For anyone considering having a head of any kind mounted the skinning off of the cape is critically important to the look and quality of the completed mount. As a rough rule of thumb you can never take off too much cape, but it is easy to take off far to little. A short neck on Red Stag or Fallow Buck looks unbalanced and "front heavy". Some larger heads with substantial antler growth are left staring at the floor if the cape is cut too short.

I have set out below some simple instructions on how to skin off a cape correctly.

Fig 1. (A) Make a circular cut BEHIND the front legs starting the cut just behind the shoulder blade and going all the way around under the body staying behind the front legs.

Fig  1. (B) Make two further circular cuts at the top of each leg.

Fig  2. (C) Make one long cut up the middle of the back of the neck to between the ears.

Fig  2. (D) Make a "V" shaped cut from between the ears up to the base of the antlers.

Fig  2. (E)  Peel back the skin from between the shoulder blades and skin forward towards the head. As the skin comes forward point the front legs towards the head and the whole cape will come free of the legs where the two circular cuts were made at the top of the legs.

Fig  2.  (F)   Once the skin is completely free of the body and the legs the head must be cut from the carcass at the joint between the neck and the skull or the nearest point to it.

 

The detached head should now be frozen/placed in a chiller/cold store or delivered to the taxidermist within 24 hours. Less if the weather is warm.