Caping question?

[bckcntrybuck]

do you "Tube"(caping without cutting down the back of the neck all) your cape or cut down the back of the neck? I have heard of some taxis saying that tubing is the better way to cape out your tropyh. I have always done it by cutting down the back of the neck.

 

[EDGE_1]

Looks like you do it the same way I do, and I have never had a complaint from my taxidermist.

 

[kilowatt]

I was at a F&G sponsored siminar for Antelope hunters in July and one of the people was a Taxi fellow from Sparks who has worked these shows for years. He had a slide presentation and he made the cuts down the back of neck "starting at the head area after making the "Y" cut at ears.
He made a statement that I think he said cut with the "flow of the hair."
But any time you see a video or illistration in Magazine, it is done the way you show here.......works both ways.


Brian

 

[hornkiller]

ive watched my dad cape and mount for as long as i can remember im 25 and he was dion it well before i came along learning from my gramps and it really doesnt matter how you do it it just makes it more simple to mount when you use the y cut and bring the hole thing off at once rather cut the hole neck down it just makes for more sewing and if you are using a new or not that tallented taxi that wants fast turn around for his money they might stitch it up wrong you might get the stitch off to one side or the other and it will look funny ive seen some mounts that look great in the face ears ect. but then lokk at the stitch job and it throws the hole mount off but my old man preffers the tube cape as you are calling it if you are going in blind and might screw it up and planning on using your cape i would get the help to do it they cant fix every screw up good luck

sorry no grammer

 

[OutdoorWriter]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-09 AT 11:03AM (MST)[p]Hmmm...

I've tubed small critters like coons, etc., but isn't it a bit difficult to tube a critter with antlers? I'm trying to visualize getting the tubed cape over the antlers of a buck with a 30" spread or a 350" bull. Somewhere or another, a hole needs to be made to get either head, skull plate or antlers through.
What am I missing here?

TONY MANDILE

How To Hunt Coues Deer

 

[huntindudley]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-09 AT 11:27AM (MST)[p]Tubing as much of the deers neck as you can will save your taxidermist alot of sewing. All you have to do is tube as far up the neck as you can(to the base of the skull). Then cut the Y between the antlers and a short cut down the neck, cape out around the bace of the antlers and top of the skull until you have enough room to cut off the skull plate, remove the antlers, and finish caping out the head and face.

 

[OutdoorWriter]

OK. I thought that might be what some are referring to as tubing. In reality, it's seems more like semi-tubing.

Pretty much sounds like it saves maybe a 1'-1.5' of sewing at the back of the neck at most. That's usually not a major concern for any taxidermist worth using.

TONY MANDILE

How To Hunt Coues Deer

 

[slamdunk]

"Semi tubing" is what i've done for 15 years

 

[Packout]

Of course the hunter should ask his taxidermist what he prefers, but I would just cut them down the neck, like shown in the photos. Any decent taxidermist knows how to sew. Look at how easy it is to keep your meat and cape clean by doing it the way shown above.

Like was said, the best key to the above photos is cutting from the head, down the top of the neck, to the cut around the animal. Going with the grain of the hair will provide the best mount.

Never tube an elk either. It is a huge pain, time consuming task and many tanneries won't accept tubed elk capes anyway.

-------------------------
www.sagebasin.com
-------------------------

 

[OutdoorWriter]

Packout

+1. My thoughts exactly.

I've done the standard caping for about 45 years on probably 125+ animals for my mounts and for lots of other hunters when I was guiding in CO. Of the 35 shoulder mounts hanging in my two trophy rooms, not one shows the stitching. On most, it's hard to find when actually looking for it.

TONY MANDILE

How To Hunt Coues Deer

 

[bckcntrybuck]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-09 AT 03:00PM (MST)[p]I think i will stick with the normal method that I have been using. Seems to be alot easier. Especially when on an early season archery hunt when it is still hot.

anybody have any pictures or links showing the "tubing" method?

 

[firemedic56]

Been doing work for the public for almost 40 years...I never cut all the way down the neck unless I just have to....because I HATE to sew.....I hate it. It's time consuming and is just plain a pain to me....but that's just MY opinion. I do understand that out in the field, away from quick access with a 4-wheeler or other vehicle, it's much more efficient to cut the cape down the back of the neck....done it myself because it makes things more simple to get done in a timely manner. Just my thoughts on the matter....you already have some sage advice here it seems to me....good luck too.

