How to Use a Scalpel for Caping a Deer
Many hunters choose to cape their own deer before giving it to a taxidermist for mounting. A large, heavy hunting knife might work for field-dressing an animal, but using it to cape a deer will often lead to slit deer lips and eyes. Using a sharp scalpel to cape the deer's head will make it possible to cut around the animal's eyes, lips and nose without tearing the hide or ripping the cartilage. A taxidermist can repair minor cuts in the hide and soft tissue areas without visible evidence.
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Instructions
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Cut around the deer's body four inches behind the front legs with a sharp hunting knife. A hunting knife has a thick blade designed for cutting through hide. Cutting here will leave plenty of hide for the taxidermist to work with.
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Cut around both front legs above the knees with the hunting knife.
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Cut the hide from the leg cuts up the inside of the leg to the body with the hunting knife. Once this cut has reached the body, turn the knife toward the first cut and continue the leg's cut to the cut made around the body.
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Skin the deer from its belly cut up to its skull with the scalpel. Start where the leg cuts meet the belly's cut. Pull on the hide with one hand while using the scalpel to cut the connective tissue. While skinning the neck, roll the hide over the head like a sock.
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Cut the skull off of the neck with a bone saw and the hunting knife. Cut through the neck bone with the saw. Cut through the meat and soft tissue with the knife.
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Unroll the hide from the head.
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Hold the deer's lips open and use the scalpel to cut the inside of the lips free from the deer's mouth.
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Cape the bottom jaw with the scalpel. Pull on the bottom lip while cutting the hide. Stop cutting once the hide has reached the point where the jaw connects to the skull.
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Cut the cartilage that holds the deer's nose with the scalpel. Pull on the top lip with one hand while slicing the cartilage close to the deer's skull. Let the taxidermist flesh the deer's nose.
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Cut around each eye with the scalpel. Stick a finger into an eye socket and push the eyeball into the skull. Cut the connective tissue that holds the hide to the eye socket. Make these cuts inside of the eye socket.
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Cut the hide around each antler with the scalpel.
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Cut the hide from the antlers toward the back of the skull with the hunting knife. Angle these cuts to the center of the skull where the neck would have attached. When complete, the cut between the antlers will have a "V" shape, with the point at the base of the skull.
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Cape the skull with the scalpel. Pull on the nose with one hand while cutting the connective tissue with the scalpel. Roll the hide back as it frees. When complete the skull and antlers will exit the hide from the mouth area.
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Tips & Warnings
If the antlers will not fit through the "V" shaped hole, then turn the "V" into a "Y" with a small cut at the base of the "V."
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Deer image by Pinhole from Fotolia.com
