What to do with cape

[duckman18]

Hi I hunt  about 3 to 4 hours north of Boise every year and live in Olympia Washington what does everybody do when they get a deer down that they want to have mounted but you’re not going home for3-7 days? If you cape it out how long will it stay in cooler? Usually freezes every night highs of 40-45 during the day most years

[vandeman17]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

[duckman18]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

[Igor]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

Make sure you do NOT put it in a plastic bag.   If you do, it's a goner.

[vandeman17]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

[Rainier10]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

And make sure they are cool before you roll them.  Hang them out all night in cool temps, roll them in the morning and then put them in a cool spot for the rest of the trip.

No plastic bag.

[vandeman17]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

And make sure they are cool before you roll them.  Hang them out all night in cool temps, roll them in the morning and then put them in a cool spot for the rest of the trip.

No plastic bag.

The one in my avatar actually spent 7 days from the morning I killed him until we got home and it got warm during the day.

[Rainier10]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

And make sure they are cool before you roll them.  Hang them out all night in cool temps, roll them in the morning and then put them in a cool spot for the rest of the trip.

No plastic bag.

The one in my avatar actually spent 7 days from the morning I killed him until we got home and it got warm during the day.

Did you completely cape it out?  Take it all off the skull?

[vandeman17]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

And make sure they are cool before you roll them.  Hang them out all night in cool temps, roll them in the morning and then put them in a cool spot for the rest of the trip.

No plastic bag.

The one in my avatar actually spent 7 days from the morning I killed him until we got home and it got warm during the day.

Did you completely cape it out?  Take it all off the skull?

We didn't. At that time I didn't trust myself to do it without messing something up 

[Rainier10]

Not sure if its correct but I have carefully rolled the cape up and it stayed just fine for a week in the back country

That’s my plan if I kill something on the last day or two we did that two years ago my main concern is if you kill something on the first day and you have seven more days of hunting before everybody goes home what to do hopefully you can just do like you said and keep it dry put it in a bag and keep it on ice

I have had them out 5 or more days. I just made sure to roll them up hair side out and kept them in a shady spot. Don't put them in a bag

And make sure they are cool before you roll them.  Hang them out all night in cool temps, roll them in the morning and then put them in a cool spot for the rest of the trip.

No plastic bag.

The one in my avatar actually spent 7 days from the morning I killed him until we got home and it got warm during the day.

Did you completely cape it out?  Take it all off the skull?

We didn't. At that time I didn't trust myself to do it without messing something up 

Very lucky but understandable.

If you are going to leave it on the skull I would make sure to split the cape all the way up the back of the neck as far as you can and get as much of the heat from the head dissipated over night.

[duckman18]

Thanks guys If it starts getting warm out during the day would you put it in a cooler and just make sure it’s not getting wet and stays dry or would you still leave it out

[Born2late]

If it was me and it was freezing at night, I would lay it out the first night to let it freeze flesh side out. Then wait till it thaws enough to roll without damaging the hair and put it in the cooler. Not letting it get wet. I would also open the mouth to let heat escape out of the throat.
I personally skin them off the skull so you don't have the heat from the skull to deal with.
If you not sure of yourself on doing that,Practice on every small buck or even does till you get good enough to do it.It's actually not to hard once you've done a couple and know where to pay close attention to.

[greenhead_killer]

You can do like everyone said but pack with dry ice. Will hold pretty well for awhile. Ask your taxi what he recommends. He will have the best advice for you

[Stein]

Our taxi said to keep it absolutely dry and cold.  We had the cape and attached skull in a cooler for 4 days and it turned out perfect.  I did pull it out on day 2 to let it dry a bit and drain the water out of the cooler and leave just ice.

[Magnum_Willys]

We’ve done this a number of times- trim as much meat off head as possible, let head cool.   Put in plastic garbage sack , tape around base of antlers.   Put in big black/yellow 27 gal home depot tub.   Throw in bags of ice.  Cut antler spots on lid so it fits.   Put in shade, Add ice every couple days.

Treat it like a fine piece of steak.   Keep dry and refrigerated.  Good for a week. 

[Buckjunkie]

I cape it out completely, including turning the ears. Take a big spoon that you have dull sharpened. Cool out overnight as much as possible, and put salt on the cape to remove the moisture. Should keep the hair from pulling.

