For early season deer with really short hair, IMO a good taxidermist will/should use the shortest incision possible. It’s difficult and time consuming to hide a seam on a short haired deer so the shorter the seam the better. Shorter seams can and do present problems in getting the cape over the head of the manikin but the final product is much better if a shorter incision/seam is used. Due to the extra work and time involved with a shorter incision/seam, many taxidermists will make a long incision which goes all the way down the back of the neck. This makes it easier to get the cape on the manikin which makes the mounting process faster but almost all the time results in a visible and unsightly seam.
In this example I’m using a personal deer mount that some taxidermist mounted for me. This was my first buck bowhunting and it came from public land. It’s not a monster and it was before I knew much about taxidermy. It also didn’t cost a lot ($275 total in 1998) – i.e., lesson learned you usually get what you pay for, although for a year or two I thought it looked fine until I learned more about what good taxidermy should be or look like. When I picked up the deer, I noticed the seam right away and questioned the taxidermist right away in his studio about it but he blew off my question as if the appearance of the seam was normal for an early season deer. Not knowing any better at the time I accepted his answer, paid the remainder of the balance due and went home. Knowing what I know now, there is simply no excuse for a seam to show like that on an early season deer.
To avoid a mount with an unsightly seam on an early season deer ask your taxidermist about how he/she plans to skin the deer. If they skin it all the way down the back be leery of using them. Later in the season (Nov. or Dec.) a long incision is easier to hide and IMO more acceptable if a taxi can do a good sew job to make it virtually undetectable. (I always do short incisions on any deer b/c I don’t like sewing and I think the end result looks better) If your taxidermist tells you they will try to minimize the length of the incision, like using a short-Y, short-T , or short-7 incision, that’s good. For competition, a burr to burr incision is commonly used but that’s not really feasible for most commercial jobs b/c it’s too time consuming to get the cape over the head which usually involves pre-sculpting the ear but muscles in epoxy and cutting the head apart to get the cape on and then reassembling everything.
Here is the unsightly seam all the way down the back of the deer.
Here is what a short Y cut would look like. Depending on the size of the deer’s head, the cut down the back of the neck might need to be an inch or two longer. With the ears back, a short Y can pose problems b/c I’m trying to sew in a place w/o a lot of room near the back base of the burrs and the ear muscles. It can be done but it’s just not my preferred method.
Here is what a short T cut would look like. Depending on the size of the deer’s head, the cut down the back of the neck might need to be an inch or two longer. This is the type of incision I prefer b/c it’s easiest IMO to sew between the burrs.
Here is what a short 7 cut would look like. Depending on the size of the deer’s head, the cut down the back of the neck might need to be an inch or two longer.
Here is what a burr to burr cut would look like. This is almost exclusively used for competition where it is desireable to have the shortest/most invisible seam possible as the judge will be feeling/looking for a seam.
I had a taxidermist out of state cape my last one out and he split it right down the back all the way. I was pissed, but I didn't know how to cape one, so...... I tanned that hide myself and plan to do the mount one of these days. I figure nobody knows what that animal looked like alive more then the guy shooting it, and I have plans to keep hunting for a long time. Might as well bite the bullet and start learning how to do it myself. Its not any cheaper when your doing one or two here and there.
