How to Skin and Cape a Whitetail Deer for a Shoulder Mount

Skinning and Caping the Whitetail Deer for a Shoulder Mount

 

The first thing you should do when caping out a head for a shoulder mount is to make sure you leave enough skin. As a rule, if you leave at least 6 inches of skin behind the front legs, you will have plenty to work with. When you have a lot of repair work, such as bullet holes, drag marks or fighting scars, it is a good idea to leave about 12 inches. You can always trim off the extra, but it is almost impossible to put skin back and have a quality mount. When you have figured out how far back you need to cut the skin, simply cut a ring around the animal and make two cuts up the back of the front legs following where the white and brown hair meet from the knee to the cut around the body. Now just tube skin the shoulders and neck, like taking off a sock, to the base of the skull.

Before starting to skin the head, take the eye to nose measurement. The most accurate way to get this measurement is to use a caliper. Place one end on the center of the nose and put the other end right up against the front corner of the eye. Now, measure the distance with a good steel tape measure and record the measurement. The eye to nose measurement is the most critical. Nevertheless, you may also want to measure the back of the head to the nose and the antler tip to the nose for a reference when setting the antlers on the form.

When skinning the head, the first step is to cut the skin around the gum line. It is important to cut as close to the gum as possible, leaving plenty of lip skin to tuck. Next, carefully cut the skin away from the gums and peel it back. When you get to the nose, cut as close as possible, around the pallet and cut through the septum back to the bridge of the nose and peel it back.

The next incision you will need to make is straight up the back of the head. Try to keep this cut as short as possible, just big enough to get the skull out. Some like to cut it all the way down the back, it really is a matter of preference. You can also do a Y-cut or a T-cut, the only difference is where you base the incision.

The antlers: The Y-cut begins behind the antlers making a Y shape; the T-cut would be a straight cut between the antlers. After you have made the cut of your choice, cut the skin right up to the base of the antler burr. Van Dyke’s sharp point knife works exceptionally well for this. Once you have the skin started, you can use a flat head screwdriver to loosen the skin, be careful to get it as close as possible so you do not leave any skin attached.

As you skin the head be careful around the ears, try to cut the ear canal loose, as close to the skull as possible. Cutting it too high can cause results that are hard to repair and greatly affect the mounting process.

When you are free of the antlers, continue to skin the head down to the back of the eye socket. This is the one spot that gets damaged the most, but if you follow a few basic procedures and take your time, it is not hard at all. The first step is to insert your index finger into the back of the eye socket, then start skinning the eye down, keeping the cutting edge of your knife behind your finger. This will keep you from cutting the eyelids. When you reach the front of the eye, get your blade right down on the skull and continue peeling the skin loose of the tear duct. Once you have made it through the eye and tear duct, continue to skin down until you reach the already skinned area on the muzzle, now you should be able to remove the cape from the skull. The cape is now ready to freeze or prep, salt and tan.

We will have a future newsletter that will go through the entire cape preparation procedures.