Straight Arrow
Well-known member
Another consideration for antelope is that it is critical to get the hide off and cool the meat immediately or the gamey taste may be permanently infused ... all the way to the dinner plate.
How much weight?
- Thread starter Bukwild3
- Start date
D
Deleted member 20812
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I agree. I would choose Pronghorn meat above anything else. I just wish there was more of it on one of those little buggers.
Antelope bones are light. I wouldn't bother boning them out. It's so much nicer when it comes time to butchering and packaging an animal when you are dealing with bone-in quarters vs deboned quarters. I did two quartered (bone-in) antelope last year on consecutive days and it wasn't a big deal. One of the pack outs was 2 1/2 miles over some nasty country.
Be very careful to take good care of the meat. It is the best wild game meat I've had. Watch the wind when you are working on it so the hair and dust doesn't blow on the meat.
Good luck, you'll have fun! I'm going to do my Wyoming app soon.
Be very careful to take good care of the meat. It is the best wild game meat I've had. Watch the wind when you are working on it so the hair and dust doesn't blow on the meat.
Good luck, you'll have fun! I'm going to do my Wyoming app soon.
Topgun 30-06
Active member
In Wyoming if you have an either sex tag it doesn't matter since both sexes are legal. If you have a doe/fawn or cow/calf tag all they now require is that the udder be brought out with the meat, so it's very simple to put it in a ziplock bag. The "attached" requirement was dropped a few years ago. Neither my buddy or I cape an animal out that's going to be mounted since our taxidermist prefers to do it himself and especially the one I mentioned in 2014 that made the all time B&C record book even though it wasn't entered.
RobG
Well-known member
This is my preference if possible, In fact a big bag of meat doesn't cool all that well (see below). Unless it is really hot I even keep the hide on the quarters to keep it clean until you get to a more controlled environment.
If windy get any exposed meat into a protective bag asap to keep the blowing dust off.
Good info here: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.meatcare
As others have said, antelope are quite small. Packing one out whole after field dressing is not very difficult at all. One thing to consider if you are going to bone it out in the field is how you are going to keep the meat clean during the proccess. You may end up with a bunch of meat with dirt, grass, sage brush, maybe even some cactus needles in it. Also don't for get the hair. Antelope hair seems to go everywhere as soon as you touch it.
In my state the season is in August so temps during the day run 80-90 degrees. We find it easiest to bring the back to camp whole and butcher them on a table in the shade where you can be meticulously clean and thorough. Unlike when you are kneeling in the dirt hunched over the animal in the hot sun.
Getting the meat cooled down is of the utmost importance. They are such great eating I would hate to waste any of it.
Good luck to you on your antelope hunt.
In my state the season is in August so temps during the day run 80-90 degrees. We find it easiest to bring the back to camp whole and butcher them on a table in the shade where you can be meticulously clean and thorough. Unlike when you are kneeling in the dirt hunched over the animal in the hot sun.
Getting the meat cooled down is of the utmost importance. They are such great eating I would hate to waste any of it.
Good luck to you on your antelope hunt.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Wind is not the enemy, just the opposite...it does 2 things that really increase the meat quality:
1. It sets the membrane and dries the outside of the meat. That acts as a "natural" game bag in a way, the dry membrane keeps dirt out, insects, etc.
2. It cools it much faster.
As to caping...its 3 simple cuts, nothing at all complicated about it. Go to a taxi. prior to your hunt and have them show you, takes 2 minutes of their time to show you the 3 cuts. Leaving a cape on an animal is going to pose a bigger risk for slippage than getting the cape off in the field. Leaving one on an animal in warm weather exposes it to more chance of slippage, that's a simple fact. A cape is no different than the rest of the animal...heat and bacteria will not result in anything positive. Another down side to leaving a cape on an antelope, there is too much risk of blood getting on the white parts of the cape. Dead animals tend to bleed a lot, in particular ones that are just field dressed. Blood on the white of a pronghorn cape is never good...neither is the bacteria that soon follows. I've seen more pronghorn capes ruined from laying in the back of a truck whole in the sun, than improper caping...by a landslide.
IF, and that's a big IF (don't see how you can), you happen to mess up a cape bad enough that it cant be used, they aren't hard to come by.
1. It sets the membrane and dries the outside of the meat. That acts as a "natural" game bag in a way, the dry membrane keeps dirt out, insects, etc.
