Bull Shoulder Mount

[ChaseMosby]

I’m going elk hunting in September about 15 hours away. If I kill a big elk and want to do a shoulder mount with it how do I keep skin and stuff in good shape for the drive home? Not like it’ll fit in a cooler.


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[JoeB]

best thing is to learn how to skin the head out so skin can fit in a cooler or a small chest freezer in bed of your truck. Should be plenty of things to watch on you tube for caping the head out. Or take a Taxidermist with you
( I'm booked up for this year LOL) Talk with your taxidermist before going and I'm sure you will get some good advice. If no taxidermist has been chosen get busy and find one. Look at there work and prices and pick the one that your comfortable with, that way your not in a pinch when you get home to just drop it off at a place recommended. never go on recommendation only find the one that does the quality your wanting.

 

[JoeB]

I did have a customer buy several bags of ice and pack them around the head to bring home. I think he added ice and possibly dry ice different times on the way home. coordinating with me so that I was available when he got back. That's another option but I personally would like to see it skinned and in the freezer if the hunter feels comfortable. Another possibility is contact local to your hunt taxidermists and have one available to skin it if your successful.

 

[DanMan]

15 hour drive sounds like you will probably crossing state lines.
Most states have laws now that prohibit transporting a head like that anymore.
Only the cape and cleaned skull or skull cap will be legal to cross state lines in most cases.

 

[EdP]

The cape and skull cap with antlers is all the taxi needs, but photos might help too. Like JoeB said, learn how to skin out the head. I did it for a mulie and it was not particularly hard. There are a few tricky things but plenty of YouTube videos to show you how. Using a screwdriver to separate the hide at the antler bases is best. Learn how to take out the lymph glands from the neck while you are at it so you can have them checked for CWD. Bring an extra cooler for the cape and keep it cold or frozen. Clean up the skull cap the best you can and it should be good enough. Cover it with borax and wrap it up in plastic for the ride home. Don't forget to take along a saw to cut the skull cap. Don't leave the antlers in the bed of your truck where they can be stolen.

 

[DanMan]

It's really nothing that you should worry about. Just study up on it as suggested (you tube) be prepared and go hunt and have fun. The hard part will be getting the bull.

 

[westernarcher]

Skin the hide off of the head. Clean excess fat off of the hide. Take several pounds of salt and liberally cover every square inch of hide with it. Pack it into the gums and ear holes. Fold it skin to skin and roll it up. DO NOT let it get wet. Ice and water will ruin it overnight if left wet and unsalted. I've never lost a cape personally doing it this way.

 

[WCB]

Don't worry about salting the cape unless you are turning the ears and lips and can cape it really clean and plan on not coming out or returning home for an extended amount of time it will show no benefits...Cape out the head as clean as you can...let the cape cool...then put in contractor bag. Try not to roll it just fold it a couple times. Throw on top of bag of ice in cooler. Make sure you let it cool before you put it into a bag as to not trap heat in the bag or on the inner layers of the hide. I have done this exact thing with elk, deer, and antelope for up to 4-5 days...never had any hair slippage or issues.

If you can keep it really cool/cold getting it wet is not as big of an issue as people think. Obviously don't let it sit in water in the bottom of a cooler. But you can reasonably clean off blood or mud/dirt just don't saturate the whole hide. Also if it is raining and it just happens to get soak you can roll it really tight to get some water out then when back at camp hang it out of the rain while letting it cool over night or in the shade if temps allow.

cut the skull cap off and scrape all the tissue off. That is it.