Directions for skinners/skin preparation

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Hi Autofire,

Do I understand correctly that I would need to communicate on beforehand to the PH/skinners what my purpose is with the skins? And that a flat skin cannot be made into a usable object any more?

I believe that he means the instructions to the skinners. Once the skinners have caped or skinned the animal, there is no turning back since the incisions are different depending on what you want. You can't instruct them to cape the animal for a shoulder mount, and then change your mind to a flat skin, after they are done. The cuts are not the same.
If you are hunting with an established, reputable outfit, their skinners will know what they are doing. As has been mentioned earlier in the post, the only difference would be any special instructions from your taxidermist, such as the tubular method of caping the animal vs the cut up the back towards the skull. This saves the taxidermist a lot of sewing work, but I have also been told by taxidermists that its a lot tougher to get the cape over the mould this way, and some actually prefer the standard method over tubing.

 

[curtism1234]

I understand the point of being overly enthusiastic on a first safari, but I cannot help myself... I’m normally more a meat hunter. I do not care that much about trophies. But in Africa i will not be able to bring home any meat, so I want to desperately bring home more than just photos and memories. Trophies, but also the skins to be made into useful or decorative objects for around the home. Rifle and pistol cases, purse for the wife, belts, travel watch case, etc.

I think I would do the animal a disservice by just taking a picture and a memory with me.

V

Obviously the meat will not go to waste (though it might be sold...which I hate). As to the game you normally hunt at home, the skins end up in a ditch or landfill so I dont really see a difference. I would actually feel more wasteful to dispose of excess tanned hides than I would if I just tossed the raw hides away.

 

[Bhfs300]

Hi all,
in a couple of weeks I should be going on my first African safari for 20 days. A dream since I was 12 years old. I will be hunting impala, blesbuck, warthog, black wildebeest and if Diana is with us, greater Kudu and white blesbuck and black springbuck.

Hi VertigoBE
I had a plan when I went to SA but then when the trophies started coming in I made a couple changes that I wished later I wouldn’t have done.
First animal was a gold Blue Wildebeest I was going to have a flat skin made but since it was such a monster I had them cape it for a shoulder mount. Later got my Nyala and looked at a couple BW shoulder mounts and they were huge so didn’t have a flat skin. I had my Red Hartebeest flat skin and the back of the Nyala taned.
Final products we had a bench that was the perfect size for the Nyala and I had the Red Hartebeest made into a gun case here in Colorado. The Warthog I got was a monster also and I was going to have it bronzed but my PH said I had to at least have a shoulder mount made. I had the cape shipped home but ended up doing the bronze cost me a couple hundred dollars for a cape I didn’t use. Bought some stuff to just decorate with had a piece made by one of the guys that used to post on here.
Here are a couple photo’s of what they look like now

 

[Bhfs300]

 

[VertigoBE]

Hi VertigoBE
I had a plan when I went to SA but then when the trophies started coming in I made a couple changes that I wished later I wouldn’t have done.
First animal was a gold Blue Wildebeest I was going to have a flat skin made but since it was such a monster I had them cape it for a shoulder mount. Later got my Nyala and looked at a couple BW shoulder mounts and they were huge so didn’t have a flat skin. I had my Red Hartebeest flat skin and the back of the Nyala taned.
Final products we had a bench that was the perfect size for the Nyala and I had the Red Hartebeest made into a gun case here in Colorado. The Warthog I got was a monster also and I was going to have it bronzed but my PH said I had to at least have a shoulder mount made. I had the cape shipped home but ended up doing the bronze cost me a couple hundred dollars for a cape I didn’t use. Bought some stuff to just decorate with had a piece made by one of the guys that used to post on here.
Here are a couple photo’s of what they look like now

Hello Bhfs300,

thank you for the pictures! The bronzed warthog certainly looks the part!

however, what changes did you make that you would rather not have done? That you changed more to shoulder mounts and thus had less flat skins? I assume the golden wildebeest and Nyala look great as a shoulder mount too? I probably intend (just like most 1st timers in Africa) to have a lot shoulder mounted. Warthog, black wildebeest, blesbok I would probably not shoulder mount and rather have the skins to be made into a rifle case, or just a flat skin for the home, or other similar things.

I have also seen carvings of bones, mainly giraffe, which I will not be hunting, but do other animals also have bones that would serve for such purposes? And in this case best done in Africa then?

 

[Bhfs300]

Hello Bhfs300,

thank you for the pictures! The bronzed warthog certainly looks the part!

however, what changes did you make that you would rather not have done? That you changed more to shoulder mounts and thus had less flat skins? I assume the golden wildebeest and Nyala look great as a shoulder mount too? I probably intend (just like most 1st timers in Africa) to have a lot shoulder mounted. Warthog, black wildebeest, blesbok I would probably not shoulder mount and rather have the skins to be made into a rifle case, or just a flat skin for the home, or other similar things.

I have also seen carvings of bones, mainly giraffe, which I will not be hunting, but do other animals also have bones that would serve for such purposes? And in this case best done in Africa then?

I ended up not having the BW shoulder mounted it would have stuck out in the room way to far would rather had the skin.
Only had the Nyala wall pedestal mounted, the extra cost for the warthog cape was because it is a swine? don’t think I would have had the extra charges on just the skull.
You could have some of the other items shipped home with your dip and ship crate, carved giraffe bone etc if they are to big to bring back in luggage.
Have most of mine as skulls on a wall.