Cape care

[RyoTHC]

got a stain on my Batman cape, any suggestions on a stain remover!?

but in a serious note..


Anyone have any tips or suggestions on best practices for cape care ? Likely going to be pretty warm still here in a few days, I imagine a cooler in the truck full of ice would be ideal for meat and cape as long as it’s kept dry?

any quality videos you’d suggest on now to properly cape a sheep? Last thing I’d want to do is ruin it if we are lucky enough to get one.. but since anyone can put anything on YouTube I’m a bit Leary of just picking a video and going.

if the temps max out at 25F, how much time am I looking before I’d have to start worrying about slippage ? Meat spoilage I’m well familiar with.


thanks in advance folks.

[wideopenthrottle]

so do you just make the v in the front and cut along the back of the front legs?

[IslandWanderer]

If it's just a couple days then I've used a cooler with ice blocks for a bear cape. The cape was wet of course but not in water as I drained it regularly. We usually take a small chest freezer and cheap generator (for when it eventually gets stolen) to freeze a bear cape if we plan to continue deer hunting for a while. Haven't had to freeze one yet (apart from freezing them at home,).

[RyoTHC]

Well, I’ll be an hour from home.. so, pretty much best practice for immediately after, until I get to the truck then advice on best handling of it once home. I have access to deep freezer, can salt it if that’s the preferred method.

[LBM]

Well, I’ll be an hour from home.. so, pretty much best practice for immediately after, until I get to the truck then advice on best handling of it once home. I have access to deep freezer, can salt it if that’s the preferred method.

If your unfamiliar with the turning of lips, nose eyes and ears better of to just freeze it, vs salting.

[Dannybuoy]

If your unfamiliar with the turning of lips, nose eyes and ears better of to just freeze it, vs salting.
Thats what I have heard as well , I would ask the taxidermist advise

[andrew5]

I'v ebeen told not to salt then freeze, as salting hampers the effects of the freezer. For what it's worth, I thawed out my bear hide from this springs bear a few weeks ago in peak August heat in the garage. didn't get to it for a few days, due to three kids and that whole rodeo. put it back in the fridge until I could get to it by around day 5 or 6 out of the deep freeze (thawed for three days, then into the fridge)? I was worried, but it turned out fine. no slippage.

[VLD43]

got a stain on my Batman cape, any suggestions on a stain remover!?

but in a serious note..


Anyone have any tips or suggestions on best practices for cape care ? Likely going to be pretty warm still here in a few days, I imagine a cooler in the truck full of ice would be ideal for meat and cape as long as it’s kept dry?

any quality videos you’d suggest on now to properly cape a sheep? Last thing I’d want to do is ruin it if we are lucky enough to get one.. but since anyone can put anything on YouTube I’m a bit Leary of just picking a video and going.

if the temps max out at 25F, how much time am I looking before I’d have to start worrying about slippage ? Meat spoilage I’m well familiar with.


thanks in advance folks.

As too a good video or instruction on caping sheep, there was member on here a number of years ago (Marty Loring - Majestic Taxidermy) who put out a DVD called Advanced Skinning and caping techniques for Mountain Game. Worth looking into. TheDVD was very good.

[sillybear]

Watching videos is a good start, but no substitute for practice. Turning ears,lips, nose or paws takes proper tools and skills.
Once skinned and fleshed, and salted air dry as best you can. The time to practice is on a spike buck or doe or a road killed raccoon, not
on a lifetime trophy. No such thing as too much salt.

[srupp]

HMMM some exellent tips...if only 1 hour from home...remove cape..leaving PLENTY of cape.
in cooler ice SEALED ie plastic bottles back to a freezer.
NO salt on capes to be froze
no water on capes

I personally prefer to cape..salt my capes..however ONLY IF YOU KNOW HOW TO.
GOOD LUCK STRAIGHT SHOOTING..PICTURES PLEASE.
Cheers
Steven

[Rackmastr]

Treat it like you'd treat meat in the first hour or two and you'll be fine. Let it air out a bit when you skin it off and then cooling it off in a cooler in a smart idea. I usually put it in a game bag and fold it together. Don't roll it up or heat will be held inside and can't escape. Fold it in half if anything and let it cool off. Get it to a freezer and do the same thing (folded in half at most).

Things are a lot different in backcountry vs within an hour or two of a freezer. If you aren't comfy caping off the face, find a freezer you can put the whole head in with the cape.

Take a lot of length (always take more than you think - mid body is plenty) and take the legs to the knees and tube them out. Will make for a lot of options down the road.

I did a podcast with Talk Is Sheep talking about backcountry taxidermy prep. Turned out pretty well, but a lot of it is more relevant to cape prep when you're miles and miles from a cooler or freezer. Still some of the same basics apply.