To take home that trophy of a
lifetime, there needs to be a
cooperative relationship between
you and your taxidermist. Before the
taxidermist begins working his
magic, you must do yours. As much
as it is your taxidermist's
responsibility, your actions in the
field will also determine whether the
final trophy will be worthy of
hanging on your wall. No pressure.
lifetime, there needs to be a
cooperative relationship between
you and your taxidermist. Before the
taxidermist begins working his
magic, you must do yours. As much
as it is your taxidermist's
responsibility, your actions in the
field will also determine whether the
final trophy will be worthy of
hanging on your wall. No pressure.
If you’re planning to have that deer mounted, you MUST leave
enough undamaged hide for the taxidermist to provide a quality
mount. This begins when you field dress your deer. You should only
make one single cut that should stretch from below the rib cage
down the belly to the anus. Do not cut into the brisket hair, and do
not split the rib cage — reach up into the rib cage, instead. And
NEVER EVER cut your trophy’s throat. To further preserve the
integrity of the cape, do not drag your deer to your truck. Every inch
of dragging is scraping a big bald spot on the trophy you're hoping
to show off someday soon. If the cape to too terribly damaged, your
taxidermist can probably acquire a replacement cape, but this can
be very costly.
After field dressing, your best bet is to take the entire animal directly
to your taxidermist or meat processor to have them "cape it out" for
you. Most will charge you a nominal fee of about $25 for this service.
BucknDucks Taxidermy will do it for free as a service to our
customers. It’s not difficult to do, though, as long as you do it right.
With your deer laying on its back, cut around the entire trunk about
half-way between the front legs and the back legs, well behind the
brisket area. Also cut around each front leg at about knee level.
Then cut from the knee incisions down the back of each leg directly
to the chest incision. Now begin skinning forward while pulling the
skin toward the head like you’re taking off a sock. Remove the head
a few inches below the skull -- you'll need a bone saw or a
reciprocating saw ("saws-all") for this task.
Once the deer is caped, the race is on. Wrap the head in two trash
bags, tie securely, and put it in the refrigerator ASAP — within a few
hours of death would be great. If your trophy starts collecting flies
and smelling bad, it will likely lose its hair during mounting and will
require a replacement cape ($$$!). If you know you can get the head
to the taxidermist within 24 hours of death, a cold refrigerator is
fine. If you're not sure, freeze it solid as soon as possible. However,
make absolutely sure that the bags are completely sealed and
airtight. Freezer burn is the enemy here, and it can make a trophy
specimen unmountable
enough undamaged hide for the taxidermist to provide a quality
mount. This begins when you field dress your deer. You should only
make one single cut that should stretch from below the rib cage
down the belly to the anus. Do not cut into the brisket hair, and do
not split the rib cage — reach up into the rib cage, instead. And
NEVER EVER cut your trophy’s throat. To further preserve the
integrity of the cape, do not drag your deer to your truck. Every inch
of dragging is scraping a big bald spot on the trophy you're hoping
to show off someday soon. If the cape to too terribly damaged, your
taxidermist can probably acquire a replacement cape, but this can
be very costly.
After field dressing, your best bet is to take the entire animal directly
to your taxidermist or meat processor to have them "cape it out" for
you. Most will charge you a nominal fee of about $25 for this service.
BucknDucks Taxidermy will do it for free as a service to our
customers. It’s not difficult to do, though, as long as you do it right.
With your deer laying on its back, cut around the entire trunk about
half-way between the front legs and the back legs, well behind the
brisket area. Also cut around each front leg at about knee level.
Then cut from the knee incisions down the back of each leg directly
to the chest incision. Now begin skinning forward while pulling the
skin toward the head like you’re taking off a sock. Remove the head
a few inches below the skull -- you'll need a bone saw or a
reciprocating saw ("saws-all") for this task.
Once the deer is caped, the race is on. Wrap the head in two trash
bags, tie securely, and put it in the refrigerator ASAP — within a few
hours of death would be great. If your trophy starts collecting flies
and smelling bad, it will likely lose its hair during mounting and will
require a replacement cape ($$$!). If you know you can get the head
to the taxidermist within 24 hours of death, a cold refrigerator is
fine. If you're not sure, freeze it solid as soon as possible. However,
make absolutely sure that the bags are completely sealed and
airtight. Freezer burn is the enemy here, and it can make a trophy
specimen unmountable
Fish are the easiest trophy to handle, but they are also the easiest
to screw up. If you think you might have a fish mounted, DO NOT put it
on a stringer or in a fish basket. Also, NEVER cut a trophy fish in any
way -- leave the fish whole. Those are the only two restrictions, but
there are still several things you should do.
