Tips and Tactics

Field Dressing
1. With deer on its back make a shallow cut through the skin just below the breastbone. Make sure that you start your cut well away from the brisket allowing plenty of uncut skin for your shoulder mount. Insert two fingers of the free hand, cradling the blade, to hold the skin up and away from the entrails (figure A).

Caping
Caping, the process of skinning out a trophy animal, is best left to the taxidermist. Their experience skinning, especially their delicate nose, mouth, eyes, and ears is invaluable toward producing a quality mount. Damage to a hide is costly to repair. Some types of damage simple cannot be "fixed" by the taxidermist. Many trophies are ruined in the first few hours after death. As soon as the animal dies, bacteria begins to attack the carcass. Warm humid weather accelerates bacteria growth. In remote areas, or areas not near your taxidermist, a competent person may be required to cape out the hide in order to preserve it. Every taxidermist has a preferred method of caping a hide. Contact your taxidermist prior to your hunt in order to get instructions on their caping requirements. However, the following techniques are generally acceptable.

Skinning Life-Size Big Game
There are two major methods of skinning for large life size mount such as deer, elk or bear. These methods are the flat incision and dorsal method.

The flat incision is used for rug mounts and for a variety of poses. The ar3eas to be cut are shown in Figure 1. Make these slits (cutting the feet free from the carcass) and pull the skin off the carcass. The head is detached as with the shoulder mount.

The dorsal method of skinning involves a long slit down the back (from the tail base up into the neck) The carcass is skinned as it is pulled through this incision. The feet /hooves and the head are cut off from the carcass as with shoulders mount explained later. Only use this method with approval and detailed instruction from your taxidermist. Use this method only when the skin can be frozen quickly after skinning.

Note:    If you Can't take your hide
            immediately to a taxidermist,
            freeze it to your taxidermist's
            specifications.

Caping for a shoulder mount
1. Slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the mid-way point of the rib cage behind the front legs. Slit the skin around the legs just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back of the legs (Figure 2A and 2B). 2. Peel the skin forward up to the ears and jaw exposing the head / neck junction. Cut into the neck approximately three inches down from this junction, Circle the neck cutting down to the spinal column. After this cut is complete, grasp the antler bases and twist the head off the neck. This should allow the hide to be rolled up and put in a freezer until transported to the taxidermist. These cuts should allow ample hide fro the taxidermist to work with mounting. Remember, the taxidermist can cut off excess hide but can't add what he doesn't have. Note: When field dressing a trophy to be mounted, don't cut into the brisket (chest) or neck area if blood gets on the hide to be mounted, wash it off with snow or water as soon as possible. Also avoid dragging the deer out of the woods with a rope. Place it on a sled, rickshaw, or 4-wheeler. The rope, rocks or a broken branch from a deadfall can easily damage the fur or puncture the hide. If you need to drag it out with a rope, attach the rope to the base of the antlers and drag your trophy carefully.

Small Mammals
Animals, coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional. Don't gut the animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil quickly because of their thin hide and bacteria. If you can't take the small game animal immediately to a taxidermist, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put in in a plastic bag and freeze it. With the epidemic of rabies evident in many areas of the country take every safety measure necessary when handling your game

Birds
Do not gut the bird. Rinse off and blood on the feathers with water. Take the bird immediately to you taxidermist or freeze it. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing being careful not to damage the feathers, including the tail. If the bird's tail feathers do not fit in the bag do not bend them. Let the tail stick out of the bag and tie the bag loosely.

Fish
Do not gut your fish. If you cannot take your fish immediately to a taxidermist, wrap it in a very wet towel and put it in a plastic bag, making sure all the fins are flat against the fish's body (to prevent breakage), and freeze it. A fish frozen with this method can be kept in the freezer for months. Note: a fish will loose its coloration shortly after being caught. A good color photograph immediately after the catch may enable the taxidermist to duplicate the natural color tones of that particular fish.

Tips
Always have appropriate tags with your trophies when you take them to your taxidermist. Do not cut the ears for attachment. Songbirds, Eagles, Hawks, and Owls are protected by Federal Law and cannot be mounted unless with special Federal permit. For situation where you are hunting with no available taxidermist or freezer, ask your taxidermist about techniques to skin out the entire cape (including the head) and salting the hide. This is the only method in remote locations that can preserve your hide for later mounting.
NOTE: Because of the various diseases that wild game can transmit to humans, always use extreme caution when handling the carcass. Use rubber or latex gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling.

Illustrations courtesy of: Double D’s Taxidermy, Longview, TX (903-757-9130) www.doubledstaxidermy.com

P.O. Box 20403 * Cheyenne, WYOMING 82003

Phone: 307-637-5495 Fax 307-637-6059

Email: bmoahunts@bresnan.net

GENERAL INFORMATION ON WESTERN STATE HUNTING

Application dates are for deer and elk. This is the latest information we have. BE SURE to double check this information in case of any changes.

Alaska www.state.ak.us, l-800-478-2376, Hunter safety date 1 Jan. 1986. Hunting age 16 yrs.

AZ. www.azgfd.com, Phone 602-942-3000, Hunting age 10 yrs. Hunter safety required between 10-14 yrs. old. Application deadline about June 15th.

CO. www.wildlife.state.co.us, Phone 303-297-1192, Hunter safety date 1 Jan. 1949. Hunter orange 500 sq. ins. Must have orange hat. Application deadline about 1 Apr.

