I was wondering if many hunters can actually cape a deer head. On the packaged hunts I've been on, the guides couldn't cape a head. Or I've heard them say something like "Bill Bob can do it when he shows up." The last buck I saw caped it was done by the hunter while his guide just watched.

Yeah, I can but I've caped 100's of them!!

Yes I can

Yes I can. A guide should know how as well, imo.

If I am getting an animal mounted, other than assisting, I don't anyone else caping it but me.

Yes, I can. It may take me a while, but I can do it.

yes i wont let anyone else do mine .

I can but it takes me a while. Taxidermist I have used the most preferred to do it himself if you could get it to him fresh or frozen it tact

I will cape out for a shoulder mount and stop at the head and cut it off there. Then take it to my taxidermist who will finish caping out the head. He will use a scalpel to finish it out. It won't take him 15 minutes to do this (not a frozen head.) Then he will give me back the antlers to keep until the fur is tanned and he is ready to do the mount. I'll then take him back the rack. Some taxidermist will do a free euro mount if you give them your cape provided that its in great shape and was from a mature buck.

I can and I have. It isn't difficult. I have caped deer, elk, pronghorn, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, bison and black bear.

I believe that you can only skin up to the head in Texas (proof of sex) until you get home or a taxidermist / processor. The regulation refers to an unskinned head as proof of sex.

I think it used to read that an "unskinned" head had to be retrained at one time, but changed several years ago to the current "the head, with antlers still attached" without the unskinned statement for that option. Not sure exactly how it read. They just changed it again this year with another option added for proof of sex.

no, i cape skulls all the time.

The antlers them selves are the proof of sex. Hair DNA is same as Bone DNA if needed to be checked

Yes everyone of mine. Taxi’s like extra capes…

Plus makes transportation a whole hell of a lot easier

Flat head screw driver and a havalon work great

It changed sometime after 1998.

1998 version

(B) deer:

(i) buck: the unskinned head, with antlers still attached;

(ii) antlerless: the unskinned head;

I thought you where getting old I can’t remember stuff from 10 years ago.



OP there are lots of video’s on line to help teach you. Saves lots of cooler and freezer space learning how.

Slowly yes I can

I have done only one. My Axis buck.

Taxi had do some stitching around one tear duct.

It was 90° outside, and no cooler big enough to hold the skull and cape. I had to git to gittin!

Ahhh the two best tools for the job

Not fast but I can do it. Gotta be careful around the eyes.

I’ve done a few but I don’t like doing it

I can and have. But, my taxidermist much perfers to cape it himself if I can freeze the unskinned head.