07/27/2026
I think this is an important topic to openly discuss because there are many factors that affect the quality of a finished mount that are completely out of a taxidermist's control.
Over the last several years, we've seen a dramatic increase in tick damage on deer here in Southwest Michigan. Eight or so years ago, Michigan was known for having some of the nicest whitetail capes in the country. Our deer typically had large bodies, thick winter hair, and our climate didn't support the massive tick populations we see today.
Somewhere along the way, that changed.
When I was a kid, it was uncommon to come home from a walk in the woods with a tick on you. Today, it's almost expectedâsometimes several. The difference is we can remove ticks from ourselves. Deer can't.
As ticks attach to a deer, they feed on blood and create constant irritation. Each tick can leave behind a small bald spot, but the bigger issue is the deer's response. They rub against trees and brush trying to relieve the itch, and that rubbing breaks and pulls out hair.
It may be hard to believe, but we routinely receive deer with hundredsâand sometimes even thousandsâof ticks. I've skinned deer with entire clusters of ticks, especially around the brisket, leaving bald areas anywhere from the size of a quarter to as large as a baseball.
I do my best to repair these areas by removing completely bald spots and sewing them back together whenever possible. But if every damaged area were cut out, there simply wouldn't be enough cape left to mount the deer.
Many hunters don't even realize their deer has these issues, and I try to point them out when a deer is brought into the shop. Unfortunately, when a deer is dropped off frozen, some of that damage isn't visible until later.
After your deer is skinned, fleshed, salted, tanned, washed, mounted, and groomed, the damage can actually become more noticeable. Loose hair may continue to shed, and once the cape is clean and everything else on the mount looks right, your eye naturally goes straight to the imperfections.
What I can control is the craftsmanship of your mountâproper anatomy, eye shape, clean lip lines, detailed noses, correct hair patterns, proper antler position, and making sure the cape fits the form exactly as it should.
What I can't control is the condition of the cape that nature gives us.
Moving forward, I'm going to perform an even more thorough inspection of every deer that comes through our doors. I'll point out any flaws I see so we're all on the same page from the beginning and there are no surprises when your trophy is finished.
One option is replacing the cape. I do keep replacement capes in stock, but I'm dealing with the same issue everyone else isâmany of those capes also have tick damage. Most are utility capes and very few are perfect.
If having a flawless cape is your top priority, I recommend finding and purchasing a replacement cape that you're happy with and providing it for your mount. That way, you know exactly what you're getting.
There are also a few other common causes of cape damage that I see every season:
⢠Dragging a deer, especially behind a quad or tractor, can rub hair completely off down to the skin.
⢠Hanging a deer by a rope around its neck can permanently crease and curl the hair, making it very difficult to restore.
⢠Waiting too long to care for the cape. Leaving a deer at the processor too long or hanging in the garage because "it's been cold enough" is a gamble.
One thing people think is that when the frost comes on, it kills the ticks! Ticks hooked to a deer never die. They have a constant heat source. They will be on from summer all the way through winter!
Bacteria never takes a day off. It grows 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hair slip is 100% preventable with proper care.
Get your deer cooled down as quickly as possible. Better yet, get it caped out and to your taxidermist immediatelyâor get it into a freezer right away if it can't be brought in.
If you've made it this far, I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this.
I care deeply about every trophy that comes through my shop, and my goal has always been to produce the best mounts possible. To do that, I need the best cape possibleâand that's where we work together.
Thank you for trusting me with your memories and your trophies. I appreciate every one of you.
