Chamois in late summer

hi there.

i have made myself a couple of goals for the new year and one is to get a nice chamios Buck.

i am taking a week off to target a chamios on the west coast in mid Feb next year and also in winter, a couple of questions to those who have done something similar.

i really like the summer coat on these wee animals and was wondering if it will be too late to get a nice cape (ie not malting) for a chest mount if everything comes together? and if i manage to get a nice animal whats the best way to deal with keeping the cape/head in good nick for a potential mount? (i plan on taking a chillibin with saltice just incase good things happen)

from limited research it looks like im best to target head basins and look for lone anmimals.

cheers

You need to take salt, When down this year in late feb we had some couple hot days into the thirties until 150mm of rain turned :D. I am no expert when it comes to head skins but depending on heat on the day you will need to get the head skin of that animal as soon as and salt on it or in a freezer straight away

Yep plenty of salt and make sure there is plenty around the eyes, ears , nose mouth areas

You will get away with a couple days hanging a cape in the shade and then putting it in the freezer. Rock bivvys work good. Salt is mandatory if you're in the hills and a few days from getting out.

Hope you know how to headskin an animal properly? If it gets to the stage of needing salt you will need to turn the lips and ears as they're usually the first places the skin will slip.
How ever much salt you think you need, triple it.
Salt will work to about 6mm. Fat is your enemy, meat is ok.

Personally I would leave any killing till a day before pickup or walk out. Inreach or Satt phones make it easier.

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Assuming you know how to take the headskin off, salt it down with plain coarse salt, not iodised, fold skin to skin, roll up and then hang the nice tidy bundle in the shade. Resalt again in a few days. If you have head skinned it nice and clean, and have salted all the lips, eyes and nostrils etc, then it will keep for months in the shade. Do not put it in a chilly bin or plastic bag once it has been salted, let it drain freely as the salt will pull all of the moisture out of the skin.

If you're not competent in head skinning and only cape it, leaving the skull still in the cape, then it has to be cooled down as low as possible, and as quickly as possible. and then make that call and get the hell outa Dodge and put it in the freezer asap.

Thanks for all the replies, they are much appreciated.

one more question, can anyone recommend a taxidermist on the Coast/Wanaka way?

looks like i will be taking plenty of salt and hire an inreach.

preference woud be to cape it out with skull intact and get a ride out asap. i have only once attempted a headskin on a tahr. it was mainly practice to see how hard it would be. if i get something nice early on in the trip ill give it a go and just take it very slow. i had a wee slip up around the eye on the Tahr i had a go with.

thanks again

There is a guy in Hokitika. I have seen some of his work and its good. Never met or used him but hear he is busy. All my stuff goes to Canterbury to a couple taxi's I have used for a while and know socially.

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David Jacobs is in Queenstown.
Superb job of my
Fellow

from memory the one i shot in summer had hair comin off it pretty easily,

i also skun an mounted a deer with a summer coat this summer and it was finicky, but now she is on the wall ive not noticed any or much hair slip out since... altho when i was skinning it i thought id end up with no hair follicles on it