Tails & Tails.....What to do...what to do.

The fiance knocked down her first whitetail deer this weekend! Make that two deer!
We cut the antlers with a small amount of skullplate attached so we'll do a simple antler mount for those.

My question is what can be done with the tails if anything? They were cut off from the cape during field dressing. They've been frozen ever since.

Any help?

Thanks in advance.

Bryan Baldwin
Dallas, Texas

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Brian, it's one of those things I do for young hunters

I split the tail from underneath and DP it. Then I lay it out flat on a piece of cardboard. I bush all the hair outward so that it give it a brown feather with white trim look. Then I lay another piece of cardboard over it and set a bucket of salt on the cardboard sandwich. I leave it there for a few weeks. I take one front leg and order the thermometer foot form from Van Dykes along with a 6 inch thermomether and a white cap and eye-screw. I mount the foot and install the thermometer in it. Then I take a skull panel and epoxy the tail on to the panel. I run the hook screw in at the base of the tail and then hang the thermometer over the displayed tail. Makes a great "first deer" trophy.

BTW, I do hope you plan on taking that hide off the antlers and treating it. Just leaving it attached to the skull invites trouble from bugs.

Bucktail flies

I tie flies with them, big old redfish bucktails.....LOL

Here's what I do

I tube skin and flesh, wash, dry, and DP. Then, I sew a drawstring stitch around the top (to close the hole). I let it dry and attach it to a panel with a decorative mirror hanger (I think that its called a rosette, but I'm not sure. Anyway, here's a pic.

http://newlifetaxidermy.com/pics/deertail.jpg

Tails

I just skin the tail out, flesh any membrane or fat, tan it, and comb the hairs to look natural, then hang as is, on a wall for decoration. Right now I have several deer tails on my studio walls.

flies

I use them to tie flies for Smallmouths.