Field CareField care is the first step to a quality mount. As soon as your specimen is no longer living, decomposition starts. The following are some guideline to keep your specimen in the best condition.
Birds Do not gut the bird. Rinse off any blood on the feathers with water. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing being careful not to damage the feathers, including the tail. If the bird's tail feathers do not fit in the bag, do not bend them, let the tail stick out of the bag and tie the bag loosely.
Take the bird immediately to your taxidermist or freeze it. Note: Check your bird for pin feathers. Fish Keep your fish from thrashing around to prevent damaging the fins and scale loss. Do not gut any fish you intend to have mounted. Wrap your fish in a wet towel with the fins naturally laying against the body and freeze it solid.
For a Reproduction get good measurements of the length and girth. Also detailed photos of the fish will be needed as reference to recreate the colors of you specific fish. Life Size Mammals Animals that are coyote sized or smaller, are best prepared for mounting by your taxidermist. Do not gut the animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil quickly because of their thin hide and bacteria.
If you can not take the small game animal immediately to a taxidermist, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. With the epidemic of rabies evident in many areas of the country, take every safety measure necessary when handling your game. |
Shoulder Mount
Always consult your taxidermist before you cape out your deer. Avoid dragging your deer out of the woods with a rope. This can damage the fur.
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