How to Preserve a Deer Cape for Mounting
Good field care is the first step in preserving a deer cape. A cape that begins to spoil or has the hair slipping out cannot be mounted. The cape needs to be kept cool in the field. If the mount is to be done by a professional taxidermist nothing should be put on the cape to preserve it. If the mount is to be done by the hunter himself in a home taxidermy project the cape will need to be prepared and preserved. A pickling solution will preserve the cape for a home mounting project.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Sharp knife
- Metal pot, 3 to 5 gallon capacity
- 2 Plastic containers, 10 gallons each
- Non-iodized salt, 10 lbs.
- Citric acid, 16 oz.
- Baking soda, 5 oz.
- Cloth towels
- Neatsfoot oil
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut away all fat and tissue from the cape. Trim the excess fat and flesh from around the lips, nose and ear cartilage.
-
2
Lay the cape out flat, flesh side up. Pour a quarter-inch-deep layer of salt over the entire flesh side of the cape. Work salt around the mouth and nose by hand so no creases in the skin are missed by the salt. Leave the cape salted like this for 24 hours.
-
-
3
Scrape the wet salt off of the cape after 24 hours. Wash the cape in cold water to remove the sticky salt residue.
-
4
Pour 3 gallons of clean water into a metal pot and bring the water to a boil. Add 5 lbs. of salt and 16 oz. of citric acid to the solution and stir it until it completely dissolves. Remove it from the heat and allow the solution to cool.
-
5
Pour 2 gallons of cold water into a plastic container and add the cooled solution to it. Place the cape into the container and use a stick to stir the cape around. Leave the cape in the solution for 24 hours.
-
6
Remove the cape after 24 hours and scrape off any flesh or membrane residue that has worked loose. Return the cape to the solution for another 48 hours, stirring it occasionally.
-
7
Pull the cape out of the pickling solution after 48 hours. Strip off the excess water and drop it into a second plastic container holding 4 gallons of cold water mixed with 5 oz. of baking soda. Move the cape around in the water, making sure all areas of it are reached. Leave it in the water for 20 minutes.
-
8
Remove the cape from the second container and strip off the excess water. Let the cape hang until the water stops running off it. Towel dry the cape.
-
9
Rub neatsfoot oil into the flesh side of the cape. Proceed with the mounting while the cape is still damp.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Salting the cape prior to pickling draws out the excess moisture and breaks down the skin fibers, enabling the pickling solution to be better absorbed into the skin. It also contracts the skin tightening the hair roots in the hide.
Citric acid is a food preservative that can be purchased in grocery stores. It is a safe non-toxic acid to use.
While the cape is in the pickling solution, occasionally stir it around to make sure all areas are getting covered. There is no set time in which this has to be done.
The baking soda soak is to stop the action of the pickling solution.
Do not allow the cape to dry out before mounting it. A pickled cape dries hard and is not soft like a finished tanned hide. The mounting must be done while the cape is still flexible and soft.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
