I was given a whitetail cape but not the measurements. It has been caped out with a T cut. This is my first try and don't want to mess up.
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Ok, Here we go.
I am assuming that we are talking a bout a short insision.
Lay the mount on a table.
Line every thing up on the cape. Line up the eyes, ears, corners of the mouth, brisket, Insision, everything.
Stretch the neck for width, and take a measurement on one side.
Double it. That will get you close. A little on the small side won't hurt.
For the face measure form the corner of the eye to the tip of the nose.
Good luck.
Green hides are notorious for stretch. I'd wait until it was tanned or prepared to mount before I took any measurements.
Exactly how would you take those measurements after the hide was tanned?
If you have a different way please share with me.
After you get the tanned hide, there is usually some shrinkage from the measurements you got from the green hide (NOT the deer, incidentally). Rehydrate a dry tan or lay the wet tan out. Now do the stretching you suggested, always making the lateral stretch the last and the lengthwise the first. Now carefully lay the hide just as you suggested and measure. Guaranteed the measurement you get will fit a form with those measurements without having to use stretchers or inner tubes.
I'm tracking with you now george. LOL