Does anybody know of another method of removing the cape from a buck other than the Y incision ? I have tried removing the antlers and then reattaching them with good success but it is not easy. I have invented a way to make one incission between the burrs and remove the antler base in a smaller portion keeping the antlers intact, I then use a steel plate to reinforce the base and replace it back on the form leaving that on small incission. This is also very difficult. Does anyone have a better way ? Help, Thanks.
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I don't think you invented the burr to burr incision, but maybe you did. Anyway, cut the neck off at the atlas joint so when you skin through the mouth you can invert the skin over the head and saw the antlers off like you normallly would with a Y incision. the hole will be tight but you can get the antlers through it. Then mount the same as normal and you only have to sew up a 2 inch incision and there is no seem on the back of the deer. Actually it is quicker to mount a deer this way because there is less sewing.
Either that, or your definition of "easier" is far different than mine. EASIER is to make a dorsal cut all the way to the center of the back, but that means extra work. There's the burr to burr, the "T" and the "7" incision. Now I suppose you could puncture the eyeball and chisel the antlers off through the hole and then crush the skull with a sledge and pour it out through the mouth, then you could use expandable foam and just not bother, but there's other work that has to be done inside there. Nothing is easier than the "Y" cut in my opinion.
Now I know how I'm going to do my next competition deer, LOL.
But it's like six of one half dozen of the other between that and the "Y" incision. I'd recomend you use one of those two and stop going overboard with the new wave psychodelic "gotta be different" methods. The new "simple" methods sound simply complicated. Keep it simple. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. My guess is you'll toy with all those things and end up right back to a "Y" incision when those things wear you out.
You were right, I did not invent the burr to burr. What I did invent ,at least as far as I know was to use a roto-zip saw to remove the antler base through a smaller incision. because the base would be too weak I use a steel plate to reinforce it. I do like the through the mouth method but many times the heads brought in to me are poorly skinned leaving a lot of the neck meat intact causing me more time to get it to the point of using that method. I dont use the T method but the 7 does work well for me. As far as the Y method ,well I have used it for 29 years and I think I have a pretty good handle on how to use it. Just looking for other opinions that might be easier. Thanks for the posts, Darren