Take a good picture of your fish while the fish is still alive. Once he
dies, he'll lose his coloration very quickly, and a good picture will
give the taxidermist a good reference for making your fish appear
alive. You should also freeze your fish as soon as possible. First wrap
your fish in soaking wet paper towels, making sure all the fins are
laying properly. Then double wrap in plastic bags and freeze solid.
Freezer burn is your enemy, so be sure to wrap your fish well. Many
of you have likely been taught to wrap your fish in a wet bath towel,
but this is not necessary. The purpose of the towel is to keep the fish
skin from sticking to the plastic bag, causing scales to pop loose. Wet
paper towels accomplish this purpose perfectly, and they’re cheap!
If you can't freeze your fish immediately, you can buy yourself some
additional time by coating the fish with 20 Mule Team Borax (in the
laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store). Borax is a great
preservative and may save the fish hide if you're a long way from the
nearest cooler or otherwise don't have access to a freezer. Don't RUB
the borax into the fish -- you'll be causing scale damage. Instead,
simply sprinkle it on liberally and wrap it up gently. Then immediately
start heading for the nearest freezer! This fish will still rot, so don't
expect the borax to keep him fresh until you’re done with your
camping trip.
to screw up. If you think you might have a fish mounted, DO NOT put it
on a stringer or in a fish basket. Also, NEVER cut a trophy fish in any
way -- leave the fish whole. Those are the only two restrictions, but
there are still several things you should do.
Take a good picture of your fish while the fish is still alive. Once he
dies, he'll lose his coloration very quickly, and a good picture will
give the taxidermist a good reference for making your fish appear
alive. You should also freeze your fish as soon as possible. First wrap
your fish in soaking wet paper towels, making sure all the fins are
laying properly. Then double wrap in plastic bags and freeze solid.
Freezer burn is your enemy, so be sure to wrap your fish well. Many
of you have likely been taught to wrap your fish in a wet bath towel,
but this is not necessary. The purpose of the towel is to keep the fish
skin from sticking to the plastic bag, causing scales to pop loose. Wet
paper towels accomplish this purpose perfectly, and they’re cheap!
If you can't freeze your fish immediately, you can buy yourself some
additional time by coating the fish with 20 Mule Team Borax (in the
laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store). Borax is a great
preservative and may save the fish hide if you're a long way from the
nearest cooler or otherwise don't have access to a freezer. Don't RUB
the borax into the fish -- you'll be causing scale damage. Instead,
simply sprinkle it on liberally and wrap it up gently. Then immediately
start heading for the nearest freezer! This fish will still rot, so don't
expect the borax to keep him fresh until you’re done with your
camping trip.
There are two great big challenges when handling a bird you wish to mount. First is spoilage
-- birds get nasty very quickly. Second is feather damage. Of course, if you shoot all the
feathers off your duck, it's going to be an ugly mount. Likewise, if you have a perfect bird but
damage the feathers by dressing the bird or by letting your bird dog use it as a chew toy, it
will look just like you shot the feathers off. With a little care, though, your bird will look great.
The best bet, as always, is to take the entire freshly harvested bird directly to your
taxidermist. If you can’t get it there the same day, you’ll have to take a few extra precautions.
Do not cut your bird in any way, and definitely do not pluck it (yes, it happens). If you really
want the meat, ask your taxidermist to freeze the carcass for you. If there’s blood on the
feathers, gently pour some water on the bird from a cup or small bucket to remove it. Then lay
out a stack of newspapers half-again as long as the bird, roll him up like a burrito, and use
masking tape to secure. The newspaper should keep the bird in proper alignment during
freezing. Then double-wrap the bird in plastic bags without bending the tail. If the bird is too
long for the bag, you either need bigger bags, or use two bags and duct tape to achieve the
coverage you need. Lay the bird flat in the freezer, and never stack anything on top of your
frozen birds -- even when frozen, the feathers are easily bent out of shape. Sharp beaks, toes
and spurs will punch holes in the bags, so you may want to tape a cotton ball over these
areas to make sure the bags remain airtight. If you prepare your birds this way, you can
completely skip the traditional ladies stocking method that’s been taught for years.
