My first deer head

Well, i am now officially confused! i read on these forums that you should tan your cape for mounting and not use DP. Now i ordored a video from WASCO. and they said the best thing to use is DP. I dont know wat i should do all they did was rubb it on and let it sit for a while. What should i do?

THanks KEvin

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Go with DP for your first few heads.

Then you can worry about tanning hide, beside tanning can get problematic if you dont pay close attention to the direction.

Practice tanning on possum or even house cats or deer skin back half, butcher shop can give you some.

tanning

Is only problematic if you allow it to be. No different then baking a cake. Follow the directions with that particular tan and your on your way. A tan hide is much better to work with and allows you more working time. I would recommend a tan hide to a beginner, no sense doing a job half way then wanting to fix it later. Good luck ole boy

Use DP and make sure the cape is VERY Clean.

Using dry preservative is a good way to mount deer. I have been doing it for 10 years and no problems. The key is make sure your cape is VERY clean. Wash with lots of dawn and lysol and be sure to rinse thourghly. Good Luck.

You guys are Confusing Kevin

Kevin, both ways work. You can tan overnight at home for less than $20 with a brush on tan. DP will work also. The future gives you lots of time to do both. You can DP the first one, tan the second one. Or, the other way around. Just do not worry about you're first mount. Just go through it. The more mounts that you do, the different methods you can try, do bondo ears on one deer, ear liners on the next. Do not get flustered on this first mount. When you get down the road after a dozen mounts, you will have decided what works best for Kevin. Then you change something else after that. So, pick one and learn.

THanks

Ok thanks guys to all the responces and i have to admit that you were confusing me one would say do DP and the other say tan it. I think i am going to do DP on my first one. Thanks MR. T for helping me understand it bettter.

Thanks Again KEvin

Mr. T is right.

Kevin, always look for better and more productive ways to do taxidermy. Experiment (on your own trophies), attend your states taxidermy conventions and you will find what works best for you. The botttom line is that your finished work looks life-like. Breakthrough is an excellent magazine for techniques and referance. Never stop learning and studying. Keep a positive attitude. Good Luck.