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Tips: When preparing a deer or buck for the taxidermist, don’t drag it, don’t pierce its ears and get it there quickly.

So much has been written on how to harvest a trophy whitetail. We ruminate over choice of weapon, types of lure, the use of calls and decoys, tree stand placement and even where a buck will be on any given day. Yet very little accurate information is offered on proper care and handling of a trophy whitetail for the taxidermist.

First, a typical situation: You down your buck in a muddy corn stubble field. Your partner gets to it first and cuts the throat to bleed the meat. He then shows you how to open the body cavity from brisket to vent while field dressing to help cool off the meat. You tag the deer through the ear with your back tag holder and then the three-wheeler shows up to drag your deer to the truck.

After going on tour to show off your good fortune, you’re at the tree in your yard to begin the photo session. Friends stop by during the next few days for a look, then it’s on to the butcher. He and others have suggested you get this buck mounted, so your wife is enlisted to check the yellow pages for taxidermists. There they are, right after ‘taxicabs.’ Using your wife as an interpreter, you ask how much, how much down, and how long. Then you choose the one whose road you can get to on your way home from work the next day. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, it does to me, too.

As a taxidermist by trade and a deer hunter by chance, I can make some suggestions that will keep the deer of your dreams from becoming a nightmare.

PRESEASON SCOUTING – Check with area taxidermists. Visit his showroom and look at his or her work. Let him give you his credentials and a list of references. Most taxidermists will briefly explain what methods they use to insure an accurate and sound mount. Turnaround time is usually based on how much work is in the studio, the methods used and number of employees. Prices may be set as a way of receiving more work. Prices will vary, with a range of $175 to $400.

Choosing a studio located on your way home may be convenient, but keep in mind that an extra drive of two minutes or two hours may take you to the right studio.

Also, when you arrive with a deer, describe the pose you want. Photos of a live deer can help. Plan on leaving a deposit or making arrangements for payment.

THE HUNT – Bring a section of plastic. After taking your deer, wrap the neck and shoulders before dragging the deer. If you use an ATV, load the deer onto it, no power dragging. Cable ties or wire work great for fastening tags onto antlers. No more holes in ears.

Avoid holes. They cost money in the form of repairs at the taxidermist. “Finishing shots” should be in the chest, not the neck. Slitting the throat to bleed a deer doesn’t make sense if the pump, the heart, is no longer beating. And if it is, I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to straddle those sharp antlers to reach the neck.

Avoid stem-to stern cuts while dressing. The brisket should stay intact for the mount. A smaller cut will keep the chest cavity clean while transporting.

Visit the taxidermist promptly. Deer heads sitting around a few days develop bacteria, which leads to spoilage of the cape and hair pulling out.

THE BUTCHER - Make sure the facility is reasonably clean. Be patient with him. All his work may come in a two or three-week period and even the first few days of gun season. Pick up your meat on time. Many butchers don’t have enough cooler space to store the meat for any length of time.

You or your butcher should skin the deer from the hind quarters forward, as most taxidermists prefer the head attached to the complete skin. Do not cut the skin near the shoulders or brisket. Roll the skin down until you reach the front legs. Roll the skin past the armpit and down the leg until you can cut the leg off from inside the skin. Continue down the neck as far as you’d like, then cut the head from the neck. Go higher if you’re saving the neck roast.

Now the taxidermist can accurately cape out the head and cut the body skin well behind the shoulders where he needs.

Don’t be talked into cutting the cape too short just to sell a deer hide for $4. Capes of big-necked deer can get expensive to replace. At my studio, I pay between $20 and $50 for large capes in exchange for mounting the antlers.

With shed antlers becoming increasingly popular, many collectors are mounting deer with matched sheds. Older or poorly mounted heads are being remounted.

Most taxidermists are looking for replacement capes so if you don’t plan on mounting a big deer, call a taxidermist.

Many customers bring an entire deer to my studio to have the head caped before it’s processed.

If doing so, make sure the “plumbing” is intact, bring its proof of sex, and make a copy of the carcass tag so the original can go to the butcher or for you to transport the deer.

Bill Yox is a past national and international taxidermy champion. He also placed second in world competition. His studio is located on Redman Road in Sweden, near the Monroe-Genesee county border.

(Published in “The Daily News,” Batavia, NY, November 18, 1995)
Tips
When preparing a deer or buck for the taxidermist, don’t drag it, don’t pierce its ears and get it there quickly
By Bill Yox