-- birds get nasty very quickly. Second is feather damage. Of course, if you shoot all the
feathers off your duck, it's going to be an ugly mount. Likewise, if you have a perfect bird but
damage the feathers by dressing the bird or by letting your bird dog use it as a chew toy, it
will look just like you shot the feathers off. With a little care, though, your bird will look great.
The best bet, as always, is to take the entire freshly harvested bird directly to your
taxidermist. If you can’t get it there the same day, you’ll have to take a few extra precautions.
Do not cut your bird in any way, and definitely do not pluck it (yes, it happens). If you really
want the meat, ask your taxidermist to freeze the carcass for you. If there’s blood on the
feathers, gently pour some water on the bird from a cup or small bucket to remove it. Then lay
out a stack of newspapers half-again as long as the bird, roll him up like a burrito, and use
masking tape to secure. The newspaper should keep the bird in proper alignment during
freezing. Then double-wrap the bird in plastic bags without bending the tail. If the bird is too
long for the bag, you either need bigger bags, or use two bags and duct tape to achieve the
coverage you need. Lay the bird flat in the freezer, and never stack anything on top of your
frozen birds -- even when frozen, the feathers are easily bent out of shape. Sharp beaks, toes
and spurs will punch holes in the bags, so you may want to tape a cotton ball over these
areas to make sure the bags remain airtight. If you prepare your birds this way, you can
completely skip the traditional ladies stocking method that’s been taught for years.
Life-size mounts can be a bit complicated for the hunter to deal with. Of
course, there are the standard taxidermy rules: "get it cold ASAP", "protect
the fur/hide from damage", and "get it to the taxidermist immediately". There
is more to it than that, however. So, to make things simpler, we'll tackle the
smaller mammals first.
Small mammals refers to such animals as bobcats, badgers, raccoons, etc. In
fact, coyotes and anything smaller fall into this category. The preferred
method is to bag and freeze the entire animal ASAP. Be sure to stuff paper
towels into bullet holes to keep blood off the fur. If you are skilled at skinning,
you might be able to save a few bucks by tube skinning your animal yourself
— check with your taxidermist first . However, if you cause damage, it could
be costly.
Larger life-size mounts, like bears, mountain lions and wolves, will require
you to make some quick decisions in the field. Large mammals are usually too
difficult to transport whole to the taxidermist on short notice, so someone will
likely have to skin it in the field or at camp. There are two methods of skinning
large mammals. You can use a dorsal cut or a belly cut. The way you decide
which cut to make is to decide how you want to display your trophy. If the
animal's belly will be visible, go for the dorsal cut. If the animal's back will be
visible, go for the belly cut. It's always best to keep the incision on the wall
side of the trophy -- away from direct line of sight. The animal's fur or hair will
help to hide incisions and stitches, but they won't be invisible.
The dorsal cut method is quite difficult. If you've never done it before, you
probably don't want to try it for the first time in the field on your own trophy.
It's best for a beginner to use the belly cut -- we can be creative with the
mount later. The dorsal cut is essentially an incision down the animal's
backbone to just above the base of the tail. Many people will also cut down
the back of each hind leg. You then start skinning around toward the belly. As
you skin each leg, grab the animal's foot and push upward into the animal.
This will eventually turn the leg inside out. You may need to cut down the
center of the pad of the paw in order to skin the toes free. Be sure to split the
tail by cutting from the anus to the tip of the tail, cutting outward from the
incision to split the hairs without damaging. Skin the tail free. Once all four
legs are skinned out, you should be able to easily pull the skin forward toward
the face. Cut the head free a couple inches below the base of the skull with a
bone saw. Let your taxidermist skin the skull -- there's too much room for
error.
The belly cut is the exact same cut done for animals to be mounted in rug
form. For that reason, we'll discuss it in greater detail a bit further down the
page. The belly cut is downright simple compared to a dorsal cut. You'll do
fine. If you cannot get the freshly skinned hide cold within a few hours, then
be sure to salt it heavily with non-iodized salt like pickling salt or mixing salt.
