Field Guide·April 30, 2026

Sheep Trophy Care

Proper field care techniques for Dall sheep — what makes their hide different, how to clean and skin in the field, and how to keep a cape worth mounting.

Grant GullicksFounder · Master Taxidermist · Wild Reflections

Dall sheep ram with full curl horns standing in dry alpine grass

What Makes Dall Sheep Different

Hollow hair
Color
Their skin
The conditions of the hunt

Photograph of a Dall sheep ram with full curl horns standing in dry grass, head turned toward the camera

My Number One Rule

A clean animal in the field means a better looking mount!
- (Hollow hair) Clean the hair immediately! The longer blood and dirt sits on the hair the more the hair absorbs.
- Keep the horns clean of blood. Blood stains everything including horns.

Why cleaning in the field is so important

The tanning process darkens any blood stains on the hair.
Bleach is very hard on hair. It is actually burning off the tips of the hair. As a result, the longer your skin has to be bleached, the more fragile and brittle the hair becomes.

Know what you plan to do with your trophy ahead of time.

The cuts you make and the method you use to skin your sheep will depend on what you plan to do with your skin.
- Life size, half life size, cape?

Skinning

Never cut from the outside in.
- Turn your knife over and cut from underneath the skin outward. This avoids cutting the hair.

Illustrated diagram showing two gloved hands holding a knife blade-up underneath an animal's skin along a red center incision line, with yellow arrows indicating outward cutting motion

The 3 methods of skinning

Caping
Life size belly cut also known as the flat cut
Life size dorsal cut

Follow the hair patterns!

All initial cuts are done following the already existing map of hair patterns on the animal. The hair patterns will show you exactly where to cut.

Line diagram of a deer/ungulate head and shoulders with numbered cut points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and dashed lines showing caping incisions around the antlers, down the neck, and across the shoulders

Photograph of a Dall ram from behind with black lines drawn on the cape showing the Y-cut behind the horns and the dorsal/shoulder caping incision running down the back

Black-and-white labeled diagram (numbered 2) of a caped hide laid out flat, showing the underside with arrows pointing to "D. Bottom cut" and "E. Bottom cut" on either side, with dashed lines indicating the bottom incision

Life Size Belly Cut (Most Common)

Make a Y cut and center cut on the back of the sheep's neck and head in the same manner as you would if you were making cape only cuts.
Stop the center cut just in front of the shoulders.
When skinning using a belly cut be sure not to extend the middle incision past the brisket and into the neck.
Do not cut through the scrotum. In this area make a loop around the genitals and back to the middle to continue the straight cut up to the brisket.

Photograph of a Dall ram from behind with a black Y-shaped line drawn between the horns extending down the back of the neck to just in front of the shoulders, illustrating the Y cut and center cut

Line drawing of a sheep on its back viewed from below, with dashed lines showing the belly cut pattern: a center incision running from tail to brisket, looping around the genitals, with cuts extending out along the inside of each leg to the hooves

Life Size Dorsal Cut

Make a cut on the front and back legs from the hooves to the elbows following the hair pattern on the back of the legs.
Make your caping cuts on the back of the neck and head (the Y and the center cut). Extend the center cut all the way down the middle of the back to the tail.

Photograph of a Dall ram from behind with a black line drawn down the center of its back from between the horns all the way to the tail, illustrating the dorsal cut

Line drawing of a sheep laid out flat on its belly viewed from above, showing the dorsal cut pattern with a center line down the back and cuts extending along the back of each leg to the hooves

How to Keep Your Skin in Good Condition While in the Field

Wash as much of the blood and dirt off the hair as possible.
Take the time to properly flesh and turn your skin.
Salt or spray your skin to prevent bacterial growth.

Bacteria damages the outer layer of skin and the hair roots causing the hair to slip.

Photograph of a Dall sheep cape laid hair-side up on an OSB board with visible bare patches where hair has slipped, showing bacterial damage to the hide

Proper Turning and Fleshing

Ears
Eyes
Nose
Lips
Remove fat and muscle

Citric Acid Spray

Food grade citric acid makes a great alternative to packing 25 pounds of salt up the mountain! ( Caribou Gear Game Bag Spray, Indian Valley Game Saver, or similar)
This is a stall only NOT a permanent solution. It acts to prevent bacterial growth and gives you more days in the field before you must properly salt and dry your skin.
After properly turning and fleshing the skin, soak the skin side with the spray. Spread out to dry (hair side down), then roll up (hair side out) and place in a game bag. Store in a cool, dry, shaded area with some air circulation.

Two Common Misconceptions

NEVER salt a skin before properly turning and fleshing it first!
NEVER salt a skin and then freeze it! The skin should either be frozen raw and unsalted or salted and properly dried. Once a skin is salted it must be allowed to dry completely. It is then ready for the tanning process.

Salt

Use fine grain, non-iodized salt.
Be sure to rub the salt in well onto every square inch.
Leave the skin spread out in a cool, dry, shaded place with good air circulation to drain.
After the skin has drained, hang it to allow the air to circulate and dry all sides.

Two photographs side-by-side of Dall ram skulls with horns attached. The left shows a front view of a cleaned skull with horns and a horizontal blue line drawn across the skull above the eye sockets indicating the skull cap cut. The right shows a side profile of a skull with horns, a measurement plug in the eye socket, and blue lines drawn showing the angled skull cap cut. Watermark reads "Classic Antler Mounts."

Good Luck on Your Trips!

WILD REFLECTIONS Chugiak, AK