If you follow these simple steps, you will provide your taxidermist with a top-quality specimen that will better enable them to give you the best possible mount.

1. Avoid dragging your deer on the ground. Dragging can easily damage the fur or puncture the hide. Instead, place your deer onto a sled or four-wheeler. If you must drag your deer, pick it up by the antlers and pull very carefully.
2. Keep the hide cool in order to prevent spoilage and hair loss. Don’t leave your deer out in the sun, or in the back of your truck.
3. Avoid cutting the hide too short.

Be sure to follow the cutting instructions carefully to allow enough skin for your taxidermist.

1. The belly cut that you make to gut the deer should stop well before you reach the front legs.

With a sharp knife, slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the midway point of the rib cage, just behind the front legs.

1. The next step is to cut the skin around the legs, above the knees, circling completely around the leg. An additional cut will be needed up the back to join the body cut behind the legs.
2. Pull the hide away from the carcass as you skin. Peel the skin forward up to the ears and jaw, exposing the head and neck junction.
3. Cut into the neck approximately three inches down from the skull. Circle the neck meat, cutting through the esophagus and windpipe, into the spine, between the vertebrae. After the cut is complete, grab the antlers and twist the head off the neck.
4. Roll the head and hide up in a plastic bag, and store in the freezer until taken to the taxidermist.

Caping, which is the process of skinning out the head of an animal, is best left to the taxidermist. This is a delicate process. And without proper training and experience, you risk damaging the hide beyond repair.

Follow these basic field care steps to ensure that your taxidermist has what they need to create an exciting piece of art, and a special memory you can share with others for a lifetime.

We are a full time taxidermy studio.
**Available by appointments only.**
Located in Iowa and Missouri.
Please call or text 515-962-1341.