Field Guide·April 30, 2026

Skinning a Skull out of a Cape

Head work for separating the cape from the skull — the Y cut, antler bases, ear butts, lip line, eyes, pre-orbital gland, corners of the mouth, and the nose.

Grant GullicksFounder · Master Taxidermist · Wild Reflections

Two side-by-side photos showing a hand making the Y cut along an antlered animal's hairline, then the resulting Y-shaped incision between the antler bases

Skinning the Cape Off of the Skull

When performing the following steps cut as close to the bone as possible. Use your fingers to feel where the ear and the eyes connect to the skull to avoid mistakes.
Take your time and pay close attention to the area around the ears, eyes, nose, and lips. Leave as much skin as possible attached to the cape around these areas. More is better!

The Y Cut

This cut is made on the top of the head between the ears. Follow the hair patterns with your knife to cut a "Y". Cut all the way to each base of the antler or horn.

Two side-by-side photos of a deer/antlered animal's head; left shows a hand holding an antler base while a knife makes an incision along the hairline, right shows the resulting Y-shaped cut on the top of the head between the antler bases with exposed flesh.

Antler/Horn Bases

With antlers use the butt of your knife or something that is strong and blunt to pry the skin away from the base of the antlers. Horns constantly grow and will need to be cut all the way around each base in order to separate the skin from the horns.

Close-up of a hand using a metal pry tool at the base of an antler/horn on a dark-haired animal's skull, working to separate skin from the base.

Skin is separated from the antlers and the Y cut is complete. Continue skinning down to the eyes.

Close-up of a deer head with the skin peeled back from the skull, exposing the antler bases (burrs) and pink/white tissue between them; dry grass surrounds the carcass.

Ear Butts

To avoid mistakes, stick your fingers in the ears and feel where they connect to the skull. Cut close to the skull and separate the ears. There will be a good chunk of meat that stays with the skin. (Notice the ear canal hole on the right side of the picture)

Close-up of a deer head being skinned, showing a hand pulling back the cape near the antler base to expose the ear butt and ear canal opening, with raw red flesh visible.

Lip Line

Here we separate the lips from the skull. Open the animal's mouth and make your cuts as close to the teeth or pad as you can, leaving as much lip attached to the skin as possible. Cut all the way around the mouth where you can see, do not cut the corners of the mouth at this time.

Eyes

Stick your fingers in the eyes and pull the skin away from the skull to avoid mistakes. Feel the corners of the eye to make sure you do not cut the lids. Eye skin comes right down to the bone at the back and front of the eye.
The pre-orbital gland at the front of the eyes dips down deep into the bone. Use caution not to cut this short.

Two side-by-side photos. Left: a fingertip presses against the closed eyelid of a deer head, indicating the location of the eye through the hide. Right: from the underside of the cape, a finger pokes through the bony eye socket of the partially skinned skull, with red muscle tissue and white connective tissue visible around the orbit.

Close-up of a deer head on the ground with the cape pulled back, exposing the eye socket; one hand holds the skin while the other uses scissors to cut around the pre-orbital gland area below the eye. A camouflage sleeve is visible.

Close-up of hands using a small knife blade to carefully separate skin and connective tissue around the exposed eye of a caped animal skull, with the eyeball intact in the socket.

Corners of the Mouth

Once you are past the eyes and pre-orbital gland the next cut will be to separate the corners of the mouth from the skull.
To identify where the corner of the mouth attaches to the skull lift the skin and watch where the muscle on the skull lifts away. It is further back than most people expect and will leave several inches of mouth skin attached to the cape. If in doubt stick your fingers in the corner of the mouth and feel where to cut.
Cut through the muscle that lifts away and into the mouth. Then finish the cuts you made earlier in the mouth to fully separate the lip line only.
Do not attempt to fully separate the lips from the roof of the mouth until you have separated the nose as illustrated in the next step.

Close-up of a partially skinned deer head on grass, showing the exposed eye socket area and white connective tissue around the muzzle; one hand grips the cape while the other uses a knife to cut along the lower jaw.

Close-up of hands using a small skinning blade to cut carefully around the exposed eyeball of a caped animal, with the eye membrane and surrounding tissue visible.

Close-up of a partially skinned deer/moose head lying on a blood-soaked surface; the hide has been peeled back exposing white connective tissue around the skull, the eye socket with the eyeball still in place, and the tongue protruding from the jaw. A knife blade is visible at the lower jaw making a cut, a hand steadies the head at upper left, and a green tag (partially reading "MOOSE") hangs from an antler at the upper right.

The Nose

As you peel the skin back away from the skull headed towards the nose watch for the bone to turn into softer cartilage on the top.
Once you find the cartilage line, cut through the cartilage and follow the contour of the bone leaving cartilage attached to the cape. Be cautious not to cut through the lips.
If in doubt stick your fingers up the nose to feel where to cut.
Finish skinning the lips away from the roof of the mouth and you are done.

Close-up of a skinned deer skull on a red surface, with exposed white skull bone, antler bases still attached, and a hand holding a scalpel cutting near the antler pedicle; a green tag is visible on the antler tine.

Overhead view of a deer/elk head being skinned, showing exposed white skull cap and forehead with bloody tissue, one antler base wrapped in a green tag visible at upper left, hands on the right using a knife to separate the cape from the skull over grass.

Good Luck on Your Trips!

WILD REFLECTIONS Chugiak, AK