Big Game Hunting New Zealand Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 14

W
O
H

TO

Three knives that are used
for caping: Svord, Havalon
piranta-z, and Buck vantage

I

t all starts with preparation. You have been hunting an area hard
and you know there is a big stag in the area, you have seen his
scrapes and wallows but still haven’t caught up with him but the
signs look good.

April roll’s around and the roar is in full
swing. You are stalking in on a distant roar
and the intensity is building as he replies back
to you, he’s heading in your direction and it’s
a game of cat and mouse over the next hour.
Suddenly he lets his guard down and steps
forward, you like what you see and with the
blast echoing off into the distance that stag
you have always dreamed of is on the deck for
keeps.

Hunter How To

TROPHY CAPING

Written by Hayden Sturgeon

14 BGHNZ Issue 7 Jul/Aug 2015

www.bghnz.co.nz

Walking up to him you know instantly that
he’s a wall hanger with his big dark frame,
even timber and 12 long points! After taking
time to admire and photograph the great beast,
it’s time to get to work. But what do I do? How
do I take the cape off? Where do I make the
cuts? This is where we are going to run through
the do’s and don’ts of preparing your trophy for
the wall.
www.bghnz.co.nz

First of all we will talk about knives for the
job. Any knife will work as long as it’s sharp, but
here are three that I have used which all have
their own little features and have done a lot of
caping jobs effectively;

1)

NZ made knife by svord, this is the
kiwi general outdoors knife. This sports a 4
¾” blade with a total length of 10 ¾’’ with a
drop point design that holds a great edge.
With a full length leather sheath it makes for
a good all-round hunting knife.
2) Havalon Piranta-z is an
interchangeable bladed knife that gives you
a surgically sharp edge all the time. It has an
overall length of 7 ¼ ‘’ with a nylon sheath
this knife is great for super straight cuts but
I use it more for head skinning jobs than
caping out

3)

Made in the USA the Buck vantage
15 BGHNZ Issue 7 Jul/Aug 2015