The correct field care is essentially important for a perfect end result of your animal as a mounted trophy.
Do not drag your trophy over rough terrain this can damage the hide permanently.
Do not cut the throat.
Please skin the animal on clean, dry, gras covered ground
Cape the animal out as soon as possible and bring the cape/hide immediately to us. If this is not possible you can also deep-freeze it, which is the fastest, easiest and most secure way of preserving it for a longer period. (freeze the cape/hide flat; don`t roll it up! ) Out in the bush and far away from the next freezer you can alternately saltand dry it. This is the most popular way of preserving fresh skins and it keeps them durable for days.
Salting of capes/hides will not prevent them completely from bacteria growth...it just slows it down.
An unpreserved hide/cape can cause hair slippage. If bacteria growth is not stopped, it will create irreversible damage and bald patches in a short amount of time.
Wash out all the blood spots off the fur with cold water (snow works too) If you don`t do this properly the blood will leave unsightly spots in the fur and it also can cause hair loss. Then rub a few handfuls of salt directly on these spots (don`t forget the bullet holes)
Never keep, store or ship your cape/hide in a plastic bag unless for freezing it.
Always split the lips, ears, eyelids and nose befor salting it.
Split the ears completely to the outer edge thereby the salt can penetrate entirely.
Never cut through the foot pads. Always cut around the pads by leaving a thin stripe of pelt on them. (see sketch below)
Make sure when you prepare a cape for a full shoulder headmount, that you leave enough hide on it. (For pedestal or 1/2 size mounts please bring in the whole hide) The skinning works a lot easier if the animal`s body is still warm ....so don`t wait too long with this work.
Make your first circular cuts around the animal`s front legs and behind the shoulders around the whole body (Nr.1+2). Next make a straight cut on the back, from between the ears down the neck towards the shoulder(Nr.3). The next steps would be to remove the cape from the head of the animal. If you have never done this before, it is best to let it do someone who is experienced in this. To continue you have to do a "Y" or "T" incision (Nr.4) to reach the base of the antlers/horns on both sides. At this point you have to cut around the bases and carefully peel down the skin till you reach the ear butts; there you cut the ear canal as close to the skull as possible. Once you get to the eyes its helpful to insert your finger into the eye socket and pull the skin away from the skull so you will not accidentally cut off the eyelids, as you cut. Next skin loose the lips on both sides along the teeth close to the skull till you reach the nose. Sever the nose close to the skull bone leaving enough cartilage on it. Carefully split the cartilage by cutting down the center of the nose . Also split the lips completely to the edges and don't forget to turn both ears inside out, by leaving the cartilage attached to it; it will be removed by the taxidermist after the tanning process. Now you can lay out the skin and prepare it for the next step; the salting.
Befor you salt the cape/hide make sure that you remove any leftovers of fat or meat on the cape/hide. If you don`t do this properly it can cause hair slippage. Next rub a generous 1/2 inch (1cm) amount of fine grained non iodized salt into the flesh side of the cape/hide, paying special attention to the edges, ears, eyes, lips and nose area. Hang it up or place it over a slanted board at a cool, dry, shadow place to let the moisture/juice drain out. At the following day you should shake off the wet salt and replace it with fresh salt. Hang it up again and let it dry for 3-5 days.
