# A couple of dumb questions



## browningboy (Mar 30, 2003)

Ive never shot anything worth mounting before so im curious what do u guys do to ur bucks before u give them to the taxidermist?

Also, how do u guys hang ur deer? I always have trouble hanging them.


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

if you want a shoulder mount the process starts when you gut the deer. Normally when i gut a deer i go all the way up the rib cage to get access to the heart, lungs, liver, and to be able to cut the throat out easily. But if you are gonna get a shoulder mount you can only cut about half way up the rib cage and then you have to reach waaaaay in there being very careful not to cut yourself and then cut the throat out and pull the rest out. Oh and make sure if you are gonna do this mount that you don't cut the throat to make it die if the deer is still alive when you get up to it. That can mess up a cape pretty good. then when it comes time to skin the deer hang it by the back legs and start skinning it from the rear down. Now when you get to where you stopped cutting on the ribs it starts to get tricky because from there down everything has to be in one piece, no cuts in the skin or anything. Minor ones can be sewn up but its better and looks more natural to be very careful and take your time. basically you have to skin the deer all the way up the neck rolling it off like a sock. The trickiest part is getting the skin off the legs without cutting it. I usually cut the leg off at the "knee" and slowly work the skin off the leg. Once you are past that and to the neck just skin it off of there. Cut the head off a ways down the neck and then immediately freeze the head if it won't go directly to the taxedermist so it won't lose the moisture from the eyes and other areas that might need to be measured. That is how i have always done it. I'm not sure but other taxedermists might like it done another way, if you aren't sure call the person that will be doing the mount for you and ask, i'm sure they won't mind giving you instructions.

As for hanging my deer we usually put a pully on the ceiling with a good length of rope on it. Then you can either make or buy a triangle looking hanger that you tie to the rope. This "hanger is usually around 1.5-2 feet wide and has a hook on both sides. You slit the skin between the tendon and bone above the knee of the back leg and insert the hooks and then pull the deer up with the rope and tie it off.


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