2. It cools it much faster.
As to caping...its 3 simple cuts, nothing at all complicated about it. Go to a taxi. prior to your hunt and have them show you, takes 2 minutes of their time to show you the 3 cuts. Leaving a cape on an animal is going to pose a bigger risk for slippage than getting the cape off in the field. Leaving one on an animal in warm weather exposes it to more chance of slippage, that's a simple fact. A cape is no different than the rest of the animal...heat and bacteria will not result in anything positive. Another down side to leaving a cape on an antelope, there is too much risk of blood getting on the white parts of the cape. Dead animals tend to bleed a lot, in particular ones that are just field dressed. Blood on the white of a pronghorn cape is never good...neither is the bacteria that soon follows. I've seen more pronghorn capes ruined from laying in the back of a truck whole in the sun, than improper caping...by a landslide.
IF, and that's a big IF (don't see how you can), you happen to mess up a cape bad enough that it cant be used, they aren't hard to come by.
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Topgun 30-06
Active member
A full caping like I mentioned is much more than the 3 simple cuts needed to take the head with cape attached off the carcass like BuzzH is mentioning. That is exactly why the taxidermist we go to who has animals in the Smithsonian Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum, etc. prefers they be handled like he tells us so he can do the complete caping job and know it's done correctly. I don't know about others, but I don't care to shoot an animal and then have to go looking for a replacement cape from someone else's animal because I didn't follow the taxidermist's instructions. Any hunt we go on for a particular species is discussed with him before we go and we do exactly as he asks if we plan on bringing one back to him. Unless we are in another state we can usually have that animal to him in less than 3 or 4 hours. Last year we had to fully cape the mulie buck my buddy shot in Region G our first day out because of the heat and length of time before we could get to Cody after my hunt was done and the cape was frozen to take up there after our hunt. If anyone plans to have a mount done of their animal, I would highly suggest they look into what they need to do to take care of it properly after it's down and until it's at the taxidermist of their choice.
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BuzzH
Well-known member
Its 3 cuts...simple cuts at that, to get a cape off any animal for a shoulder mount. Technically it is 4 if you consider cutting the head off the neck.
Your taxidermist must not trust you with a knife...probably a good reason for that.
My guy would probably ask "did you forget a knife, or are you're hands broken?" if I brought him an animal with the cape still attached...
Handling a dead animal, meat care, caping, etc. is just part of what all hunters should know how to do. The more you know how to do yourself, the better off you'll be in the long run.
Lots of instructional videos out there too...
Your taxidermist must not trust you with a knife...probably a good reason for that.
My guy would probably ask "did you forget a knife, or are you're hands broken?" if I brought him an animal with the cape still attached...
Handling a dead animal, meat care, caping, etc. is just part of what all hunters should know how to do. The more you know how to do yourself, the better off you'll be in the long run.
Lots of instructional videos out there too...
sagebrush
Active member
This ^^^
I have caped every animal I have ever had mounted and never had a complaint from a taxidermist. Visit the taxidermist of your choice and he can show you what he wants done or search youtube, I'm sure there must be a ton of videos on the topic.
I am of the school that says get the hide off the meat and the meat off the bone ASAP for the best quality table fare. I carry my meat in a waterproof bag to keep the blood mess to a minimum on my gear. I live and hunt in AZ, so probably not many places that are warmer during hunting season. The brief time your meat is in that toxic environment is well worth the risk versus any other alternative. You must have a cooler with enough ice to cool down your meat once you reach camp.
I carried out bone on the first mule deer I killed and after that experience I said never again. Since then, the only bone I have carried was in AK on a caribou hunt where I was required by law to bring most of the bones out of the field.
A boned out pronghorn with the cape is an easy pack out in one trip.
Topgun 30-06
Active member
Your reading comprehension sucks and you're obviously back to the same old condescending BS that you've been asked more than once to knock off on this site! Yes, it is a very simple task just as you mentioned to take the head and cape off the animal for a shoulder mount and I've done it many times, mostly for friends since I don't have much room in my home for them. The reason John took that animal in whole in 2014 is because it was such a trophy that he thought initially of a full body mount and then changed his mind on the way up to Cody. However, when you're talking about caping the head itself out like I was referring to it's not that simple and why our taxidermist asks that we let him do that.
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RobG
Well-known member
I will not confirm or deny that this the most plausible explanation
Antelope fur is so prone to breaking/rubbing off that it would be hard to get a hide out undamaged without caping it in the field.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Topgun, you're wrong, as always. Just because you cant take good advice, doesn't mean others cant. I have handled one or two pronghorn capes, and have been known to sling a knife in a taxidermy shop a time or three.
