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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Sep 22 2008, 6:56 PM EDT (current) | Anonymous | 4 words added, 33 words deleted |
| Sep 8 2008, 5:29 PM EDT | dbtaxidermy | 1160 words added |
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Key: Additions Deletions
Field Care
GAME HEADS
1. If you intend to mount the trophy you are hunting, obviously
you would not shoot the beast in the neck or facial area. And more importantly, DO
NOT CUT THE THROAT. I have always been amazed by the fact that so many
hunters feel the need to cut the throat of the animal and then expect their
Taxidermist to give them a high quality mount. The quality of the finished mount
depends a great deal upon you and the care it was given in the field.
2. If you do not know how to cape out the animal, take it to your
local processor and they should know how to properly cape it out. Or, take
the entire animal to your Taxidermist and have him cape it out for you. One
important note; it is always better to have too much skin than not enough. So, if in
doubt, take more than you'll think you'll need.
3. Avoid excessive dragging of the animal on the ground. This
will damage the hair.
4. Get the cape on ice as soon as possible and remember to keep
it dry.
5. If you can't get it to the Taxidermist immediately and choose
to store it in your freezer for the time being, wipe as much blood as possible
from the hair and keep it as dry as possible. Moisture and bacteria will cause
the hair to fall outofoutof the cape. Double bag the head and tape the bag around the
antler burrs or horn bases to prevent air from entering the bag and causing
freezer burn. Remember, extended time in your freezer will cause freezer
burn which may affect the finished mount.
6. Click on HOW TO CAPE AN ANIMAL to see an illustration and instructions on how toproperly cape out ananimal to be mounted.
BIRDS
1. If you intend to mount a bird you are hunting, avoid using large
shot that will severely damage the specimen (a Taxidermist can only work
with what he is given). Also, avoid close shots if at all possible, for obvious reasons. If you hunt with dogs, do not let the dog mouth the bird excessively, if at all.
2. Upon retrieval of the bird, pack the mouth and nostrils with
cotton or toilet tissue. This will keep blood and body fluids off the feathers.
Also, clean as much blood off the feathers as you can. This will help
prevent staining of the feathers and bacteria growth, which promotes slippage.
3. Never place a bird to be mounted in your game bag. At this point, the less damage we inflict upon the specimen, the better off we will be in the long run.
4. If you can't get the bird to the Taxidermist immediately, place the bird head first into a pair of your wife's old pantie hoses (this keeps the feathers lying flat and secure to the body), place into two plastic bags, seal and place in your freezer.
5. Get the bird to a Taxidermist as soon as possible. Keeping
the bird in your freezer for an extended period of time could result in freezer
burn of the feet and facial areas, and this could affect the overall appearance of your finished mount.
FISH
1. First and foremost, DO NOT GUT THE FISH. Do not cut the
fish anywhere.
2. Take photos of the fresh fish, if possible, to ensure the Taxidermist has accurate information to refer back to when it's time to paint the fish.
3. Get the fish on ice as soon as possible.
4. If you can't get the fish to a Taxidermist immediately, wrap thefishthefish in a wettowelwettowel or wet newspaper, place inside two plastic bags, seal,andseal,and place in the freezer as flat as possible.
5. Get the fish to a Taxidermist as soon as possible. Keeping the fish in your freezer for an extended period of time could result in freezer burn of the fins and the fish itself, and this could affect the overall appearance of your finished mount.
SNAKES
1. Safety is paramount when dealing with these critters.
2. You can't bash in the head of the snake and expect to have an acceptable looking mount in the end. SO DON'T DO THIS.
3. Take the live snake and place it in a tow sack or other suitable container. I prefer to use a five gallon tin bucket that one would buy popcorn in. Place the lid securely on the bucket and place the bucket into your freezer. Freezing the snake alive may sound cruel but this is the best way of dispatching the beast and most importantly, the safest way for you. I prefer to leave the snake in the freezer for two days before removing it from the bucket. Contrary to popular belief, once a snake is frozen, it is dead. It will not thaw out and come back to life. Dead is dead. The snake will be coiled up very tightly, which makes for a nice compact package that doesn't take up much freezer space. You can then place the snake in two plastic bags, seal it tightly and return it to the freezer.
4. Get the snake to the Taxidermist as soon as you can to avoid freezer burn and possible damage to the specimen.
5. Remember, safety is foremost when dealing with these things. No mount is worth getting snake bit over.
LIFE SIZE
1. If you harvest an animal you intend to have mounted life size, do not skin or make any incisions of any kind.
2. Clean as much blood as possible from the specimen and keep it as dry as possible.
3. Put the specimen on ice as soon as possible.
4. If you can't get it to the Taxidermist immediately and choose to store it in your freezer, wrap the feet (individually) with a plastic bag and tape it securely to prevent air from getting to the feet. Also, wrap the head with a plastic bag and tape securely (this will help to prevent freezer burn to the extremities of the specimen). Once this is done, double bag the entire specimen and place it in your freezer.
ANTLER MOUNT
1. Do not remove the antlers from the skull.
2. If you cannot deliver the specimen to your Taxidermist immediately, simply double bag the entire head and place it into your freezer. Freezer burn is irrelevant in this case.
EUROPEAN MOUNT
1. Simply remove the head of the specimen and deliver to your Taxidermist or double bag the entire head and place it into your freezer. Long term storage is not recommended because freezer burn will literally weld the skin to the skull, making it very difficult to remove. This could result in scar damage to the finished piece.
