Months (maybe even years) of preparation finally meets opportunity.  The trophy of a lifetime is actually in your hands and the feelings of mixed emotions cloud your logic.  Text messages, phone calls, and post to Facebook are immediate.  You search for the perfect location to stage a photo and take full advantage of the digital age by snapping multiple images of different poses.  You have a thirty minute discussion on the phone with your hunting buddy to determine if this is the "elusive" buck you have on trail camera from two years ago or if this is "tall" antelope the rancher described in his alfalfa field.

You then decide you do not want to field dress the animal in your hunting spot, so you walk out to get your ATV.  You strap the trophy on and begin to make your way back to camp, all the while dodging limbs so they do not knock you off and using the critter strapped to the front to deflect those briars you cannot go around.  After arriving at camp you gather up your rubber gloves and knives and begin field dressing the game. While doing so your hunting buddies, fully aware of your success, start making their way back to camp to take a glimpse of "the big one that didn't get away".  By doing so it takes you a little longer than usual to field dress, by this point hunger has set in and you decide to treat everyone to breakfast to celebrate your success.  The trophy is loaded in the back of the truck and the trip to the nearest check station (which happens to have an excellent breakfast sandwich) is underway.  As you pull up to the check station you notice the typical hunter crowd is sipping coffee and searching the beds of each pick up truck in the parking lot to critique each harvest.  They immediately notice yours and crowd your truck like a pack of hungry wolves.  You finally grow tired of telling "the story" a dozen times, so you head back to camp to start processing the animal for the freezer.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you the torture. Everyone that reads this either knows someone who has done this or has some variation of the story.  Whats the point you might ask?  Let me explain it as "the moral of the story".  My grandfather once told me;  "the real work begins once you pull that trigger" and he was right.  Field care is extremely important.  It doesn't matter if the animal is a "trophy" or purely for the freezer.  Immediate cooling down of the body cavity is a must!  This begins with quick field dressing and complete removal from direct sunlight.  If the animal will be taken to your taxidermist for some kind of preservation, then additional precautions should be taken.

I have listed the typical steps involved in trophy field care.  Most steps have different methods and variations, I suggest doing what is comfortable to you.  However, their are certain steps that should not be altered.  These are my steps I suggest to my clients and I strongly encourage you to talk to your taxidermist about their preferred methods.

Things to remember

• Cool down the animal ASAP
• Avoid dragging the animal
• Avoid heat,sunlight, and other fluids like oil
• Get the animal skinned and to your taxidermist ASAP, or freeze the cape/head immediately
• Do not saw antlers off skull
• Do not cape the animal unless your taxidermist has trained you
• Clean all blood and fluids from cape
• Avoid shooting/cutting the animal in front of the shoulder
• Talk to your taxidermist before season begins to refresh field care 
• Animals like Pronghorn Antelope are very delicate, DO NOT drag them and be VERY careful with the hair.  The use of Stop-Rot will aid in preventing the hair to "slip".  Talk with your Taxidermist about this product.  

Field Dressing for a Shoulder Mount
Due to the growing concern of zoonotic diseases (easily transmitted between species) you must use extreme caution while handling game.  Shoulder length gloves like, Hunters Specialties Field Dressing Gloves 2-Pack, help protect your skin and clothing and make clean-up much easier.

