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Big whitetail Cape #5586898 02/06/15 11:38 PM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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Anyone know a good reliable source for large whitetail capes high 20's. Ideally it would be a Midwest or South Dakota deer.

Any leads would be appreciated.

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5587568 02/07/15 01:57 PM
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I have 3 Dakota deer wet tanned in my freezer. I'd have to double check sizes but I know one is at least a 7 1/2 X 21, I think.
Let me know if your interested

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5587688 02/07/15 03:11 PM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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CrossHare, pm sent

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5597171 02/13/15 04:44 AM
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tdecker22 Offline
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Brassfield taxidermy in Memphis Missouri.
660-465-7754

He usually keeps a few on hand. He currently has both of my deer from this year. Not sure if he can help with high 20's but it's worth a shot. Did something happen to the cape of the deer you shot in Iowa?

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5597917 02/13/15 07:15 PM
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high 20's? isnt that elk size?

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: tdecker22] #5597992 02/13/15 08:09 PM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: tdecker22
Brassfield taxidermy in Memphis Missouri.
660-465-7754

He usually keeps a few on hand. He currently has both of my deer from this year. Not sure if he can help with high 20's but it's worth a shot. Did something happen to the cape of the deer you shot in Iowa?


tdecker22

The story is a little more complicated. So this December I killed a 169 gross whitetail in Iowa...I knew the neck was huge, but it was right at dusk so we are looking at a dead deer in a bean field in low light. We got it out and caped it that night.....so never really had a great look at the deer. Just knew it had a huge neck.

So back in VA I give it to my taxidermist....he fleshes it out and calls me....first thing he says is that the cape looks like an elk cape (figure he's exaggerating a little) and he also tells me the cape has a lot of area where the tips of the hair are broken from fighting or fences. I tell him to mount it because I want the mount to look like the deer when I shot it.

Well I went to his shop and looked at it on the form about 2 weeks ago.... it's the biggest 9600 form McKenzie makes and the cape fits onto it with ease. As I recall the D measurement was 32 1/2 and the eye to nose was 9" or so. Next to the other deer in the shop this one dwarfs them all.... it's crazy big...and the 169 mainframe 5x5 and 19" wide inside looks small and spindly on the deer. Next the cape looks pretty rough as the tips of the hairs are broken so you have more than a few areas where the underlying hairs are showing (that gray color) against the brown cape.

So my dilemma...do I live with it or do I have him remount it on a smaller cape so the rack looks better and I eliminate all the bad spots on the current cape. Hard emotional decision for me.

So I am on the fence as to what to do, and thought I'd start off by seeing if I could find a good replacement cape....not as big as my original deer but with nice hair and a bright throat patch.

So that's the story...

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: Troubador] #5597995 02/13/15 08:10 PM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Troubador
high 20's? isnt that elk size?


D measurement is 32 1/2....

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5599087 02/14/15 02:35 PM
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Just my opinion, mount your deer the way your deer looked right before you pulled the trigger.

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: Classic Rocks] #5599198 02/14/15 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted By: Classic Rocks
Just my opinion, mount your deer the way your deer looked right before you pulled the trigger.


Typically that is what I do, and that's why I told the taxidermist to mount it when he originally called me. That said, now that it is on the form and drying the cape has more damage than I imagined. I am not talking cuts that you can repair/sew, the damage is when the outer hair tips are broken and the lighter colored hair is exposed.... probably from fighting or fences. In either case it's extensive.

BTW, I am 68 and this isn't my first rodeo as I have killed 4 free range whitetails that gross over 170 and several more over 150.

So it boils down to , "What do I want to look at for the rest of my life. Hence the reason why I am considering doing a remount. The attached pic is part of one wall and has two of the 170's.


Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5599830 02/15/15 01:32 AM
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Your situation is unique. Keeping in mind that you need your mount to look up to par with the others in your collection, I could see an reasoning for wanting it to look right. I would at least use the same size form despite it making the rack look proportionately smaller.

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: Classic Rocks] #5599929 02/15/15 03:06 AM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Classic Rocks
Your situation is unique. Keeping in mind that you need your mount to look up to par with the others in your collection, I could see an reasoning for wanting it to look right. I would at least use the same size form despite it making the rack look proportionately smaller.


Getting a cape as big as the one I shot will be difficult as the neck was 32 1/2 inches..... deer just do not usually get that big. So if I remount my priority will be a really nice cape in the mid to high 20's.

Last edited by TonyinVA; 02/15/15 03:10 AM.
Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5600867 02/15/15 11:11 PM
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IMO, mount that buck just like you shot him. I can understand fixing damage caused during fleshing, but I really like the character from those natural marks on the cape.



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Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: GOLDSTEIN] #5602304 02/16/15 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: GOLDSTEIN
IMO, mount that buck just like you shot him. I can understand fixing damage caused during fleshing, but I really like the character from those natural marks on the cape.


Thanks for your opinion ...

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: GOLDSTEIN] #5602317 02/16/15 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: GOLDSTEIN
IMO, mount that buck just like you shot him. I can understand fixing damage caused during fleshing, but I really like the character from those natural marks on the cape.


cheers

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: Navasot] #5602603 02/16/15 09:07 PM
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TonyinVA Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Navasot
Originally Posted By: GOLDSTEIN
IMO, mount that buck just like you shot him. I can understand fixing damage caused during fleshing, but I really like the character from those natural marks on the cape.


cheers


Guys, my original post was for a cape..... not to discuss what I should do with my deer...my mount. The only reason the discussion of why I was looking for a cape is because tdecker22 asked about what happened to the original cape.

So no more opinions are needed or desired.

Re: Big whitetail Cape [Re: TonyinVA] #5602615 02/16/15 09:10 PM
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I'll try and get this thread deleted

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