Guide to Caping a Whitetail Deer for Taxidermy

Proper field preparation of a harvested game animal

Caping is the process of skinning the head, neck, and shoulder area of a trophy animal to preserve the hide for a shoulder mount. Taking extra care during field skinning ensures that your taxidermist receives enough hide without unnecessary cuts or holes, resulting in a high-quality finished mount.

Essential Tools & Preparation

Before beginning, gather the required tools to ensure clean, precise cuts without damaging the hide.

Tool	Recommended Specification	Purpose
Skinning Knife	Small, fixed-blade or replaceable scalpel knife (e.g., Havalon)	Precise detail work around eyes, nose, and lips
Bone Saw / Shears	Hand bone saw or game shears	Cutting vertebrae at the atlas joint
Clean Towels	Microfiber or cotton towels	Wiping blood away from hair/fur
Non-Iodized Salt	Fine grain non-iodized salt	Curing and drying hide if taxidermy visit is delayed

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Step-by-Step Caping Process

Step 1: The Circumferential Body Cut

1. Hang the deer by its hind legs or lay it flat on a clean surface.
2. Locate the midpoint of the ribcage, well behind the front legs.
3. Make a vertical, circular cut entirely around the deer’s torso.
4. Rule of Thumb: Always leave more hide than you think you need (at least 6 inches behind the front legs). A taxidermist can easily trim excess hide, but cannot replace missing hide.

Step 2: The Leg Cuts

1. Make a circular cut around each front leg below the knee joint.
2. Slice up the backside of each leg toward the armpit.
3. Connect the leg cuts across the brisket to the initial body cut.
4. Crucial: Avoid cutting up the center of the chest or brisket, as this leaves a visible seam on the front of a shoulder mount.

Step 3: Peeling the Shoulder and Neck Hide

1. Begin peeling the skin forward from the ribcage cut toward the neck.
2. Use your hands to push and peel the hide away from the muscle tissue, using the knife only to slice tough connective tissue.
3. Work around the shoulders until the hide is rolled up like a sock to the base of the skull (atlas joint).

Step 4: Severing the Skull from the Vertebrae

1. Once the hide is inverted up to the base of the skull, clear muscle tissue away from the atlas joint (the joint where the skull connects to the spine).
2. Insert your knife blade into the joint gap and cut around the cartilage.
3. Twist the head firmly until the joint releases, completely separating the head and attached cape from the body carcass.

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Detail Caping: Head & Face (Advanced)

If you are delivering the head to your taxidermist immediately, stop at Step 4 and keep the head cool. If you must complete the caping yourself in the field, follow these steps for the delicate facial features:

1. Antler Bases (Pedicles)

• Make a “Y” cut along the back of the neck starting 2 inches behind the antlers and branching out to the base of each antler burr.
• Use a small, stiff knife blade or flathead screwdriver to pry the skin tight against the antler burr, separating the skin cleanly from the bone without tearing.

2. Ears

• Cut deep into the ear canal close to the skull to detach the ear cartilage from the skull bone while keeping the external skin intact.

3. Eyes

• Insert a finger into the eye socket from the outside to gauge distance.
• Keep the blade hugging the skull bone tightly to avoid puncturing or slicing the eyelids or membrane (nictitating membrane).

4. Lips and Nose

• Cut deep along the jawbones, leaving 1/2 to 1 inch of inner lip tissue attached to the hide.
• When approaching the snout, cut through the nasal cartilage deep against the nasal bones to leave the nostril structures intact on the cape.

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Post-Caping Care & Preserving

• Cool Immediately: Lay the cape flat, hide-side up, in a cool, shaded area to lower the thermal temperature.
• Remove Blood: Sponge away bloodstains from the white hair areas using cold water.
• Salting (If Storing Unfrozen): Rub fine non-iodized salt heavily into all flesh sides of the hide, including inside the ears, lips, and nose fold.
• Freezing: If taking the cape to a taxidermist within 24–48 hours, roll the cape hide-side inward, place it inside a sealed plastic bag, and keep it on ice or frozen.