THE FIRST STEP TO A QUALITY MOUNT IS FIELD CARE.

THE CAPING PROCESS

Your trophy is on the ground! Now what? To prevent bacteria, heat spoilage, and overall a bad cape, follow these steps. The caping process is key to having a quality mount. Common cape issues we run into are short brisket, cut arm pits, and not enough cape. See the diagrams below for caping instructions for shoulder and life-size mounts. Leave the head in your cape, caping the face is something that is not easily done without practice and repetition. Leave it to us as this is arguably the most important part of your mount. Separate the head from the spine at the base of the neck as to leave as little neck as possible, the neck holds a lot of heat. 

Pay attention to state carcass transportation laws, some states may require the face to be caped off of the skull. Call or stop by for tips and/or demonstration of this process, we are here to help.

FIELD AND HOME CAPE CARE

Next is cape care in the field and at home. Keeping the cape clean of dirt, sticks, and leaves is preferred to make the fleshing process easier and cleaner for our staff. As soon as the trophy is caped, treat the cape like meat! Keep it clean, cool or if possible freeze it. When freezing a cape, fold skin to skin and roll to base of head, then bag to prevent the cape from freeze drying. The quicker you can get your cape to us, the better the mount quality.   

DON'T SALT YOUR CAPE- Without the cape being properly fleshed, the salt will not penetrate the meat and fat, which could cause the cape to spoil.

BIRD CARE

-Tuck the head under the wing if possible. If not possible put the head as close to the body as possible
-Wrap the bird tightly in plastic/ziplock before freezing.
-Do not vacuum seal birds. Bags will cause unrepairable damage to feathers.
-Do not wrap bird in newspaper, pantyhose, or towels. This will increase the speed of freezer burn.
-Do not ring the neck or use a finisher tool. This will cause damage to the bird that is hard to hide.