Peter Jones offers some advice on Trophy Cutting.
With the month of May in full swing, many stalkers will be turning their attentions to bagging themselves a nice trophy Roe Buck.
Even those that would not normally class themselves as Trophy hunters will, from time to time, be enticed into taking a one off superb head, and having done so, it would of course be a travesty to simply dispose of the head and antlers after the usual photo call.
I have written about how to prepare a Trophy in the past, please see this link for details: how-to-prepare-a-trophy
However in this article I wanted to take a moment to illustrate and discuss the differing methods of cutting the head.
The standard cut is a short nose cut (See diagram above) this is very typically found on the continent, however to my mind, whilst this works well on larger species of deer, who possess larger antlers, on a small deer such as a Roe Buck, this is a shame, as it reduces the trophy in size to something which can appear rather small.
(Above: examples of the standard or short nose cut)
The other option of course is to retain the full skull, less the lower jaw. This is certainly the method to be used if you think you have something special, despite the necessary deduction of the required 90 grams, CIC measurers are of a single voice, in proclaiming that this is the best, and most likely method, of achieving maximum points for the all important weight measurement. A measurement that is crucial in achieving the maximum CIC points toward a medal score.
The problem however with the full skull, is that it does not mount flat on a shield or wall and so is less easily displayed. For this reason if you think that the trophy might be worthy of a medal, you might consider cutting the skull after such time that it has been officially judged.
Finally comes my personal favourite, the long nose cut (See diagram above). Carried out correctly this cut will leave you with the fragile nose bone, which when presented on a shield gives the trophy proportions that in my view are more pleasing on the eye.
Whatever you choose the presentation of a Roe Buck trophy is a personal thing, however it is something which deserves consideration, so the number one rule with cutting is think about the end result and what it is exactly that you are aiming to do with your trophy?
For more information on How to Measure a trophy follow this link: how-to-measure-a-trophy
