What's better, case skinning or dorsal skinning?

Question

For small - medium animals such as mice, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, etc. is it better to case skin or dorsal skin for a lifesize mount?

Answer 1

For life-size mounts of any size, a dorsal cut is almost always recommended. Case skinning doesn't work at all because there is NO way to insert the legs of the form into the hide without cutting all of the legs open and splitting up the belly. This requires a LOT of extra sewing, which on some animals with thin hair (like African lions, antelope, etc.) makes it difficult to conceal the stitches. Because the hair along the spine of most animals is longer and thicker, it is easier to conceal the sewing work on a dorsal cut. It also makes it easier to slip a hide onto a typical foam body without any special adjustments almost as easily as slipping on a pair of pants. If you are mounting anything from the size of most North American big game down to small rodents, I HIGHLY recommend using the dorsal cut.

Answer 2

A full body skinning is always best in this case.