This will buy you more time, but you still need to be moving toward a freezer.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you skin out your animal rather than having the
taxidermist do it, its important to take good measurements with a flexible tape
for your taxidermist to produce an accurate trophy. Before skinning, measure
the distance from the tip of the nose to the point where the body stops and
the tail starts. AFTER skinning, take two measurements on the animal's
carcass. First, measure around the neck at the thickest point. Next measure
amount the chest at the thickest point. Write these three measurements
down. Plan on leaving the skull in place, so the taxidermist can take the facial
measurements himself. To answer the question you may be formulating, we
cannot get accurate measurements from a raw skin. The raw skin on most
animals is just too flexible. A 22" otter, for example, can give a pelt that can be
stretched to 32". Without accurate body measurements, the animal will not
look right -- the fur will point in weird directions, the whiskers will lay down
flat, the eyes will look squinty, etc.
course, there are the standard taxidermy rules: "get it cold ASAP", "protect
the fur/hide from damage", and "get it to the taxidermist immediately". There
is more to it than that, however. So, to make things simpler, we'll tackle the
smaller mammals first.
Small mammals refers to such animals as bobcats, badgers, raccoons, etc. In
fact, coyotes and anything smaller fall into this category. The preferred
method is to bag and freeze the entire animal ASAP. Be sure to stuff paper
towels into bullet holes to keep blood off the fur. If you are skilled at skinning,
you might be able to save a few bucks by tube skinning your animal yourself
— check with your taxidermist first . However, if you cause damage, it could
be costly.
Larger life-size mounts, like bears, mountain lions and wolves, will require
you to make some quick decisions in the field. Large mammals are usually too
difficult to transport whole to the taxidermist on short notice, so someone will
likely have to skin it in the field or at camp. There are two methods of skinning
large mammals. You can use a dorsal cut or a belly cut. The way you decide
which cut to make is to decide how you want to display your trophy. If the
animal's belly will be visible, go for the dorsal cut. If the animal's back will be
visible, go for the belly cut. It's always best to keep the incision on the wall
side of the trophy -- away from direct line of sight. The animal's fur or hair will
help to hide incisions and stitches, but they won't be invisible.
The dorsal cut method is quite difficult. If you've never done it before, you
probably don't want to try it for the first time in the field on your own trophy.
It's best for a beginner to use the belly cut -- we can be creative with the
mount later. The dorsal cut is essentially an incision down the animal's
backbone to just above the base of the tail. Many people will also cut down
the back of each hind leg. You then start skinning around toward the belly. As
you skin each leg, grab the animal's foot and push upward into the animal.
This will eventually turn the leg inside out. You may need to cut down the
center of the pad of the paw in order to skin the toes free. Be sure to split the
tail by cutting from the anus to the tip of the tail, cutting outward from the
incision to split the hairs without damaging. Skin the tail free. Once all four
legs are skinned out, you should be able to easily pull the skin forward toward
the face. Cut the head free a couple inches below the base of the skull with a
bone saw. Let your taxidermist skin the skull -- there's too much room for
error.
The belly cut is the exact same cut done for animals to be mounted in rug
form. For that reason, we'll discuss it in greater detail a bit further down the
page. The belly cut is downright simple compared to a dorsal cut. You'll do
fine. If you cannot get the freshly skinned hide cold within a few hours, then
be sure to salt it heavily with non-iodized salt like pickling salt or mixing salt.
This will buy you more time, but you still need to be moving toward a freezer.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you skin out your animal rather than having the
taxidermist do it, its important to take good measurements with a flexible tape
for your taxidermist to produce an accurate trophy. Before skinning, measure
the distance from the tip of the nose to the point where the body stops and
the tail starts. AFTER skinning, take two measurements on the animal's
carcass. First, measure around the neck at the thickest point. Next measure
amount the chest at the thickest point. Write these three measurements
down. Plan on leaving the skull in place, so the taxidermist can take the facial
measurements himself. To answer the question you may be formulating, we
cannot get accurate measurements from a raw skin. The raw skin on most
animals is just too flexible. A 22" otter, for example, can give a pelt that can be
stretched to 32". Without accurate body measurements, the animal will not
look right -- the fur will point in weird directions, the whiskers will lay down
flat, the eyes will look squinty, etc.
Shoulder Mounts
Fish Mounts.
Bird Mounts.
Life-size Mounts.
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