What to do with my goat

[Gr is for Greg]

I got my first mountain goat this year, and I packed out the entire hide except for the hooves and first inch or two of the feet. I took the entire hide to the tanner, and it will be at least a few months before I even need to worry about what to do, but I am not really sure about what to do with it. The hide is really, really nice. You can probably see by the photo I posted on the Hunting Photos that he was getting pretty near his full winter growth (shooting date 10/2):
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...ad.php?t=46691
The main thing I want with the hide is a nice throw. I'm thinking just patch the holes in the tanned hide and sew a backing and border to it, almost like a rug. Any other ideas for this type of thing? Anything I should worry about in terms of upkeep / preservation?

Also, being that it was my first goat and it seems to be pretty big in the world of goats, and I think they are just beautiful animals, I am considering getting a mount. I know a lot of folks do half-size and full-size, and I knew I didn't want to go that route - which is why I left the hooves in the field. I am thinking of doing a shoulder mount, though. My one question is this - how much of the hide would I sacrifice in getting this accomplished? I don't want to snatch out the best part of the blanket to make the head mount. On the other hand, I don't want the mount to look stupid because I didn't take enough of the neck. Thoughts? Is it pretty simple to accomplish both? Any advice or experience here would be appreciated.

-Gr

[Gr is for Greg]

Also - doing my own euro mount. I have everything cleaned up, and it has been out on the counter for several weeks now with no smell coming from it. But, I haven't been able to get the horns off. I tried, but it seems like I may break the skull before the dang horns come off. Is it necessary to remove them? I hear it is for sheep. On the same vein, I want to bleach the skull in peroxide. Will the peroxide discolor the horns? In other words, even if I don't get them off for the sake of removing flesh, do I need to get them off for the bleaching process?

-gr

[Fishhuntster]

PM sent. Thanks..

[Bighorse]

Well you got yourself into a situation my friend. Completing a should mount would indeed take too much of your back skin to make it a nice throw. Did you cut down the back of the neck for the cape and down the belly for the back skin?

I really think your kinda screwed for the shoulder mount if I'm reading this correctly.

Just be happy with the throw. A felted backed throw would be cool but not necesarry. My skins just get thown just the way they are.

Horns and euro mount. I did my own euro on a goat too. Those horns don't need to come out of the bone. You can peroxide them and not bleach the horn. Don't leave it in there too long. If it dried well after the boiling and perioxide then the horns will set nicely onto the bone without removal.

I'm having custom knives made out of my horns this year. At $185 apiece they are still less than a shoulder mount. So between the two skins and two custom knives I'll be very close to what a shoulder mount would be for a single goat cost wise. The skins are about $120 each for tanning.

BTW...that was a fine animal.

[Gr is for Greg]

Bighorse - thank you for the advice and sharing with me your experience. +1. You confirmed what I was worried about - but it's a blessing in disguise - several hundred bucks I won't be spending to get the mount. I think the throw will work just fine, and maybe I can sell or give the face / head to a taxi for those who want a mount out of a goat that took a spill down a cliff. Their faces tend to get pretty messed up...

I'll go ahead with the bleaching of the skull without removing the horns, and I'll be sure to post a pic of the final work. Thanks again!

-Gr

[Vince]

Bighorse - thank you for the advice and sharing with me your experience. +1. You confirmed what I was worried about - but it's a blessing in disguise - several hundred bucks I won't be spending to get the mount. I think the throw will work just fine, and maybe I can sell or give the face / head to a taxi for those who want a mount out of a goat that took a spill down a cliff. Their faces tend to get pretty messed up...

I'll go ahead with the bleaching of the skull without removing the horns, and I'll be sure to post a pic of the final work. Thanks again!

-Gr

of course by doing it your self... you ownt be albe to say....



that guy got my goat....

[Trapper_Rich]

I can be a huge help to you here. To avoid cross-contamination of mout/hide and dastardly meat, just give me the meat as I can find something to do with it, so your hide remains clean and pure. No sense allowing that dastardly meat to become a needless problem for you. No thank yous are necessary for me offering my kind and most generous services to you. Matter-of-a-fact, I will even come pick it up as to devoid you from having to drive it all the way up here.

Rich

[Gr is for Greg]

I can be a huge help to you here. To avoid cross-contamination of mout/hide and dastardly meat, just give me the meat as I can find something to do with it, so your hide remains clean and pure. No sense allowing that dastardly meat to become a needless problem for you. No thank yous are necessary for me offering my kind and most generous services to you. Matter-of-a-fact, I will even come pick it up as to devoid you from having to drive it all the way up here.

Rich

Haha, thanks for the offer, but I didn't have any trouble figuring out what to do with the meat. Well, that's not exactly true: I took a stab at making my own sausage. Turned out really good, though. No, I'm just fine with my nice packed freezer .