I just finished a clients lope and forgot to clean the gland on the cheeks. Is thar anything I can do. I've been at taxidermy 3 years and never forgot before/ must be getting older.
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If it was me I would cut the stitches and remount the head. Being that it is freshly mounted, it can be done with some care. This will always smell if it is let go.
If you tanned it you should be fine or reworking it. If its dped or spray tanned, find another cape since speed goats are so fond of slipping.
I've done a dozen or so speed goats in my time and I have yet to "FIND" this monumental, gawdawful, noxious gland I'm always hearing about. A lopes skin is as thin as a popcorn fart anyway and though I've found a "thickening" of the skin, I found when it was shaved, I didn't have SLIPPAGE, I had HAIR FALLING OUT from cut follicles. I've got a pair hanging on my wall that were DP'd over 25 years ago and they still look good and MOST of the sage smell is gone. The smell never eminated from the face however, but was trapped in the hollow hair that also sucks up blood that careless hunters fail to remove quickly. Now I've read about this "gland" and I've even seen a Breakthrough article explaining it, but I had to laugh in that the picture of it depended on a superimposed circle that had been drawn around it. Now some of you guys that live in speed goat country, PLEASE tell me about this gland.
I've mounted a lot of pronghorn, and the first ones I did, I didn't know anything about the gland. None of those slipped, but the smell did stay there a while, but did eventually go away. I open up the glands now, and salt them good, but you still end up with some smell. The smell is probably more strong if you live in a humid climate. I wouldn't remount the goat, though. Maybe somebody has a good suggestion for covering up the odor somewhat.
If the mount is for a customer I would for sure REMOUNT it. If its our own then you can live with the smell for a while,I guess.
George, If you shave the cape with a fleshing machine I find it hard to believe you have never noticed this area. The black tuffs of hair on the head neck junction is where the glands are. The material once shaved off has a play-dough type of texture and is quite pungent.
I am not really up on the DP method but, with a tanned skin This can "sometimes" really smell. Once this area is shaved the hair roots will uaslly be visual. So some care will have to be taken.
Lets face it if they are left in the mount is not going to rot away.But in my opinion it helps in the oder area to remove them. I realize that remounting is more work but the whole mount would not have to be taken apart. Cutting the stitches and pulling the cape down enough to get at the glands could be done.Then with a razor blade or scaple one could "shave" this area clean. Heck it would take me about 1 and 1\2 hours to do this. If the jobs wirth doing its wirth doing right.
If it is going to a customer, every time it rains they will experiance the strong pungent odor from the glands and this will go on your name as a taxidermist. i would redo the mount and do it right. Nothing wil keep the smell out totally, especially when it rains. I also cannot belive you haven't seen the glands yet either, George, as they are really noticable if you get into them. The dark hiar on the cheaks just at jaw line, are where they are located. you can flesh the skin and not get into them, yu have to go deeper in that area to get all of it out. It is really doughy and smelly.