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Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine Serving Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania & Northern West Virginia
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Questions & Answers: Tips On How to Care For Your Deer This issue we interviewed three area taxidermists: (Kenny Kelm of Snuff & Stuff, Mike Cunningham of Cunningham Custom Deer Processing and Taxidermy, and Joe Evans of Evan’s Taxidermy for tips on how to care for your deer, both in the field and afterwards, when you are planning on mounting the trophy. OVO: What are the most common mistakes hunters make before bringing their deer to the taxidermist to be mounted? Answer: All three of these taxidermists have the same reply to this question: A great many hunters cut the cape too short, which doesn't leave enough hide to make a shoulder cape. This causes the taxidermist extra work trying to stretch the hide to fit into the cape. Taxidermists will have to patch the cape, leaving marks where the cut is. Hunters should cut the neck as far down as possible and roll the skin up before placing it in a bag for freezing. Another problem is caused when hunters keep the deer too long outside a freezer or cooler in warm weather. "Keeping the deer too long without freezing or cooling properly causes swelling and the hair to fall out," said Kelm. "That is the biggest problem we have. If it is cold outside you can keep a deer up to a week, but if the weather is above the 40s it is too warm." OVO: What are some of the other problems hunters cause in their handling of deer before they have them mounted? Answer: Cunningham said hunters should never hang a deer by the neck soon after the harvest, but instead they should hang by the legs. Also dragging a deer around on an ATV or in the back of a pickup truck causes a lot of damage. OVO: What about cleaning the cape before bringing it in to be mounted? Answer: "You need to keep the deer as clean as possible, and hose down the deer with cold water," Joe Evans said He suggests you let the taxidermist do this for you, and all three taxidermists say don't try to use detergents, bleach or any other cleaner. OVO: What about freezing the cape to have it mounted later? Answer: All three taxidermists say hunters must wrap the cape in several layers of plastic, to keep the eyes, ears and nose from freezer burn. Once a deer is frozen it can stay in the freezer up to a year, and sometimes longer, to be mouted later. OVO: What about caring for the cape once it is on the wall? Answer: All three taxidermists say the only thing you need to do is keep it dusted. If you feel you need to clean it Kelm says you can purchase a hair sheen at most agriculture supply stores made for cleaning mounts, or use Windex. The best thing to do, though, is use a damp cloth and always wipe the cape in the direction the hair lays. According to Evans deer have hollow hair follicles and scrubbing a mount can bust the hair and result in hair loss. In caring for a deer once it's on the wall the most common problem is hanging the mount above a fireplace or other source of heat. Alll three of these taxidemists warn DO NOT hang a mount near any source of heat, because the drying out of a mount can ruin it. Once a mount is ruined, whether in the butchering stage or after it is brought home, it is ruined. Take care of your trophy from the point of harvest until it hangs on your wall and you'll have a beautiful reminder of your days afield that can last forever.
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