To you everything is about YOU being right, not about what the right thing to do really is.
I'm trying to give other hunters good advice on how to have the best chance to save their capes for a pronghorn shoulder mount. This is based on what I've seen, and witnessed while in the field as well as what I see in taxidermy shops.
Pronghorn are usually shot, even in Wyoming, when the weather is quite warm. IMO/E its more risky to keep an animal whole for any length of time with the cape and hide on it...for both meat quality and also for the cape.
The FIRST place that a pronghorn hide will slip, or where meat with spoil first, is the front of the shoulders and neck. Since that is 100% a fact, due to the amount of heat retained in that area, as well as a source for bacteria from stomach fluids, blood, etc...its imperative to cape pronghorn in the field.
On top of that, I cant tell you how many times someone has had a pronghorn bouncing around in the back of a truck, with excessive blood getting on the cape, having it laying on one side. Not only does that promote bacteria, it also damages the brittle hair...mats it, and is a mess.
To avoid all that, the simple thing is to get the cape off the body...the head is not the issue as there is essentially zero meat on the head of a pronghorn. The facial area cools very fast as its mostly skin on bone.
To avoid excess blood I recommend shoving paper towels into the nasal cavity as well as the throat...a clean, blood free cape is where its at. If you can clean the blood from the hair without soaking the cape in water...DO SO. Pay particular attention to the white areas...use an old shirt, paper towels, whatever to clean as much blood off as possible.
Try to keep the cape DRY, keep it on ice, and out of any water in your cooler.
Plus, maybe your taxidermist works weekends, mine doesn't, he's a hunter...having a cape on a pronghorn in September for a couple days is never going to be better than getting the cape off.
All the same things that a person does for the pronghorn meat, applies to the capes as well.
Knowing how to care for a cape and the meat, is just part of being a hunter...and woodsman.
What you're recommending, is NOT the best practice for caring for either pronghorn meat or capes.
BTW, I've sold a few thousand dollars worth of life size capes...that isn't hard to do either.
To you everything is about YOU being right, not about what the right thing to do really is.
I'm trying to give other hunters good advice on how to have the best chance to save their capes for a pronghorn shoulder mount. This is based on what I've seen, and witnessed while in the field as well as what I see in taxidermy shops.
Pronghorn are usually shot, even in Wyoming, when the weather is quite warm. IMO/E its more risky to keep an animal whole for any length of time with the cape and hide on it...for both meat quality and also for the cape.
The FIRST place that a pronghorn hide will slip, or where meat with spoil first, is the front of the shoulders and neck. Since that is 100% a fact, due to the amount of heat retained in that area, as well as a source for bacteria from stomach fluids, blood, etc...its imperative to cape pronghorn in the field.
On top of that, I cant tell you how many times someone has had a pronghorn bouncing around in the back of a truck, with excessive blood getting on the cape, having it laying on one side. Not only does that promote bacteria, it also damages the brittle hair...mats it, and is a mess.
To avoid all that, the simple thing is to get the cape off the body...the head is not the issue as there is essentially zero meat on the head of a pronghorn. The facial area cools very fast as its mostly skin on bone.
To avoid excess blood I recommend shoving paper towels into the nasal cavity as well as the throat...a clean, blood free cape is where its at. If you can clean the blood from the hair without soaking the cape in water...DO SO. Pay particular attention to the white areas...use an old shirt, paper towels, whatever to clean as much blood off as possible.
Try to keep the cape DRY, keep it on ice, and out of any water in your cooler.
Plus, maybe your taxidermist works weekends, mine doesn't, he's a hunter...having a cape on a pronghorn in September for a couple days is never going to be better than getting the cape off.
All the same things that a person does for the pronghorn meat, applies to the capes as well.
Knowing how to care for a cape and the meat, is just part of being a hunter...and woodsman.
What you're recommending, is NOT the best practice for caring for either pronghorn meat or capes.
BTW, I've sold a few thousand dollars worth of life size capes...that isn't hard to do either.
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Topgun 30-06
Active member
I will not confirm or deny that this the most plausible explanation
Antelope fur is so prone to breaking/rubbing off that it would be hard to get a hide out undamaged without caping it in the field.
