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CUT A:With the sharp edge of your knife facing up, insert the blade under the skin well behind the front shoulders.

By cutting from under the skin, you will be cutting skin and not hair.

Make a "ring" around the entire body. Cut until you meet where you started.

Be sure not to let your cut "wonder" toward the back of the head and neck. Keep your cut the same distance behind the shoulders all the way around.

CUT B:Again, with the blade facing up, cut a "ring" around each leg, just above the knee joint.

CUT C:Insert the blade of the knife under the skin of the ring you cut on the leg. Cut up the BACK of the leg until you meet Cut A.(See the picture).

Make sure your cut is up the back of the leg(where the londer hair is). DO NOT cut up the inside of the leg. Keep the "arm pit" area free of cuts!

Now, starting at Cut A, begin to skin your way toward the chest. Carefully skin out the "arm pits" and up past the "brisket".

Continue up the chest and neck, peeling and rolling the skin down toward the head.(like taking off a sock)

Continue toward the head as far as you can. Now, with a knife and a bone saw, cut through the neck and remove from the body.

Get your cape to a taxidermist as soon as possible. If there will be a delay, refrigerate the cape. If the delay will be longer than a day, wrap the cape in a plastic bag and freeze it.

Notice in the photo below how the "arm pit" area is intact and un-cut.

Way too many times I recieve a deer cape with the wrong cuts like in the photo below.

A cape cut the wrong way will have to be repaired by sewing it back together. This is sometimes very difficult to do, especially on short haired, archery Buck.

Sometimes it's not possible to hide the stitches. In this case, the buck will be mounted as is, resulting in a shorter mount.

Please, please cape your deer the proper way or take it to a butcher who has a reputaion for doing things right.

It will result in a nicer mount for you.

steveramer21@yahoo.com