Deer trophy preparation advice & resources

The vast majority of hunters coming to the UK have their deer trophies prepared by the guides. You pay a small fee for this which varies from £15 to £20 per trophy. The head is skinned and then cut either 'short nose' or 'long nose' and is then boiled and cleaned. Once any soft tissue has been removed, the skull with the antlers attached can be allowed to dry out without going foul. If you are not sure what a long & short nose cuts look like, please click on the following links to see pictures of them. [Long nose Red Stag]    [Short nose Red Stag]   [Long Nose Roe Buck]  . Because all the soft tissue has been removed, you should be able to return with your trophies back home and pass through customs control with no problems. Red Stag trophies are more of a handful if you are flying back home. The estate will help of course  with packing the heads, but it's a good idea to bring some extra tape of your own and some paper. Some lengths of garden hosepipe are also handy because you can cut them into short lengths and jam them over some of the antler tips to protect them . Thorough wrapping of the skull itself, leaving the antlers exposed but with the tips protected should be sufficient for them to go as hold luggage on the airline.   Further cleaning and bleaching of the head will probably be necessary when you are back home.  It's a different story if you have fur or feather which has not been preserved however. Salting the skin may not be enough. Regulations for importing game in the skin or parts of game in the skin (such as a caped deer) vary from country to country and often change over time . So you should be concerned not just with what you can export from the UK or wherever you are hunting, but also what you can import into your home country. The only way to be certain is to let the specialist deal with this - and this is the taxidermist based in the UK. I recommend one particular taxidermist - click here to go to the page.  Long before you plan to come to the UK, contact the taxidermist who will explain his services and shipping costs.  Some guides will do a competent job at caping out a deer - however, never assume this as most hunters in the UK and Europe seldom have many deer set up due mainly to the high cost. This means that many guides will not have the experience and for sure - seldom have the time. After a hard day on the hill, there are numerous chores for the guide to attend to and he may only have a short time available for what can be a careful and un hurried operation. Best to assume that you will cape it yourself - that way it will be done the way you want it and any mistakes will be yours alone!

The taxidermist will arrange to collect the skin and head from the estate where you are hunting and the next time you see it is when it is shipped out to you. When flying, don't try and take your trophy home as cabin baggage - check them into the hold (properly packed). The antlers are regarded as a dangerous weapon - I have not heard of anyone holding up a bank or an aeroplane with a deer trophy , but there are many strange rules to which hunters have to comply and this is just one of them.