As a hunter you want your trophy to look its best when you get it back from your taxidermist, in order for that to happen it is important to talk about trophy care.  As soon as your trophy is on the ground its important that it is handled in a careful manner.  I will outline a few points to remember as well as outline the necessary steps to remove your cape or hide to give your taxidermist everything they need to make your trophy look its best when it comes back to you.  

1. NEVER cut the throat of any trophy to bleed it.
2. Keep blood off the antlers/horns if at all possible (especially white hides)
3. Leave enough cape/hide for your taxidermist to do what you are asking
4. NEVER cut past the brisket bone and your trophy when field dressing
5. If your trophy has characteristics you would like reproduced, take pictures 
    to show your taxidermist what you see.
6. Always try to drag your animal from its head (if you have to) dragging from the feet 
    goes against the natural lay to the hair and can cause damage.

Here are some tips on skinning your trophy






This shows where to stop your cut when field dressing your 
trophy, notice the cut is stopped when the rib cage is
encountered.​









This shows you where you need to stop your cut for your 
shoulder mount, notice how far behind the front leg the cut
stops.  The front legs are either tube skinned or split down 
the length from the back of the leg.  If you are careful there is
a hair pattern to guide you where to cut.








This shows where to cut the head free from the rest of the
body, this will allow you to get the most out of the neck meat 
from your animal.