The Accurate Reloading Forums
Caping out a pig head

This topic can be found at:
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3421043/m/900107611

09 February 2004, 01:01
Bakes
Caping out a pig head
A question for the taxidermist out there.

I live in a rather hot place and I'm worried about a cape spoiling. If I shoot a pig and whip the cape off, Do you have to split the lips and eyes straight away before you salt it down. Or can you do this when you get home?

Could I skin up to the head and place the lot into a chilled esky untill I get home, without hairslip?
09 February 2004, 05:12
jds
Quote:

A question for the taxidermist out there.

I live in a rather hot place and I'm worried about a cape spoiling. If I shoot a pig and whip the cape off, Do you have to split the lips and eyes straight away before you salt it down. Or can you do this when you get home?

Could I skin up to the head and place the lot into a chilled esky untill I get home, without hairslip?



You should be fine getting the cape off and keeping it cool until you get home. I can't imagine that your climate would be much worse than the Texas Hill Country in August (usually over 100 degrees with no wind movement!). I've brought several hog capes to my shop from the field over the years with no problems. Just keep it as cool as you can and dry.

If you've never caped a hog before, here's a tip. It is much easier to skin the cape over the head if you do it while the hog is still hanging and the head is still attached. Because the hogs head is so wide at the back, it is a bigger job to stretch the hide over the head while just wrestling the head on a table.

Good luck.

JDS
09 February 2004, 08:23
EXPRESS
If the pig is hanging when you cape him, you can avoid splitting the cape up the back of the neck, although a taxidermist shouldn't have any trouble repairing that.
If you choose to split it anyway, it makes getting the skin off easier.

Once you get to the head, take the trouble to skin it out, don't leave the head in it. Pick up the cape, skin side out and give a few good swings to get some air blowing across it, apperently it begin to will cool it a little bit.

If the hair starts to slip, it will slip from the back of the ears first, then you will know the cape is gone.

Then just get it into an esky and home. Pig capes are very quick to spoil so the less time it's outside in the hot the better.
10 February 2004, 04:39
Bakes
Thanks for the replys guys.