Post hunt Dall Sheep skull preparation in the NWT

[Mtn-neer]

Hey, probably a dumb question but I noticed in a lot of post hunt Dall sheep pics coming out of the NWT the ‘snout ‘ of the skull is removed. Is this only done for full/cape mounts? What do they do if a hunter wants a euro mount and the skull preserved? New to sheep hunting. Thanks for your help, I’ll probably have a lot more questions down the road!

 

[OMB]

Hey, probably a dumb question but I noticed in a lot of post hunt Dall sheep pics coming out of the NWT the ‘snout ‘ of the skull is removed. Is this only done for full/cape mounts? What do they do if a hunter wants a euro mount and the skull preserved? New to sheep hunting. Thanks for your help, I’ll probably have a lot more questions down the road!

Ask your outfitter, but it's not something that should be a problem.

 

[ReddingArcher]

If you’re doing a euro, they’ll leave the snout. Just let your outfitter know. One of the guys in camp was doing a euro and it wasn’t a problem. I wish I would have left mine intact. I ended up getting a replica they I used on my mount so I could still hold my horns.

 

[Mtn-neer]

Awesome, thanks for the replies, and the advice, appreciate the help!

 

[downsouth175]

The full skull won't be an issue, just let your outfitter know. If you plan on bring the skull home yourself make sure it is spotless. Depending on who you get at US Customs if there's any tissue on the skull it can create major issues and they could potentially reject it. Some friends and I went through this last year getting thru customs, it creates a stressful situation to say the least.

 

[Mtn-neer]

The full skull won't be an issue, just let your outfitter know. If you plan on bring the skull home yourself make sure it is spotless. Depending on who you get at US Customs if there's any tissue on the skull it can create major issues and they could potentially reject it. Some friends and I went through this last year getting thru customs, it creates a stressful situation to say the least.

Downsouth75 thanks for the heads up, that does sound pretty stressful . Does that mean there are options to ship it home ? Do you know what that might look like?

 

[FOS373]

My NWT outfitter (South Nahanni) shipped my dall sheep skull to a taxidermist in the US who sent it to me. I just did a euro mount.

IIRC it has to be inspected (?) and plugged by the appropriate game department in the NWT before it can leave. Since I was flying from camp to Whitehorse, it did not come directly with me.

The whole thing was very easy

 

[OMB]

Downsouth75 thanks for the heads up, that does sound pretty stressful . Does that mean there are options to ship it home ? Do you know what that might look like?

Send an email or call your outfitter. They will walk you through this step by step, and will be able to ballpark costs if you decide to crate and ship anything.

 

[Mtn-neer]

Sounds good thank you for all the great advice

 

[OutdoorsMD]

Which outfitter are you hunting with/where are you flying in and out of? If you are going through Norman Wells it is pretty easy to get it plugged and bring it home with you as long as the outfitter can do a provisional cleaning for you. I have brought my dall sheep skull home with me twice in my checked luggage with the salted cape for a full Euro mount. Feel free to DM me.

 

[Mtn-neer]

Which outfitter are you hunting with/where are you flying in and out of? If you are going through Norman Wells it is pretty easy to get it plugged and bring it home with you as long as the outfitter can do a provisional cleaning for you. I have brought my dall sheep skull home with me twice in my checked luggage with the salted cape for a full Euro mount. Feel free to DM me.

Hey OutdoorsMD, going with Arctic Red, Norman Wells. Man that’s great to hear. What did you put them in/how did you pack to check them?

 

[OutdoorsMD]

I wrap the nose with cardboard, throw some socks over the horns, and pack all my puffy gear, clothes, around it and throw my thermarest zlite pad over it and trekking poles around it as a strut. I actually think it supports it better and pads it more as it isn’t sliding around at all in my bag as opposed to throwing it in a tote bin. Occasionally get some funny looks when my bag goes through the xray scanner but usually people just laugh and say congrats. It is rock solid once you pack around it. My duffle is the Mystery Ranch Flight Monster and that is one tough well built bag. I have taken that bag on countless hunts and trips and still looks almost brand new.

 

[Mtn-neer]

I wrap the nose with cardboard, throw some socks over the horns, and pack all my puffy gear, clothes, around it and throw my thermarest zlite pad over it and trekking poles around it as a strut. I actually think it supports it better and pads it more as it isn’t sliding around at all in my bag as opposed to throwing it in a tote bin. Occasionally get some funny looks when my bag goes through the xray scanner but usually people just laugh and say congrats. It is rock solid once you pack around it. My duffle is the Mystery Ranch Flight Monster and that is one tough well built bag. I have taken that bag on countless hunts and trips and still looks almost brand new.
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hey outdoorsMD thank you so much for the packing advice! That’s awesome! I appreciate it! Sorry for the delayed reply
Who did you hunt with last? What hunts do you have coming up?

 

[OutdoorsMD]

I hunted with Gana River most recently in Sept of 2025. I have a rocky mt bighorn hunt booked for this September in BC, a Yukon dall hunt with Caesar Lake in 2027, a marco polo hunt in 2028 or 2029, than back to the NWT for dall and caribou in 2030 with Gana. Hopefully draw some tags in the lower 48 in the meantime too. I just love mountain hunting especially for Dall sheep and trying to get as many in as I can while my back, knees, and hips still let me.