ID. http://fishandgame.idaho.gov, Phone 208-334-3700, Hunter safety date 1 Jan. 1975. Hunting age 12 yrs. Application date deadline about 31 May.

KS. www.kdwp.state.ks.us, Phone 785-296-2281 Hunter safety 1 July 1957. Hunter orange 100 sq. ins. front and 100 sq. back and blaze orange hat. Hunting age 16 yrs. Application deadline about 31 May.

MO. www.conservation.state.mo.us, Phone 660-785-2420 Hunter safety date 1 Jan. 1967. Hunting age 11 yrs. Orange hat and shirt or vest required.

MT. www.fwp.state.mt.us, Phone 406-444-2535 Hunter safety 1 Jan. 1985. Hunting age 12 yrs. 400 sq. ins. of orange. Application deadline about Mar 15th.

NE. www.outdoornebraska.ore, Phone 402-471-5532 Hunter safety 1 Jan. 1977 Hunting age 16 yrs.

NV. www.ndow.ore, Phone 775-423-3171 Hunter safety date 1 Jan. 1960. Hunting age 12 yrs. Application deadline about 16-20 Apr.

NM. www.e:mfsh.state.nm.us, Phone 505-476-8000 Hunter safety required if under 18 yrs. old. Hunting age, no restrictions. No orange requirement. Application deadline about 1 Apr.

UT. www.wildlife.utah.gov, Phone 801-538-4700 Hunter safety 31 Dec. 1965 Hunting age 14 yrs. 400 sq. ins. orange head back and front. No orange camo. Application deadline about Jan 31st.

WY. www.Gf.state.wy.us, Phone 307-777-4600 Hunter safety 1 Jan. 1966. Hunting age 12 yrs. Orange hat or vest required. Application deadline Elk about 31 Jan. Deer/antelope about Mar. 15th.

Quality hunting and fishing trips in the U.S., Alaska, Russia, Canada, Africa, Mongolia, China, South America

I am a subscriber who learned this lesson once again in Mongolia. Perhaps your readers may find some of this useful.

In 2001 a light went on and I realized why one should use a booking agent unless one has a VERY well-established outfitter relationship. After a frustrating week of not seeing rams with a once in a lifetime non-resident Wyoming sheep tag in my pocket, the outfitter looked me in the eye and said "We're going somewhere else and your hunt is being extended. It will take me a couple days in town to re-supply and repack. You get a room at the Irma and I will call you when we are ready. I am hunting you until you kill a ram. You are not going to be the first Jack Atcheson sheep hunter to go home without a ram."

Fact: Booking agents generally have far more clout with the outfitter than you do. It does not matter how savvy you are, where you have hunted, or what you have killed. They send multiple hunters to him every year, year in and year out. This alone is a good enough reason to use a booking agent, but there is another one. The booking agent has better information than you will ever get from the outfitter. I hunted caribou in 1998 with an outfitter "that we have been using for the past 15 years and nobody ever came home without one" that was good enough for me! Had a good hunt in Alaska with no problems. Still not satisfied? Need one more reason? ANY foreign hunt should be booked through a booking agent..period, end of story. Are you going to sign a foreign contract and send thousands of dollars to some outfitter in "eastern nowhere" and HOPE he is there to meet you when you step off the plane? For me, I want a US contract with a booking agent and want my money going to a US address; thank you. If nobody shows up to meet me I know where I can find the booking agent.

OK, so here comes the recent story that brings it all home once more. I just returned from a Mongolian Ibex hunt with Butch Manasse Outdoor Adventures, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I had done three previous hunts booked by Butch and found the hunts to be "as good or better" than he described. Butch is pretty candid and careful to tell you the good and bad points of the outfitter. He tells you things like "take some antibiotics and some MRE's, some of my hunters have gotten sick from the food on this one." That is a lot better information than some outfitter telling you "our chow is great".

I was booked into Mongolia with seven other Americans, all hunting Altai Ibex. The tour company met us at the airport and the hunt was well organized from start to finish. We all had a great hunt and all want to go back. There were no major problems of any kind, and everyone had killed respectable ibex in 2-3 days, in fact, we killed 10 in all as some guys took 2. However, there were two minor money issues that arose during the hunt. Four of us had booked 1 on 1 and did not get it. They had insufficient horses and jeeps and we had to hunt 2 on 1. Also, we had been promised 4 full hunting days and due to airline schedules, it came to 3.5 hunting days. I called Butch from camp on a satellite phone (rented from Edy at the Hunting Report, of course) and told him the problems of short hunt, and the 2 on 1. He sent the tour company an email while we were in camp explaining this problem and requesting compensation for us. When we returned from camp to Ulaanbaatar, the tour representative apologized over an excellent Thai lunch and promised to refund our money. After lunch we went to the tour company office and sat in the executive conference room. He stepped out for a minute, then returned and peeled off crisp US currency and paid us all (about $2,500 total). THAT, my friend, is why you always use a booking agent. There is no way an individual hunter could have commanded that kind of clout in Outer Mongolia when things were not exactly as represented. Butch has sent hunters to this operator in Mongolia for years and they knew the long-term relationship was worth more than the immediate monies at hand. Incidentally, the money Butch saved me more than covered the entire satellite phone rental expenditure.

I thought this was worth sharing with you. Perhaps others have had different experiences, but for me, I prefer to reduce my risk by booking through an agent.