I hope this information has been helpful. If you have any further
questions, please contact Double Barrel TAXIDERMY for assistance.
GAME HEADS
1. If you intend to mount the trophy you are hunting, obviously
you would not shoot the beast in the neck or facial area. And more importantly, DO
NOT CUT THE THROAT. I have always been amazed by the fact that so many
hunters feel the need to cut the throat of the animal and then expect their
Taxidermist to give them a high quality mount. The quality of the finished mount
depends a great deal upon you and the care it was given in the field.
2. If you do not know how to cape out the animal, take it to your
local processor and they should know how to properly cape it out. Or, take
the entire animal to your Taxidermist and have him cape it out for you. One
important note; it is always better to have too much skin than not enough. So, if in
doubt, take more than you'll think you'll need.
3. Avoid excessive dragging of the animal on the ground. This
will damage the hair.
4. Get the cape on ice as soon as possible and remember to keep
it dry.
5. If you can't get it to the Taxidermist immediately and choose
to store it in your freezer for the time being, wipe as much blood as possible
from the hair and keep it as dry as possible. Moisture and bacteria will cause
the hair to fall outofoutof the cape. Double bag the head and tape the bag around the
antler burrs or horn bases to prevent air from entering the bag and causing
freezer burn. Remember, extended time in your freezer will cause freezer
burn which may affect the finished mount.
6. Click on HOW TO CAPE AN ANIMAL to see an illustration and instructions on how toproperly cape out ananimal to be mounted.
BIRDS
1. If you intend to mount a bird you are hunting, avoid using large
shot that will severely damage the specimen (a Taxidermist can only work
with what he is given). Also, avoid close shots if at all possible, for obvious reasons. If you hunt with dogs, do not let the dog mouth the bird excessively, if at all.
2. Upon retrieval of the bird, pack the mouth and nostrils with
cotton or toilet tissue. This will keep blood and body fluids off the feathers.
Also, clean as much blood off the feathers as you can. This will help
prevent staining of the feathers and bacteria growth, which promotes slippage.
3. Never place a bird to be mounted in your game bag. At this point, the less damage we inflict upon the specimen, the better off we will be in the long run.
4. If you can't get the bird to the Taxidermist immediately, place the bird head first into a pair of your wife's old pantie hoses (this keeps the feathers lying flat and secure to the body), place into two plastic bags, seal and place in your freezer.
5. Get the bird to a Taxidermist as soon as possible. Keeping
the bird in your freezer for an extended period of time could result in freezer
burn of the feet and facial areas, and this could affect the overall appearance of your finished mount.
FISH
1. First and foremost, DO NOT GUT THE FISH. Do not cut the
fish anywhere.
2. Take photos of the fresh fish, if possible, to ensure the Taxidermist has accurate information to refer back to when it's time to paint the fish.
3. Get the fish on ice as soon as possible.
4. If you can't get the fish to a Taxidermist immediately, wrap thefishthefish in a wettowelwettowel or wet newspaper, place inside two plastic bags, seal,andseal,and place in the freezer as flat as possible.
5. Get the fish to a Taxidermist as soon as possible. Keeping the fish in your freezer for an extended period of time could result in freezer burn of the fins and the fish itself, and this could affect the overall appearance of your finished mount.
SNAKES
1. Safety is paramount when dealing with these critters.
2. You can't bash in the head of the snake and expect to have an acceptable looking mount in the end. SO DON'T DO THIS.
3. Take the live snake and place it in a tow sack or other suitable container. I prefer to use a five gallon tin bucket that one would buy popcorn in. Place the lid securely on the bucket and place the bucket into your freezer. Freezing the snake alive may sound cruel but this is the best way of dispatching the beast and most importantly, the safest way for you. I prefer to leave the snake in the freezer for two days before removing it from the bucket. Contrary to popular belief, once a snake is frozen, it is dead. It will not thaw out and come back to life. Dead is dead. The snake will be coiled up very tightly, which makes for a nice compact package that doesn't take up much freezer space. You can then place the snake in two plastic bags, seal it tightly and return it to the freezer.
4. Get the snake to the Taxidermist as soon as you can to avoid freezer burn and possible damage to the specimen.
5. Remember, safety is foremost when dealing with these things. No mount is worth getting snake bit over.
LIFE SIZE
1. If you harvest an animal you intend to have mounted life size, do not skin or make any incisions of any kind.
2. Clean as much blood as possible from the specimen and keep it as dry as possible.
3. Put the specimen on ice as soon as possible.
4. If you can't get it to the Taxidermist immediately and choose to store it in your freezer, wrap the feet (individually) with a plastic bag and tape it securely to prevent air from getting to the feet. Also, wrap the head with a plastic bag and tape securely (this will help to prevent freezer burn to the extremities of the specimen). Once this is done, double bag the entire specimen and place it in your freezer.
ANTLER MOUNT
1. Do not remove the antlers from the skull.
2. If you cannot deliver the specimen to your Taxidermist immediately, simply double bag the entire head and place it into your freezer. Freezer burn is irrelevant in this case.
EUROPEAN MOUNT
1. Simply remove the head of the specimen and deliver to your Taxidermist or double bag the entire head and place it into your freezer. Long term storage is not recommended because freezer burn will literally weld the skin to the skull, making it very difficult to remove. This could result in scar damage to the finished piece.
I hope this information has been helpful. If you have any further
questions, please contact Double Barrel TAXIDERMY for assistance.
