How to Cape a whitetail deer or Antelope

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• (see process 2) IF YOU ARE WANTING A PEDESTAL MOUNT, YOU WILL NEED TO CUT EVEN FARTHER BACK, ALMOST ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BELLY BUTTON.

• NEVER CUT THE BREASTBONE OF A TROPHY!! STOP ONCE YOU REACH THE STERNUM OR EVEN FARTHER BACK. YOU CAN ROLL YOUR CAPE FORWARD AND SEPERATE THE CAPE FROM THE RIBS INSTEAD OF CUTTING THE ACTUAL HIDE.

• IF YOU CUT THE BREAST BONE, WE MAY CHARGE YOU MORE.

• NEVER LEAVE YOUR DEER HEAD OR CAPE AT A MEAT PROCESSORS. IT MAY SPOIL AND COULD BE CLASSIFIED A DEADHEAD ($30 FEE) AND MOST OF THE TIME THE CAPE IS RUINED BY THE TIME IT IS SKINNED.  (1-4 HRS BASED UPON TEMP)

• THE SOONER YOU GET THE CAPE TO ME, THE SOONER WE CAN STOP ANY HAIR SLIPPING. IF YOUR CAPE SLIPS, A NEW CAPE WILL BE PURCHASED AT YOUR COST.

• DO NOT LET YOUR PROCESSOR CHARGE YOU FOR A CAPING SERVICE IF YOU NOTICE THEY ARE CUTTING YOUR CAPE ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE ON THIS PAGE. MOST PROCESSORS KNOW THEY CAN SELL YOUR CAPE TO A LOCAL TAXIDERMIST. PLEASE ASK YOUR PROCESSOR HOW MUCH THEY ARE GIVING YOU FOR YOUR CAPE.

• IF YOU BRING YOUR CAPE TO OUR SHOP, WE WILL NOT CHARGE YOU TO CAPE YOUR ANIMAL, WE WILL GIVE YOU A DISCOUNT.

How To Properly Cape your Whitetail:

1. Sharpen your caping or skinning knife regularly. 

2. Make an incision around the elbows of the Deer legs (Fig 2A)

   • Most taxidermists like the knee incisions lower than the picture shows.

3. Make an incision 10 inches back for an upright or a sneak form, cut almost back to the belly button for a pedestal mount. Give more for hide for the taxidermist to use, I will thank you! 

4. Cut your incision in the armpits of the deer following where the white fur meets the brown until you reach your 

5. You can cut the neck further than 3 inches down. I recommend not using a bone saw. Please separate the neck from the body by cutting through the tendons and cutting the spinal column apart with a knife. You should not see any bone fragments from a knife as you are only cutting meat, tendons, and the spinal column.

6. The more neck you provide RED EYE, the less likely you are to damage your european mount. If you want to cut at the base of the neck that is okay too. Our beetles will get really hungry In the off-season.

7. We reserve the right to turn down any mount that is spoiled or will slip.