I need some guidance on caping out a buffalo (bison). I am going to split it down the back and send it off to tannery. But when I get up behing the horns, what do I do next. Is it similar to whitetails. Thanks
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Make a nice clean cut where the flesh meets the base of the horns. The rest is the same as the type of caping you have been doing on deer heads, just on a larger scale.
One other consideration you will have is care of the horns. Many taxidermists do not know the difference but it is verry important. Antlers-deer,elk,moose,caribou,etc...Horns-bison,antelope,sheep,
goat,etc...Antlers are grown each year, they have a layer of skin and hair(velvet) on the outside which is shed in the fall. the skin can be separated from the antler by prying or cutting away from the base(Everyone knows this). HORNS however are made of hair and have a bony core that has a layer of skin covering it. when removing the cape it will have to be cut away from the horn base then the horn sheath(part made of hair) will have to be removed and the layer of skin beneath it removed and then reattach the horns or you will have problems down the road. The archives are probably full of information on how to do this important task, I reccoment doing it while fresh as it is much easier then.
horns are made of caratin not hair. only rhinos are hair