i did my first deer this year had a hard time fitting the cape around the manikin,i didnt cut the cape all of the way ,i just did the basic measurements before i caped the deer.should i have cut the cape all of the way up?or does a deer cape shrink that much?or is there a basic rule you can use for subtracting a couple of inches ?
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
Jeff, You do not have to split cape the whole length. Use a short incision. There are no set rule for down sizing. Fit should be loose enough to easily move skin on form. Hope this helps.
I am no expert, but measuring the neck outside the skin can give you up to a 2 inch error. So measure the actual neck measure.
Also remember the nose to eye measurement is the most important to accurate.
Jeff, Most important thing here is thin the cape very well. Shaving the skin down allows for much easier working and superior results. No reason to downsize any deer if you prep the skin well. A good tan and a good adhesive are important too. Enjoy, Aaron H.
What kind of tan did you have done on the cape? If commercially dry tanned, you will lose up to 3 or 4 inches, until you rehydrate the cape and sweat properly, along with stretching before mounting.
A cape should always fit a form of the same size as your meat measurements, and if the cape was properly shaved, you can actaully gain a slight amount. Get some good deer measurement forms made, or purchase some from one of the taxi suppliers, and this will allow for greater confidence when ordering your forms. The more measurements the better. Good luck