Specimen Tips: Mammals
Do not bleed or cut the animal on any part of the body that would be included in the final pose.
Do not drag your large game, or mistreat the hide in any way with ropes, straps, etc.
Life-size mounts
Cool the animal as soon as possible after death. Deliver the animal to UMWA within a few hours. If this is not possible, lay the animal out in your freezer flat and freeze. Once frozen, double plastic bag the animal, and deliver ASAP. For head and shoulder mounts, field dress and cool body cavity, cape as soon as possible, and deliver to UMWA. If you can not do so freeze the cape and head in your freezer, bag after frozen and deliver to UMWA again, as soon as possible.
European Mounts and Antler mounts
Remove head and bring to UMWA, or freeze head and bring in as soon as you can.
Caping a Whitetail Deer
The Main purpose is to remove the hide from the carcass. Use care to remove as much meat and excess fat as possible, as this will aid in cooling and help prevent warm pockets of bacterial growth. With a sharp knife, slit the hide midway back on the rib cage between the shoulder and the last rib, cutting the entire circumference of the body. On the front legs, just above the knee cut the circumference of the leg. On the backside of the leg, slit the hide to the body cavity and then, cut from the armpit straight back to the body circumference cut. Avoid cutting the brisket area. Then peel the skin forward towards the head, up to the ears and jaw area. Cut the neck off the body approximately 3-4 inches down from the junction of the lower jaw and neck and remove the cape and head from the body. For the best possible mount, deliver this to UMWA asap( see chart for reference). If you can not deliver the hide promptly, lay the hide/head out flat in your freezer until almost frozen, then roll the hide up to the head and bag and freeze. Do not roll the head inside the hide. A quick, solid freeze is very important, as bacteria can continue to grow during the freezing process. Areas prone to bacterial damage are the ears, eyes, and nostrils, as well as the bloody areas and areas with meat and fat attached to the hide.
Whitetail Deer tips
Do not cut the brisket area. Do not drag the animal, especially against the hair.
Do not tie any ropes or straps around the animals neck to drag or hang the animal.
Let UMWA skin the head out, or, if you wish, we offer a skinning or caping service for a nominal fee.
Do not rinse the body cavity with water as water will increase bacterial growth.
Hides should be removed from the carcass as soon as possible.
Whitetail Deer general guidelines
| outside air temperature | removal time |
|---|---|
| 60 degrees | 1 hour |
| 50 degrees | 2 hours |
| 40 degrees | 2 hours |
| 30 degrees | 2 hours |
| 20 degrees | 2 hours |
In summary, if you bow kill a buck in 60 degree weather, bring it to UMWA immediately after recovery, as it probably took longer than 1 hour to recover and field dress the animal. If in the event the animal is recovered after many hours/days and the hide is feared damaged beyond repair, all is not lost. A replacement cape can probably be purchased to match your animal as closely as possible.