Let's try this one more time for BuzzH and any others who can't understand plain English! Caping an animal where you take the cape and head off in one piece for a shoulder mount is very simple and can be done with a pocket knife. A full caping out of the head itself is what I have been referring to that our taxidermist doesn't want us to do because it is not a simple procedure for those who don't do it a lot to become proficient at it. The only animal we've taken whole to the taxidermist was the B&C buck in 2014 for a possible full body mount. All the other antelope, elk, and deer were at least partially caped like BuzzH is referring to that is very simple just as he keeps saying over and over! The only animal we've taken up to Cody that was fully caped was the mulie buck last year and we had a good taxidermist in Afton do the head itself when we took it in partially caped out for a shoulder mount because of the heat and time delay taking it to Cody for final taxidermy work. NOWHERE in this thread have I told anyone not to at least cape their animal out and bring the meat and head/hide out properly.
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BuzzH
Well-known member
If your buddy was considering a life sized mount, you should have dorsal cut them...not gut it.
I think you're story is evolving on the fly.
I think you're story is evolving on the fly.
LopeHunter
Well-known member
Go to Home Depot and spend $2 to get a thin plastic drop cloth used by painters that is no less than 10' by 10'. Use this to place meat as you are breaking down the animal. Keeps dirt, etc, off the meat. Once get the animal broken down, remove the bones unless are a few minutes from a big cooler with lots of ice or frozen water jugs. I like frozen water jugs since can get a cold drink as melts.
Okay, boned out meat is on the plastic. Now place the meat into 2 or more game bags. Another game bag if keeping the cape. Did you cape the animal? fold cape skin to skin then put in a game bag. Do not use the plastic as will lock in the heat. Shake off the plastic cloth and jam into a kitchen trash sack. Easy breezey. Start hiking.
Hike to where the cooler is and get that meat cooling. Faster the better. Keep the meat from submerging into water. NEVER get the cape wet but do cool it down. Bacteria is forming on your cape and can lead to the hair slipping which destroys the cape.
When you get home, clean up the meat, trim as needed, cut into steaks, roasts or grind into burger but please use vacuum freezer bags rather than wax butcher paper or zip lock so avoid freezer burn on your harvest.
Okay, boned out meat is on the plastic. Now place the meat into 2 or more game bags. Another game bag if keeping the cape. Did you cape the animal? fold cape skin to skin then put in a game bag. Do not use the plastic as will lock in the heat. Shake off the plastic cloth and jam into a kitchen trash sack. Easy breezey. Start hiking.
Hike to where the cooler is and get that meat cooling. Faster the better. Keep the meat from submerging into water. NEVER get the cape wet but do cool it down. Bacteria is forming on your cape and can lead to the hair slipping which destroys the cape.
When you get home, clean up the meat, trim as needed, cut into steaks, roasts or grind into burger but please use vacuum freezer bags rather than wax butcher paper or zip lock so avoid freezer burn on your harvest.
Topgun 30-06
Active member
And I think you can kiss my azz :hump:, as none of us are as friggin perfect as you are! Read every post of mine in this thread and you'll not find anywhere that I have mentioned anything other than taking that one whole animal out and why. Then come back and apologize, as if there is one chance in H*** of that ever happening!
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
Is the geography and parking law lesson next?
Topgun 30-06
Active member
You and BuzzH need to get a life if all you can post is condescending BS like you're both famous for on here! I don't know why you're allowed to get away with it other than Randy is so busy that he doesn't have enough time to put you in your place and tell you both to take a hike!
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Somebodies a bit touchy it seems...
FWIW, I've helped cape 3 critters that are full body mounts. Two were OIL tags. All were dorsal cut and caped in the field, both sheep we did the head. Not all that hard if you take your time.
To the OP, a pronghorn is an easy pack out regardless of how you do it as they are not all that big. Practice carrying a bag of dog food or softener salt and you'll be set. I carted a couple a few years back, but I'm thinking now I just may gut them and pack them out whole on a backpack. I think it'd be easier than making a trip to get the cart.
FWIW, I've helped cape 3 critters that are full body mounts. Two were OIL tags. All were dorsal cut and caped in the field, both sheep we did the head. Not all that hard if you take your time.
To the OP, a pronghorn is an easy pack out regardless of how you do it as they are not all that big. Practice carrying a bag of dog food or softener salt and you'll be set. I carted a couple a few years back, but I'm thinking now I just may gut them and pack them out whole on a backpack. I think it'd be easier than making a trip to get the cart.