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

Duckman,
Heres a few tips for ya based on hunting in the backcountry myself as well as being a taxi and actually doing some experiments with my own harvested animals in regards to cape preservation. Keep in mind that all game animals are different, meaning some capes last a while and some tend to start decomposing faster (predators)...but lets stick with deer for now....
If you don't know how to the remove the skull from the head for a shoulder mount you did the right thing, don't. It doesn't take much know-how to do it, especially on a deer, but unless you've done it (watching YouTube vids doesn't count) before I would highly suggest letting your taxi take care of the step. If you do have to leave the head in here's what to do. As some have said, split the cape right up the spine-line and stop between the ears and antler bases. Open the cape up and let it cool. In my experience if the cape is kept cool and slipping starts its usually not necessarily due to heat in the head, which cools off rather quickly. The real culprit is the bacteria levels in the mouth which starts decomp much quicker, affecting the hide around the mouth such as in the cheeks and throat. Let the head with the cape cool off and then put in a cloth bag such as a meat sack. You said you have access to a cooler....perfect. Put the cape in there with the head (if you can also fit the antlers), and pack with ice around it. You DONT want the cape sitting in water tho...so keep it up out of the melting ice water. If your temps at night are freezing then open the cooler and let that bugger freeze during the night. I did an experiment with a blacktail a couple of year ago and put a cape (my own of course) with the head still in it in a fridge set at 36 degrees (bacteria is significantly slowed and halted at anything below 37 F). The cape was unwrapped but rolled up and cooled. It lasted about 8 days before I started to see some signs of hide degrading.

If you can get the cape off the skull you have a hell of a lot more ways and extended time to keep it good for a trophy mount. Either you can learn how to do this or the other options is most game processing places, such as where you take your meat, offer 'trophy caping' for a minimal fee, which is well worth it. If you take it off in the backcountry some of the same process applies...open the cape up and cool in a shaded area, preferably where a breeze can get to it, put in a meat cloth bag and get chilled. If you don't have access to ice, another trick is to let the cape cool overnight and then put the chilled cape in a plastic bag and seal it up and submerge in a creek or snow bank to keep it cold. Again, you really don't want to make a practice of putting any cape in a plastic bag, but for this chilling option it is a must as you don't want the cape coming in contact with water. I kept an elk cape for almost a week in this manner, in a creek. A cape removed from the head, chilled, rolled and in a cloth bag lasted in my fridge for about 17 days before I started to see problems or concerns, but again, it was 36 degrees.

DONT salt a cape!!!!! Unless you have FULLY turned the lips, ears, eyes, and nose the salt wont do much for you. The meat layers around the lips and especially the ears hold more meat and tissue than you think and salt will not permeate that tissue well enough for preservation for your taxidermist, which you should check with before even attempting any salting. I've had salted capes come in before with people claiming it was turned and fleshed properly and I've only had a scant-few that were truly done correctly and it caused problems (random slippage spots) for the cape. Salted capes, when not done correctly are a HUGE pain and I know of some taxi's that wont touch them or charge additional fees if done without the cape being 'turned' first.
Wow, sorry for long winded response, but hope this helped. If you want to practice or see how to remove a cape from the head to retain eye, lips, and nose membrane for mount work, I would be happy to show you. Best of luck in your hunt(s) this year!
Joel-BRT

[7mmfan]

That was really helpful Joel, thank you. I have no real interest in having a shoulder mount done any time soon, but I always feel it's a waste to leave a quality cape on the woods. I've been considering caping all my animals out moving forward and donating them to my local taxidermist. Maybe for credit of some form if they're quality enough. I think the practice alone would be worth it.

[bornhunter]

Duckman,
Heres a few tips for ya based on hunting in the backcountry myself as well as being a taxi and actually doing some experiments with my own harvested animals in regards to cape preservation. Keep in mind that all game animals are different, meaning some capes last a while and some tend to start decomposing faster (predators)...but lets stick with deer for now....
If you don't know how to the remove the skull from the head for a shoulder mount you did the right thing, don't. It doesn't take much know-how to do it, especially on a deer, but unless you've done it (watching YouTube vids doesn't count) before I would highly suggest letting your taxi take care of the step. If you do have to leave the head in here's what to do. As some have said, split the cape right up the spine-line and stop between the ears and antler bases. Open the cape up and let it cool. In my experience if the cape is kept cool and slipping starts its usually not necessarily due to heat in the head, which cools off rather quickly. The real culprit is the bacteria levels in the mouth which starts decomp much quicker, affecting the hide around the mouth such as in the cheeks and throat. Let the head with the cape cool off and then put in a cloth bag such as a meat sack. You said you have access to a cooler....perfect. Put the cape in there with the head (if you can also fit the antlers), and pack with ice around it. You DONT want the cape sitting in water tho...so keep it up out of the melting ice water. If your temps at night are freezing then open the cooler and let that bugger freeze during the night. I did an experiment with a blacktail a couple of year ago and put a cape (my own of course) with the head still in it in a fridge set at 36 degrees (bacteria is significantly slowed and halted at anything below 37 F). The cape was unwrapped but rolled up and cooled. It lasted about 8 days before I started to see some signs of hide degrading.