Below is a field dressing recommendation from McKenzie Taxidermy Supply.  I use a similar variation of this method, basically I start at the rectum and work my way to the brisket.  Sharp knives make this process much easier.
With the deer on its back, make a shallow cut through the skin just below the breastbone. Make sure that you start your cut well away from the brisket, allowing plenty of uncut skin for your shoulder mount. Insert two fingers of the free hand,cradling the blade, to hold the skin up and away from the entrails.
The dotted line is the caping line, usually 6" behind the shoulder is adequate for a shoulder mount.  Consult your taxidermist first.	Cut straight down the belly and around the genitals, separating but not severing them from the abdominal wall. Slit the belly skin all the way to the pelvic bone. Note: Start the incision below the caping line.
Cut deeply around the rectum, being careful not to cut off or puncture the intestine. Pull to make sure the rectum is separated from tissue connecting it to the pelvic canal. Pull the rectum out and tie string tightly around it to prevent droppings from touching the meat. Lift the animal's back quarter a bit, reach into the front of the pelvic canal, and pull the intestine and connected rectum into the stomach area.
If you want to make a full shoulder mount, do not cut open the chest cavity. Cut the diaphragm away from the ribs all the way to the backbone area. Reach into the forward chest cavity, find the esophagus and wind pipe, cut them off as far up as possible and pull them down through the chest.	Reach inside chest cavity, do not split brisket if a shoulder mount is wanted.
Roll the deer onto its side, grab the esophagus with one hand and the rectum/intestine with the other. Pull hard. The deer's internal organs will come out in one big package with a minimum of mess.
*Caping, the process of skinning out a trophy animal for taxidermy purposes, is best left to the taxidermist. Their experience skinning, especially the delicate nose, mouth, eyes, and ears is invaluable toward producing a quality mount. Damage to a hide is costly to repair. Some types of damage simply cannot be "fixed" by the taxidermist.
Many trophies are ruined in the first few hours after death. As soon as the animal dies, bacteria begins to attack the carcass. Warm, humid weather accelerates bacteria growth. In remote areas, or areas not near your taxidermist, a competent person may be required to cape out the hide in order to preserve it. "Partial" Caping for a Shoulder Mount This method should make your taxidermist happy, I call this the partial method because you leave all the delicate work for your taxidermist to do.  I personally prefer to do all of the full caping myself because I am picky about my incisions and have had bad experiences with holes, blown out eyes, not enough skin left for tucking, etc.  Once again talk with your taxidermist on how he/she wants a full cape if you are hunting in a location that caping and quartering the game out is needed.  If you need to do this, it is imperative you practice on heads before you go afield.  A couple hours in a taxidermist studio will give you great respect for this process.   (Figure 2A) With a sharp knife, slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the midway point of the rib cage behind the front legs (6'"-12"). (Figure 2B) Slit the skin around the legs just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back of the leg and joining the body cut behind the legs.  I suggest tubing the leg skin off the bone like a sock or leave the legs (detached from the shoulder) and let your taxidermist cape that part. (Figure 3) Peel the skin forward up to the ears and jaw exposing the head/neck junction. Cut into the neck approximately three inches down from this junction. Circle the neck, cutting down to the spinal column. After this cut is complete, grasp the antler bases, and twist the head off the neck. This should allow the hide to be rolled up and put in a freezer until transported to the taxidermist. These cuts should allow ample hide for the taxidermist to work with in mounting. Remember, the taxidermist can cut off excess hide, but he can't add what he doesn't have.   I cannot stress these issues enough... When field dressing a trophy to be mounted, don't cut into the brisket (chest) or neck area. If blood gets on the hide to be mounted, wash it off with snow,water, and a clean rag as soon as possible. Avoid dragging the deer out of the woods with a rope. Place it on a sled or a four-wheeler. The rope, rocks, or a broken branch from a deadfall can easily damage the fur or puncture the hide. If you do need to drag it out with a rope, attach the rope to the base of the antlers and drag your trophy carefully. Don't cut the brisket area when field dressing Don't cut the neck or throat Warm weather, blood, bacteria, and water can ruin a cape.  Make sure oil and other fluids do not come into contact with the cape either, i.e., clean your truck bed out!  A little water is OK, but do not spray it down to clean it off A bag of ice in the chest cavity helps to cool the carcass until you can quickly get somewhere to cape the animal If placed in a freezer to be frozen, make sure you wrap the head with multiple garbage bags. A cape can freezer burn easily, the quicker you can get it to your taxidermist the better Using a clean white cloth or paper towel, wipe off any fluids or blood from the cape.  Especially from the white hair on the animal I will be making more post on my preferred caping methods and temporary preservation methods, but a blog post will never replace hands-on practice.   Once again I strongly suggest you talk with your taxidermist before season begins.  If you have any questions or would like to consider Natural Creations as your next taxidermist please fell free to contact us.   Happy Hunting!