I'm still a novice antelope hunter, u did draw a great wy tag & I'm hoping to get one mounted this fall. I hear antelope are tricky to care for. Can anyone walk me through what to do after the kill, to provide the best care for my trophy? I know as far as meat goes, I'll get it cut up & cooled right away. My fear is hair loss & bloodstains on the cape. It will be 2-3 days after the kill before I get it to my taxidermist.
Cape care
- Thread starter husker hunter
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JimP
Administrator
Find someplace to freeze it. If unable to freeze it get it into a cooler away from the water and keep it cool.
Other than that and if you know how to cape a animal cape him out and then get the cape into a cooler or freezer.
You should also talk to your taxidermist and see what he says. He might even know of someone in the area that you are hunting in that could freeze it for you.
I had the same problem last December down in Arizona with my coues deer. I was lucky in that I was able to drop the head off at a local taxidermist that does great work.
Other than that and if you know how to cape a animal cape him out and then get the cape into a cooler or freezer.
You should also talk to your taxidermist and see what he says. He might even know of someone in the area that you are hunting in that could freeze it for you.
I had the same problem last December down in Arizona with my coues deer. I was lucky in that I was able to drop the head off at a local taxidermist that does great work.
robsev
Member
Yes, cooling it down or better yet, getting it frozen right away is the best idea. What you don't want to do is put it in a plastic bag and close it, unless you are freezing it. For whatever reason, it seems tightly closing the bag is not good. I have seen guys do this and put the bag right in the cooler. When the got home and opened the bag the hair came out by the handful.
wy-tex
Veteran member
If kept very cold the head with cape on it should be good for a few days. Don't get lots of water on it and yes the hairs are hollow so they can get blood shot into them. Don't sweat that.
I would perhaps look into taxidermists close to your area and set up to drop off your head and have it caped out and salted for you. You'll pay a fee but may well be worth it.
Good luck, get a nice one!
I would perhaps look into taxidermists close to your area and set up to drop off your head and have it caped out and salted for you. You'll pay a fee but may well be worth it.
Good luck, get a nice one!
LCH
Very Active Member
I drape the cape over some sage brush or similar to cool, then roll it up, put it in a plastic garbage sack and freeze immediately with dry ice in the cooler. I've done 2 this way and both turned out great.
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
Make sure hide is dry.Salt it and freeze it ASAP.Taxidermist.I always have rock salt with my camp gear.Rattlesnakes,Raccoons whatever.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
I would talk to your local Taxi of choice and get a tutorial on how to cape your head. The eyes and lips can be a little tricky unless you know what you are doing. IMHO, if you can't get it to your local guy for 3 or 4 days, I would cape it and salt it down myself.
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
wy-tex
Veteran member
Antelope are not carriers of CWD so no worries there.
Our taxi does not recc. rock salt for salting . Get some fine or medium solar salt, found lots of places up here, i.e . farm and ranch stores , feed stores and some grocery stores.
Forgot about the dry ice, you can get it easily in Wyoming, just don't let the cape touch it , it freezer burns everything pretty easily.
LCH has the right plan, it should work for you.
Our taxi does not recc. rock salt for salting . Get some fine or medium solar salt, found lots of places up here, i.e . farm and ranch stores , feed stores and some grocery stores.
Forgot about the dry ice, you can get it easily in Wyoming, just don't let the cape touch it , it freezer burns everything pretty easily.
LCH has the right plan, it should work for you.
Yell Co AR Hunter
Very Active Member
And if something happens to the cap you can always buy a replacement. Local taxidermist are a good option, but find out the shipping cost. Wyoming to Arkansas shipping was in excess of $250.00 for me. Also understand your taxidermist back East may not have experience with Pronghorn antelope.
LCH
Very Active Member
I wouldn't pay shipping from Wyoming.. I'd use it as an excuse to make another trip out there!
Although, my taxidermist here at home does all sorts of game, his work is top notch. I bring everything back because I know that if I care for it properly, he will produce a quality mount out of it.
Although, my taxidermist here at home does all sorts of game, his work is top notch. I bring everything back because I know that if I care for it properly, he will produce a quality mount out of it.
Couple years ago 2 of my friends were out and both shot antelope they wanted mounted, this wasn't in the area of the state your in, but likely you can find someone like this guy.
We called some taxidermist ahead of time, and found someone that would cape it, and freeze it. Cost $20 to cape each one, and $5 for it to sit in his freezer for 3 days. Probably have that kind of money in dry ice.
We called some taxidermist ahead of time, and found someone that would cape it, and freeze it. Cost $20 to cape each one, and $5 for it to sit in his freezer for 3 days. Probably have that kind of money in dry ice.
manitou1
Member
Aside from that, be very careful dragging or you can come up with a bald antelope. Try not to drag and if you have to, keep the cape portion lifted off the ground.
I would also recommend getting it to a local taxidermist ASAP. Several days on ice and you may be buying a new cape if you are unlucky. I pay the local butcher shop to store my meat and capes, then pick the meat up when I leave for home.
I would also recommend getting it to a local taxidermist ASAP. Several days on ice and you may be buying a new cape if you are unlucky. I pay the local butcher shop to store my meat and capes, then pick the meat up when I leave for home.
robsev
Member
I'm a retired taxidermist ( did it for about 30 years). There was a little advice given above that I definitely wouldn't recommend. First, the best thing you could do is freeze the cape ASAP. I never liked the salting before it's fleshed - makes the fleshing a lot tougher. If you think you need to salt it, DO NOT USE ROCK SALT! Get a bag of mixing salt from a feed store. If you do salt it there's no need to put it in the freezer. When a cape is salted it sucks the moisture out of the cape. putting it in the freezer messes up this process. A salted cape also needs to drain. Sitting in this contaminated fluid is not good for the cape. With weather normally being warm it's essential to do something with the cape as soon as possible. Do not leave it in the back of the pickup for a couple of days, even if the weather is a little cool. Antelope capes are very thin and sensitive. I've had capes slip even when everything was done right.
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Thanks for all the advice, I'll talk to my taxidermist soon. Might find a local taxi to freeze the cape for me, though it should be a maximum of 2 days after the kill to get it home to my taxidermist.