Field Dressing
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1) 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.
2) 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 wall.
3) Cut deeply around the rectum, being careful not to cut off or puncture the intestine. Pull to make sure the rectum is separated from the 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.
4) 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.
5) Roll the deer onto its side, grab the esophagus with one hand and rectum/intestines with the other. Pull hard. The deer's internal organs will come out in one big package with minimal mess.
Caping for a Shoulder Mount
1) 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. 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.
2) 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 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.
Note: When field dressing a trophy to be mounted, do not cut into the brisket (chest) or neck area. If blood gets on the hide, wash it off with snow or water as soon as possible. Avoid dragging the deer out of the woods with a rope. Place it on a sled, rickshaw, or four-wheeler. The rope, rocks, or a broken branch 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.
Small Game Animals
Small Mammals:
Animals, coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional. Do not gut the animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil quickly because of their thin hide and bacteria. If you cant take the small game animal immediately to a taxidermist, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. With the epidemic of rabies evident in many areas of the country, take every safety measure necessary when handling your game.
Birds:
Do not gut the bird. Rinse any blood from the feathers with water. Take the bird immediately to your taxidermist or freeze it. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing, being careful not to damage the feathers and tail. If the bird's tail feathers do not fit in the bag, do not bend them. Let the tail stick out of the bag and tie the bag loosely.
Fish:
Do not gut your fish. If you cannot take your fish immediately to a taxidermist, wrap it up in a very wet towel and put it in a plastic bag. while wrapping the fish up, make sure all the fins are laying flat against the fish's body (to prevent breakage). Freeze the wrapped fish immediately to prevent spoiling. A fish frozen correctly can safely be kept for months.
Note: A fish will lose its coloration shortly after being caught. A good color photograph taken immediately after the catch may enable the taxidermist to duplicate the natural color tones of your fish.