Sheep hunters spend an incredible amount of time gathering gear, researching an area, training for months, shooting, but give taxidermy very little thought. The day you get back is NOT the time to find a taxidermist. I have seen and heard of more taxidermy horror stories than I can count, happens every year. Little to no regulation required to be a taxidermist, and many folks think they want to be a taxidermist, get some training and set up shop, take in a bunch of work, only to realize that it is not what they thought it would be. Lost or stolen trophies, destroyed capes or horrible work, I have seen it all.
Any good taxidermist will take 18 months to 2 years to get your sheep back. I would be very cautious of those that promise a quick turn around. The GOOD ones get lots of work and quality takes time. Very few hunters ever part with a sheep head, so ask yourself, “do I want to look at a ugly, poorly done mount for the rest of my life”?? If you get that “bargain” back and it looks the Joker from Batman, or the horns are set at the wrong angle was it really a bargain? There are many great taxidermists here in Alaska, so do your research and find one before your hunt, look at their work and check references.
Good taxidermy starts at the kill site and continues all the way to the final product. Don’t count on being able to take your sheep head in the cape to a taxidermist. Things happen and it may not make it before the hair starts to slip. August temps can make keeping a cape safe a challenge. Blood Stains!! Sheep hair is hollow and the blood should be washed or rinsed out ASAP! When backpacking I usually carry a small container of biodegradable dish soap to wash out the blood in a creek or any running water. Learn how to remove the cape, from the skull. Don’t cut it too short; this is probably the most common mistake, better too much than not enough. Well behind the last rib for a shoulder is a safe cut. Don’t leave any hair and skin around the horns, all that hair is needed to make the mount look correct and cover the horns. When the cape is removed from around the horns there should be a line of dirty looking skin. A thick bladed knife or flat tip screwdriver works well for getting the skin from around the horns. Learn how to turn lips, nose, eyes and ears; don’t cut the eyelids off. Never leave it in a BLACK trash bag, black draw heat very quickly and can ruin a cape in a short time even on a cold day if left in the sun.
I always wear a pair of cut resistant gloves, scalpels and knives are sharp and an accident can happen in a blink of an eye. A remote mountain is not the place for a severe cut.
Remember that even if you just want a euro mount. The cape is worth good money, a shoulder cape goes for $600 to $900 maybe more and a full cape done right can fetch far more. Sheep capes are very hard to come by. Many ruin them up caping them wrong or with poor field care; some get chewed on, bullet damage or destroyed rolling down the mountain. It can be very difficult for the taxidermist to flesh a cape if it is salted before all the fat and flesh is removed. So I like to whenever possible take it to them unsalted. Sometimes this is not possible, a product called STOP ROT, extends the working time on green hide by slowing down or stopping bacteria growth and decomposition, this is a good way to extend the time a hide can be kept before salting. A lightweight salt substitute called TTC will lock in hair like salt but requires less and also weighs less than salt.
http://genestaxidermy.accountsupport.com/?page_id=580
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/STRQ-P3916.aspx
Think about the pose that you like or the ones that will be best suited for the layout of your home. I think sheep are some of the most beautiful big games animals there are and I enjoy admiring them, they are also a tangible part of the hunt that when viewed will always invoke memories of the time spent in the mountains.