Alaska Moose Cape

[live2huntelk]

Curious to hear if anyone has brought their moose cape home with them.

1. How did you get it home? checked luggage? paid extra for weight or container size?
2. Did you salt it? in the field or when you came back from the field before flying home?
3. Any issues with hair slipping?
4. Any lessons learned?

 

[Robinhood21]

Following


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[NUGGET]

Sent my buddies home with him in checked baggage. Since be shot it early in the hunt he salted it but he still had to pay additional charges because of it being over 50 lbs.

 

[AKDoc]

Good question. In addition to the good suggestions that others provide for you here, check in advance with the outfit you are using for your hunt and/or your taxidermist back home. I know that a taxidermist staff is available with the transporter that I use who helps hunters with exactly what you are asking.

 

[live2huntelk]

Good question. In addition to the good suggestions that others provide for you here, check in advance with the outfit you are using for your hunt and/or your taxidermist back home. I know that a taxidermist staff is available with the transporter that I use who helps hunters with exactly what you are asking.

Great advice. I have an email in to the outfitter as well as plan on checking with my local taxidermist to see if it is better to drop it off at a taxidermist in Alaska and have them prep it and send to avoid hair slippage. Also to get his thoughts on him just purchasing a cape. Just trying to have a plan if and when I am ready to cross that bridge....looking at the options to see what makes the most sense.

 

[AKDoc]

Great advice. I have an email in to the outfitter as well as plan on checking with my local taxidermist to see if it is better to drop it off at a taxidermist in Alaska and have them prep it and send to avoid hair slippage. Also to get his thoughts on him just purchasing a cape. Just trying to have a plan if and when I am ready to cross that bridge....looking at the options to see what makes the most sense.

You’re on it sir! Can’t wait to hear about your hunt, and hopefully get a chance to meet you up here!

 

[VernAK]

FWIW: Having packed em out in earlier years, I knew a cape was heavy but this year I had an opportunity to weigh a fresh cape from a large 62" bull moose.........82 pounds......!

 

[NUGGET]

FWIW: Having packed em out in earlier years, I knew a cape was heavy but this year I had an opportunity to weigh a fresh cape from a large 62" bull moose.........82 pounds......!

I believe it. Was packing out a buddies moose and we called him a p***** because he wanted to do two trips with the head and cape. Peer pressure is a bitch and he packed both at the same time. Ended up being 155 lbs and a very awkward pack back to camp.

Handle the cape like you’ll handle the meat on your way home and it will be fine. Good luck this fall!

 

[Beendare]

FWIW,

My Taxidermist buddy tells me its best to flesh it if you can. This has the added benefit of making the cape lighter....and less chance of slipping.

_____

 

[Larry Bartlett]

If the ambient climate is dry and remains under 50 F, there is no need to salt your cape in the field. Take the days necessary to flesh it completely. Doing this vs salting out of fear of slippage is what pros do. A moose cape will take a couple days to properly flesh, longer if inexperienced. Weight depends on moisture and bull size (and your cuts), but expect 75-110 lbs for a moose cape.

cool it or freeze it upon re-entry to the Hub, ship it as checked baggage treated as perishables.

If it's 50-60 F, keep it shaded, cool and dry while you flesh it. Sustained temps over 60F is when hair slippage becomes a true concern.

lb

 

[live2huntelk]

As always, thanks Larry for chiming in with your expertise! I appreciate you sharing specific guidelines on caring for a cape in the field. This is the kind of info I was looking for. I figure caring for an Alaskan moose cape is similar to caring most other Alaskan big game animal; namely bear and caribou.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

You're welcome. The more often smart hunters exit the field in fine shape the stronger our community grows.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

(55 F ) (60 F ) ( 60 F)
Microbial growth, lipid oxidation and enzymatic autolysis are the three basic mechanisms responsible for the spoilage of meat and the slippage of hair follicles. Temperature and moisture are major drivers, so I listed the basics in the above to show at what temperatures bad things happen to good meat and capes. You can see why 50-60F is such a critical threshold with field care.

lb, out

 

[live2huntelk]

(55 F ) (60 F ) ( 60 F)
Microbial growth, lipid oxidation and enzymatic autolysis are the three basic mechanisms responsible for the spoilage of meat and the slippage of hair follicles. Temperature and moisture are major drivers, so I listed the basics in the above to show at what temperatures bad things happen to good meat and capes. You can see why 50-60F is such a critical threshold with field care.

lb, out

...bacterial growth(moisture, temperature,&time) grows exponentially....same as you showed with your study on field care of meat.

 

[live2huntelk]

For others following this thread....I came across this article.

Tools for Big Game Trophy Care | Alaska Hunting - Alaska Outdoors Supersite

How much salt to use for Alaska big-game trophies in the field.

www.alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I disagree with that author's claim that you'll need to resalt a cape after 3-4 days. here's why:

salt destabalizes the bacteria on contact, forces osmotic flow/pressure from cells, and effectively provides a shocked environment that only specific and aggressive bacteria can adjust to, which is after homeostatis has been achieved (about 4 days). Salting twice is bullshit. Once the first shock of salt touches the cells of a hide, the process is working and bacteria, liposis and autolysis have been stalled... If the hide gets moist after the salt application, let it drain and dry by evaporation and gravity (airflow helps). Resalting is a waste of time and resources (logistics too by way of expense for 50-lbs of salt when 15lbs would do the trick.

Flesh it thoroughly, salt once thoroughly after fleshing, and then preserve like you would meat (clean, cool and dry actionables).

On the TTC. Weight critical hunters might consider using TTC on the main body portion and the switching to table salt for the above the neck portions of the cape. I agree with it being an over zealous drying agent, so i never use it on the head and face structures, but have successfully used it on the main body to save weight on salt. In those cases, i took one jug of TTC and 10 lbs table salt for large capes. Plenty, but rarely needed unless hunting in expected warmer climates.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I bought one for $250. I know i did not do the work, but in hind sight, the way the trip went, i never had the time on the trip to properly take care of the cape. I also did, not want my fly out weight to be eaten up by enough salt to do 2 capes.

 

[Hughiam]

I won't get into the debate or whether to salt or not. But I do take salt in with me 50lbs for two hunters. I do lake drop hunts out of a Beaver so its doable. It would be different if we were doing long raft trips.

I will say, as a taxidermist, unless you know how to properly flesh and turn the lips, eyes, ears and nose, salting can cause you problems. I have gotten in too many hides over the years that weren't "turned" and just had salt thrown on them.

Salt will pull moisture out of the hide as is said above and set the hair. The hide "can" lose weight, depending on conditions in the field. A dry stretch of weather can allow the hide to drop several pounds over a few days. During wet, rainy weather, the hide will sweat and drip because the salt is pulling in moisture from the outside enviornment. But it will dry out.

Depending on how the hunt goes, I do salt capes twice. It depends on how long were hunting, temps, etc. Plus were trying to take two moose and grizzly if possible so I want 50 lbs.

Have we ever killed two plus a griz? Nope, but Ill be prepared if we do.

There are so many variables to consider. Can you call for a meat flight if your bull is down and the weather is warm? If so, you can likely have the meat and hide frozen together.

I did a DIY muskox hunt last fall on Nunivak. We didn't kill a bull for 7 days so when we did, it was near the end of the hunt and we dropped everything off at the local store in game bags and the hide in my dry bag in their freezer. When I got to Bethel I put it in Ravn's freezer and they shipped it to Anchorage.

Had we killed bulls early, we would have salted them as this was DIY.


Hugh