How to cape an aoudad for half body mount

[Texastrouthunter]

Does anyone have any resources for caping an aoudad for half body mount? Found a couple from double diamond that were OK but wanted to see if anyone on here had seen better ones.

 

[TaperPin]

The dude in that video will eventually slip and need stitches - always cut toward your chum, not your thumb. Every year someone I know cuts themselves and they always do it cutting toward themselves just like that.

My taxidermist wants way more skin than you think it will take - people often change their mind and wish they left more skin for a turning pose or something artistic that wasn’t on their radar originally, but they can’t because there just isn’t enough hide. He would love to have to cut 12” of extra skin off every mount, rather than fight a single cape that is too short to wrap around the form correctly.

He would also reinforce the idea that thick hair is child’s play to stich up, but thin hair is not. He would rather a cut down the back and peel the hide down the legs without cutting them at all. Yes, it requires a lot more work to peel a leg.

Look at award winning half mounts and look at the stitching on the back side of the legs - there won’t be any, because the legs were peeled.

It wasn’t touched on in the video, but you want to get the cape with head intact to the taxidermist ASAP - that’s another pet pieve of taxidermists, when they are given a cape in poor condition and expected to work miracles and not have any hair slip.

This is pretty universal information that applies to any animal.

 

[LIWolverine]

If you can do it, take the whole hide. Don’t cut up the legs or neck if you don’t HAVE to. Cut down the belly to the top of the sternum then case skin from there. You can split at the ears/base of skull to fully cape the head from the skull. It can definitely be done but it’s not very easy on the ground.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Texastrouthunter]

Thanks guys!!! Just talked to the taxi and echoed what yall say aboutcutting the back and leaving more than you think

 

[bradb]

By choice dorsal cut it and sleeve the legs. Just cut from the hoof to the knee on the back side. Dorsal even if taking the whole hide. But for half you can cut it off just in front of rear legs. ALWAYS leave more then you think.
It's really pretty easy doing even a full body skin dorsal and you taxidermist will thank you
Only 2 pics I have on my phone for a idea

 

[5MilesBack]

I always cut the hide down the back whether caping or not, I rarely if ever gut anything. But by cutting down the back you're already on the way to caping if you want. I also try to tube out the legs instead of cutting them. That's how I knew I didn't get "my cape" when I picked up a mount and the taxi was complaining about all those cuts and flaps of skin on the legs and chest that he had to sew up. SMH I haven't been back to him since.

It's not too difficult if you want half body to cut well behind the rib cage and ring around the belly from the cut back all the way back up to the opposite side, and then basically peel it all forward. I generally cut down mid body for a shoulder mount.