parts must be handled. If you are traveling out of country it
is best to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture to see what you must do to legally import the species
that you are hunting.
- Outfitters
and Guides
Just because you are on a guided hunt, DO NOT assume that the guide
or outfitter know how to properly care for you trophy. A little vigilance
can prevent an inexperienced skinner from ruining a priceless trophy.
Once again I cannot stress enough the importance of visiting with a
taxidermist to learn the proper field care and skinning techniques before
you go a field. As the saying goes “ There is more than one way
to skin a cat”.
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