I am curious as to what the rest of you backpack hunters are doing with your game head for the trip out. Do you cape your trophy or pack the whole head? Also if you do cape out the head and cut off the horns, what type of saw do you carry? Personally for me it depends on the amount of time I have and the distance I have to travel. I like to cape and remove the horns but I am now considering not carrying a saw to save some weight.
Do you cape out your trophy or pack out the head?
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mtnwrunner
Well-Known Member
Well, there are a ton of variables. However, I usually cape and just pack out the horns. If I am backpacking, I try to be as light as I can and there are a ton of saws out there for around 6 to 8 ounces or so. If there is bad weather or you just want to beat feet outta someplace, you can just back the head and cape but man, the older I get, the less weight I want to carry so I mostly bone stuff out and just carry the meat, cape and horns. And I don't mount much stuff so most of the time, its just the horns.
Randy
Randy
Up until now, I simply do a nice job of cutting the hide off the body/neck and then leave it attached to the head and carry it out in one heavy load. But my last nice bull with the head and hide together weighed about 100 lbs. When I get older that's not going to be very much fun.
But overall I just would be angry with myself if I screwed something up by caping the hide off the head in the field. It's a lot of work to just quarter a big bull, especially doing it alone, and it's easy to make mistakes when you get tired, knives get dull, etc. So for now I leave the delicate work to the taxidermist.
But overall I just would be angry with myself if I screwed something up by caping the hide off the head in the field. It's a lot of work to just quarter a big bull, especially doing it alone, and it's easy to make mistakes when you get tired, knives get dull, etc. So for now I leave the delicate work to the taxidermist.
Shooter264
Well-Known Member
Always cape in the field! If I don't have a saw I just remove the lower jaw to save weight. When they are fresh it's usually no more than a 15-20 minute job if you've done several of them. I will usually not take the time to do bears in the field and usually let the taxidermist do them.
I have caped a bunch of animals but I need tools to do it Justice like a screw driver knife and a saw to cut off the horns and a tape to measure the cape. That adds up to weight I have to carry all day every day. Has anyone tried cutting off the antlers with one of those cable saws designed for splitting the pelvis?
6fatrat
Well-Known Member
I always cape my animals in the field. You don't have to split the lips or turn the ears until you get back to the trailhead. Tell your taxidermist you need to learn how to cape your animals and to call you when he has a European mount for you to practice on. Buy a Forschner 5" Victorinox knife and a small scalpel with replaceable blades, a couple disposable rubber gloves and a Kevlar glove for the non cutting hand and you're good to go.
6fatrat,
I cape somewhere between 20 and 50 animals a year. I stared the thread because I am interested in what the rest of you do and I am curious has to weather or not you cut off the antlers and if so what light weight saw or method do you use. I have not weighed an elk head with the bottom jaw removed so I don't know what the weight savings is to cut the horns off. That would be a good experiment to do this coming fall.
I cape somewhere between 20 and 50 animals a year. I stared the thread because I am interested in what the rest of you do and I am curious has to weather or not you cut off the antlers and if so what light weight saw or method do you use. I have not weighed an elk head with the bottom jaw removed so I don't know what the weight savings is to cut the horns off. That would be a good experiment to do this coming fall.
6fatrat
Well-Known Member
I have an old Coglans [ ?] folding hand saw, weight about 8 ounces. I prefer to remove the antlers in one piece attached to the skull cap. Twice in heavy cover a 362" Elk in the Gila and a 43" Shiras in Northern Idaho I have made a zig zag cut through the skull cap to make it easier to pack out. Both of these hunts were solo self guided. With your knife skills, I would recommend packing a small saw.
Steve
Steve
I've got a "zip saw" made by NAP that is designed to cut the pelvic bone when field dressing. This is the one with the handles to hold onto not instead of rings. It weighs next to nothing and packs up niece and small. This afternoon I took it to a set of antelope horns I have in the garage. I was able to cut the skull plate down the eye sockets fairly easy. The hardest part was holding the head still while I used both hands to operate the saw. This might be easier with the larger elk or deer skull. At any rate is was able to cut the skull and the saw is nice light weight package. I guess the big question for this saw now would be weather or not it is durable enough to get the job done without breaking or wearing out. It could also serve to cut branches or sticks for shelter, firewood, splints etc. Do any of you have experience with this saw or one like it?
MHO
Well-Known Member
I normally cape it out. I use the havalon piranta with the rounded #10 blade to cape the head. For the skull I use a gerber gator saw. Saves a lot of weight.
6fatrat
Well-Known Member
In the new Campmor catalog [www.campmor.com] pg. 107 has a folding Sierra saw similar to mine, $15.99 weight 51/4 oz. 7'' blade.
I always cape and where possible if I can get the head back to camp I prefer to do it there on a table taking the extra time and care over a cup of coffee in the afternoons....sooner you get it salted the better! Especially in warmer weather!
vvhoisjohngalt
Active Member
Always cape and bone meat out.
The time is worth the weight!
Bringing a 7oz saw serves double duty if you want to cut a little firewood to cook ribs etc after you saw skull cap off.
The time is worth the weight!
Bringing a 7oz saw serves double duty if you want to cut a little firewood to cook ribs etc after you saw skull cap off.
crashlanding
Well-Known Member
First, a Wyoming saw is always in my pack and that with knives takes care of all field chores. Second, I do all euro mounts myself so in the field we cut everything off the skull we can if worthy, smaller bulls we just lop the skull plate off. Between hunting, shooting, muzzle loading, back packing, sxs's, trucks, life, I really don't have much left over for full mounts
