Common Mistakes

[Michelle_Nelson]

I was working in the shop today and got an idea for a new thread.  Basically I thought it a good idea for the taxidermists on here to post some of the common mistakes that we see hunters make in skinning/caring for their animals before bringing them to us.

I do not have a list already pre thought out but a few come to mind right off the top of my head.

[whacker1]

cape too short
wait too long to get it to the taxidermist. hide starts to slip

[Skyvalhunter]

Maybe along the same lines is spoilage and lips start to rot.

[HornHoarder]

I always avoid getting excessive blood on the cape. Wipe off with a wet rag before it dries up. I imagine getting bloodstains out is tough, right?

[grundy53]

just marking this for reference 

[Michelle_Nelson]

I get several of these every year.  Hunters salting there own hides and capes.  Don't get me wrong I have no problems with hunters doing this as long as the hide is properly split, turned, and fleshed.

The problem is when they cape or skin out the animal and leave the head and paws in the skin for that taxidermist to remove.  Than they salt the hide/cape with out fleshing the hide.  Sometimes putting it in the freeer afterwards.  

I have to ask "WHY?" and what good do you think you just did?  What did you do for the paws and the face?  You were not able to salt them because you left the head and paws in.  I guess because the hide is salted that makes the face and paws alright too.   

Why did you put it in the freezer?  Salt doesn't freeze and neither did you cape/hide.

[Skyvalhunter]

Michelle having done very little fleshing myself but knowing it can take alot of time do you charge extra if the fleshing is not done? I know thread jack.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Shooting a large Bear and rolling the head up and burrying it inside the hide and putting it in the freezer.  It can take 3 DAY's for a hide like that to freeze.  I am talking Black Bear.  Not griz.  They can take longer.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Michelle having done very little fleshing myself but knowing it can take alot of time do you charge extra if the fleshing is not done? I know thread jack.

No I don't charge extra to Cape off skull, flesh, split, and turn a cape/hide.

[Skyvalhunter]

Wow cudos to you as it took my guide and his assistant the better part of 8 hours to flesh, do the paws,and prepare the head on my grizzly. Your under paid!!

[Michelle_Nelson]

Slicing the throat.

If the animal is dead slicing the throat does no good.  It DOES NOT bleed the animal out.  Once the heart stops pumping the blood stops flowing.  The animal has already bled out through the enterance and exit wound and internally.  The veins in an animal do not run in a streigh line from it's head to its ass.  They have all kinds of bends, turns, and curves.  



    

[Michelle_Nelson]

Wow cudos to you as it took my guide and his assistant the better part of 8 hours to flesh, do the paws,and prepare the head on my grizzly. Your under paid!!

Hunting with a guide is differnt.  Especially if you are an out of state hunter.  How far away from a freezer were you hunting?  How long did you remain in camp after your Bear was shot?  Did they ship the hide to you later or did you take it home with you?  How cold was it outside?

[Skyvalhunter]

What I was trying to get at it took a long time to do it and even if I shot it within a short trip to the taxidermist I would think that additional charge would be warrented. ok bake to the main topic of the thread.

[bucklucky]

Lifesize bobcats that are already skinned out. I want the carcass for exact measurements for lifesize.
 

Another thing is piss poor cape jobs like where the corners of the eyes are completely cut out , no lip line to tuck, holes where there shouldnt be 

[MtnMuley]

How about those who drag their deer through rocks or stalbs of downfall and wonder why the taxi put "prerut" battle scars on the cape.  Then, bring in the harvest pictures showing none of those markings......