If you can get the cape off the skull you have a hell of a lot more ways and extended time to keep it good for a trophy mount. Either you can learn how to do this or the other options is most game processing places, such as where you take your meat, offer 'trophy caping' for a minimal fee, which is well worth it. If you take it off in the backcountry some of the same process applies...open the cape up and cool in a shaded area, preferably where a breeze can get to it, put in a meat cloth bag and get chilled. If you don't have access to ice, another trick is to let the cape cool overnight and then put the chilled cape in a plastic bag and seal it up and submerge in a creek or snow bank to keep it cold. Again, you really don't want to make a practice of putting any cape in a plastic bag, but for this chilling option it is a must as you don't want the cape coming in contact with water. I kept an elk cape for almost a week in this manner, in a creek. A cape removed from the head, chilled, rolled and in a cloth bag lasted in my fridge for about 17 days before I started to see problems or concerns, but again, it was 36 degrees.

DONT salt a cape!!!!! Unless you have FULLY turned the lips, ears, eyes, and nose the salt wont do much for you. The meat layers around the lips and especially the ears hold more meat and tissue than you think and salt will not permeate that tissue well enough for preservation for your taxidermist, which you should check with before even attempting any salting. I've had salted capes come in before with people claiming it was turned and fleshed properly and I've only had a scant-few that were truly done correctly and it caused problems (random slippage spots) for the cape. Salted capes, when not done correctly are a HUGE pain and I know of some taxi's that wont touch them or charge additional fees if done without the cape being 'turned' first.
Wow, sorry for long winded response, but hope this helped. If you want to practice or see how to remove a cape from the head to retain eye, lips, and nose membrane for mount work, I would be happy to show you. Best of luck in your hunt(s) this year!
Joel-BRT

Great info for all of us. Thanks Joel.

[duckman18]

Duckman,
Heres a few tips for ya based on hunting in the backcountry myself as well as being a taxi and actually doing some experiments with my own harvested animals in regards to cape preservation. Keep in mind that all game animals are different, meaning some capes last a while and some tend to start decomposing faster (predators)...but lets stick with deer for now....
If you don't know how to the remove the skull from the head for a shoulder mount you did the right thing, don't. It doesn't take much know-how to do it, especially on a deer, but unless you've done it (watching YouTube vids doesn't count) before I would highly suggest letting your taxi take care of the step. If you do have to leave the head in here's what to do. As some have said, split the cape right up the spine-line and stop between the ears and antler bases. Open the cape up and let it cool. In my experience if the cape is kept cool and slipping starts its usually not necessarily due to heat in the head, which cools off rather quickly. The real culprit is the bacteria levels in the mouth which starts decomp much quicker, affecting the hide around the mouth such as in the cheeks and throat. Let the head with the cape cool off and then put in a cloth bag such as a meat sack. You said you have access to a cooler....perfect. Put the cape in there with the head (if you can also fit the antlers), and pack with ice around it. You DONT want the cape sitting in water tho...so keep it up out of the melting ice water. If your temps at night are freezing then open the cooler and let that bugger freeze during the night. I did an experiment with a blacktail a couple of year ago and put a cape (my own of course) with the head still in it in a fridge set at 36 degrees (bacteria is significantly slowed and halted at anything below 37 F). The cape was unwrapped but rolled up and cooled. It lasted about 8 days before I started to see some signs of hide degrading.

If you can get the cape off the skull you have a hell of a lot more ways and extended time to keep it good for a trophy mount. Either you can learn how to do this or the other options is most game processing places, such as where you take your meat, offer 'trophy caping' for a minimal fee, which is well worth it. If you take it off in the backcountry some of the same process applies...open the cape up and cool in a shaded area, preferably where a breeze can get to it, put in a meat cloth bag and get chilled. If you don't have access to ice, another trick is to let the cape cool overnight and then put the chilled cape in a plastic bag and seal it up and submerge in a creek or snow bank to keep it cold. Again, you really don't want to make a practice of putting any cape in a plastic bag, but for this chilling option it is a must as you don't want the cape coming in contact with water. I kept an elk cape for almost a week in this manner, in a creek. A cape removed from the head, chilled, rolled and in a cloth bag lasted in my fridge for about 17 days before I started to see problems or concerns, but again, it was 36 degrees.

DONT salt a cape!!!!! Unless you have FULLY turned the lips, ears, eyes, and nose the salt wont do much for you. The meat layers around the lips and especially the ears hold more meat and tissue than you think and salt will not permeate that tissue well enough for preservation for your taxidermist, which you should check with before even attempting any salting. I've had salted capes come in before with people claiming it was turned and fleshed properly and I've only had a scant-few that were truly done correctly and it caused problems (random slippage spots) for the cape. Salted capes, when not done correctly are a HUGE pain and I know of some taxi's that wont touch them or charge additional fees if done without the cape being 'turned' first.
Wow, sorry for long winded response, but hope this helped. If you want to practice or see how to remove a cape from the head to retain eye, lips, and nose membrane for mount work, I would be happy to show you. Best of luck in your hunt(s) this year!
Joel-BRT

Thanks Joel if or when I get one I thinks worthy of a mount it will be going to you. 3 years ago You did a bear skull and re-did another one for me that the taxi didn’t get all the grease out of.
Corey