 

[Boone169]

I only like to tube a archery deer with short hair it is alot harder to sew up a short haired caape than a long haired cape. but if it is long hair i cut it all the way down the back sewing is easy. but having to put the cape on before putting the antlers on i think is more time consuming and a pain in the butt

 

[eelgrass]

If you're going to "semi-tube" a cape you don't even need to cut a "Y". You can cut a figure "7" also. Start at one antler, cut straight across to the other antler. Then a cut angled back to the middle of the neck, like a "7".

The hard part is getting an animal big enough to put on the wall. The rest is down hill!

Eel

 

[flyingbrass]

TUBE IT. I'm friends with my taxi and I want to keep it that way. I've tubed elk also. Tube everything.
flyingbrass
cold dead hands
NRA Life Member

 

[deerbedead]

I know there are a couple of taxis that have replied here already, but seems everyone has their own opinion of what to do.

At my taxidermy shop we tube the archery or early season deer only. The reason we do this is to be able to present a higher quality finished product to our customer. The early season deer have hair so short that the stitch line is tough to conceal to our satisfaction.

Here are some facts about tubing capes.

It takes longer to tube a cape than to split it all the way.

It's harder to salt it and get it ready for the tannery.

It's harder and more time consuming to tan it and shave it for the tannery. They also charge more for tubed capes than for split ones.

It's more time consuming to mount a tubed cape too, because you have to try the cape on by sliding it over the head of the mannikin several times instead of just putting it on like a jacket. Also the antlers have to be attached then detached from the mannikin, then reattached again to mount it.

It's a pain to do it, but it makes a sleek mount when you're finished. I'm not sure it's really worth it, but I'd do it to my own deer, so I guess I'd do it to my customers deer too.

Deerbedead

 

[wacmaster]

>I know there are a couple
>of taxis that have replied
>here already, but seems everyone
>has their own opinion of
>what to do.
>
>At my taxidermy shop we tube
>the archery or early season
>deer only. The reason
>we do this is to
>be able to present a
>higher quality finished product to
>our customer. The early
>season deer have hair so
>short that the stitch line
>is tough to conceal to
>our satisfaction.
>
>Here are some facts about tubing
>capes.
>
>It takes longer to tube a
>cape than to split it
>all the way.
>
>It's harder to salt it and
>get it ready for the
>tannery.
>
>It's harder and more time consuming
>to tan it and shave
>it for the tannery.
>They also charge more for
>tubed capes than for split
>ones.
>
>It's more time consuming to mount
>a tubed cape too, because
>you have to try the
>cape on by sliding it
>over the head of the
>mannikin several times instead of
>just putting it on like
>a jacket. Also the
>antlers have to be attached
>then detached from the mannikin,
>then reattached again to mount
>it.
>
>It's a pain to do it,
>but it makes a sleek
>mount when you're finished.
>I'm not sure it's really
>worth it, but I'd do
>it to my own deer,
>so I guess I'd do
>it to my customers deer
>too.
>
>Deerbedead

Best reply yet deerbedead i wasn't even gona waste my time replying to that as there are to many opinionated taxi's on hear that don't no what they are talkin about. good job. Jim

 

[ColoradoOak]

One thing I would recommend when cutting down the back of the neck (or anywhere on the cape) is to cut with the edge of your knife UP. Cutting down through the hair as shown in the first photo will cut off more hairs and make it more difficult to hide the seam.

 

[4000fps]

I prefer a full length cut. The hardest part of sewing is between the antlers to the back of the skull. After that, it is smooth sailing anyway.

Like was posted prior, a full length cut is easier to work with in several regards.

 

[400bullelk]

>One thing I would recommend when
>cutting down the back of
>the neck (or anywhere on
>the cape) is to cut
>with the edge of your
>knife UP. Cutting down
>through the hair as shown
>in the first photo will
>cut off more hairs and
>make it more difficult to
>hide the seam.


Completely agree. Girdle them, then work up the spine from the inside. You don't cut as much hair, and your knife stays sharp longer.