codyhuntsaz Report post Posted August 14, 2014 I have a 13a archery tag for next weeks hunt. I know with the deer being in velvet if I shoot a mountable buck I will need to get it to a taxidermist asap. Any reccomendations on a northern az or southern Utah taxidermist that I could get to relatively quickly after shooting the deer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kimberx2 Report post Posted August 14, 2014 I drew that tag too. I would also like to hear the answer, or if we have time to make it back to the valley. PS. Scouted last weekend and saw 35+ 4x4 bucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swwildlife Report post Posted August 14, 2014 the best solution is to cape the skin off the head, and let it cool to the touch then get the skin into a plastic bag and pack with ice. keeping as dry and as cold as possible. as for the antlers if you don't want to officially measure them, you can split the skull plate so you can wrap the antlers in plastic and pack in ice. once again keep as dry and cold as possible. This will give you 24-48 hours if you can't cape it off the skull, you need to get the whole head and antlers into some kind of cooler, you can always leave the lid open and pack with ice(keeping the water off the cape and velvet) then cover whole cooler with sleeping bag or other insulating material. this will give you about 24 hours. when you return to town get all into the freezer as soon as you can or to the taxidermist. another option is artificial velvet. then you don't have to worry about anything but the cape. one more thing, I have had guys say they thru away the capes from early season deer because all the hair was falling out and it looked mangy. That is what early season capes look like, all the long red summer hair is falling out and the winter coat is growing in. so if the capes look bad don't throw them out they are good. I hope this helps, if you have any other questions, please call or ask. Jim 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhunter4life Report post Posted August 14, 2014 See you guys up there, should be a great time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHALE Report post Posted August 15, 2014 Collin with H&H is in Flag or Clay with Mogollon is here in Payson. Don't know if that helps but a couple thoughts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Becker Report post Posted August 15, 2014 There is a Meat processor just to the west of Fredonia. Cant miss the signs. Super nice people. I would imagine that you could take the antlers there and have them freeze them for you over night. Then you would be able to take them anywhere in a day throughout AZ. Probably be worth a call to check that out. Something like that would be my recommendation. There are also a few different taxidermists around there that I am sure would be able to treat them for a small fee before you head home or simply freeze them. One of the biggest factors with velvet to get the best mount possible is to not over handle the antlers. The fine hair gets mashed down every time you touch it. Yes it can be re-brushed out some-what but it never looks the same. Kind of a hands off approach. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
