Field Care

Skins, Scales & Skulls Taxidermy

Trophy Care

So you have just bagged your trophy...Now what?
Getting a trophy from the field to the wall requires the combined efforts of a taxidermist and a savvy hunter, like yourself.

At all cost if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me personally.

Small Mammals
Animals, coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional. Don't gut the animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil quickly because of their thin hide. If you can't immediately bring me your animal, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put it in a plastic bag (2 bags is better) and freeze it. Then arrange to get me your trophy me as soon as possible to avoid any possibility of unnecessary freezer burn. The intricate facial areas (ears, eyes, nose, mouth) are the first to become freezer burned.

Birds
Retrieve the bird by hand if at all possible. Don't send the dog. Pick it up carefully by either cradling it gently or by the feet so you don't accidentally pull out feathers. Don't immediately put the bird in a plastic bag. The bird needs to air cool completely first. Don't gut or breast the bird out either. When packing the bird out after the hunt, carry it separately from any other birds. If you have to pack them out together on a game strap you should loop the feet in the strap instead of the neck. The main thing you want to avoid is feather loss or breakage. Don't worry about blood or wet feathers. These I can take care off, but of course keep it to a minimum. Look for pinfeathers. They are no good when choosing a specimen for taxidermy. These will fall out during the mounting process. Pinfeathers are the feathers growing in with soft shafts. Carefully look through the feathers by pulling them apart and looking at the shafts. Don't pull hard enough to pluck them. Pay close attention to the scapular feather groups (the long shoulder feathers) and the side feather groups on waterfowl. These are usually the last to grow in. Make sure no major groups of feathers are missing. Pay special attention to head feathers.

Freezer burn is always a major problem to a bird. It will ruin your possibility for a quality mount. Here's how to avoid it...Tuck the bird's head under one wing and roll it up in a plastic bag. Force all the air out while rolling it up tight, while being careful with feathers. Double or triple bag the specimen, forcing all the air out and taping it shut with masking tape. Label and date your bird. Put the package directly in the freezer. Don't keep it in a frost-free type freezer for any extended period of time. These will dry birds out and will cause them to freezer burn.

Fish
First of all, take a good color photograph of your trophy catch. This will enable me to duplicate the natural color tones back into that particular fish, as a fish will loose its coloration shortly after being caught. Handle your fish carefully, to avoid breaking any fins or loosing scales. Do not gut your fish. If you can not take your fish immediately to a taxidermist, wrap it in a very wet towel and put it in a plastic bag, making sure all the fins are flat against the fish's body (to prevent breakage), and freeze it solid. A fish frozen with this method can safely be kept in the freezer for months. Do not wrap your fish in news paper. The newspaper will pull the moisture away from your trophy and jeopardize freezer burn. Your best bet is to always get it to me as soon as possible.

Shoulder Mount

1. With a sharp knife slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the mid-way point of the rib cage behind the front legs. Slit the skin around the legs just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back of the leg and joining the body cut behind the legs (Figure 2A and 2B).

2. Peel the skin forward to the head/neck junction. Cut neck off approximately three inches down from this junction. After this cut is made, the head is removed. This should allow the hide to be bunched up and put in a freezer until transported to the taxidermist. Make sure the hide has cooled before bunching it up and putting it in the freezer.The cuts mentioned should allow ample hide for the taxidermist to work with in mounting. Remember, I can cut off excess hide but I can't add what he doesn't have.

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3

DO NOT

Cut the throat or anything on the front (throat) side of a deer, elk, antelope, etc. This is very difficult to repair and could require a new cape.
Salt the hide unless you completely skin the head (and the feet on a bear), turn the ears and split the lips of the animal.
Leave the skin in the sun. This causes bacteria growth, which causes hair slippage.
Hang the animal by the head or attach a rope around neck.
Drag the animal, especially against the hair pattern. Try using a cart at all cost.
Drive around with your trophy, showing it off to your buddies. Rather show them a picture and preserve the hide properly.
Wait for the meat locker to call you when your cape is ready. Be proactive and stay on top of this. Most lockers, use a lot of water for washing per regulation standards, and your trophy hide could be subject to absorbing water from their cleaning process. This causes bacteria growth.
Toss a warm hide (rolled up) in the freezer immediately. Allow it to air cool first.

Skinning Life-Size Big Game

Flat Incision Illustration
Flat Incision Taxidermy Illustration

Figure 1

There are two major methods of skinning for a large life-size mount such as deer, elk, or bear. These methods are the flat incision and the dorsal method. I recommend the flat incision.

The Flat Incision is used for rug mounts and for a variety of poses. The areas to be cut are shown in Figure 1. Make these slits (cutting the feet free from the carcass) and pull the skin off the carcass. The head is detached as with the shoulder mount.

The Dorsal Method of skinning involves a long slit down the back (from the tail base up into the neck). The carcass is skinned as it is pulled through this incision. The feet/hooves and the head are cut off from the carcass as with a shoulder mount explained later. Only use this method with approval and detailed instructions from your taxidermist. Use this method only when the skin can be frozen quickly after skinning.

Additional Tips

Always have appropriate tags with your trophies, when you bring them to my shop.
Songbirds, Eagles, Hawks, and Owls are protected by Federal Law and cannot be mounted unless with special Federal permit.
For situations where you are hunting with no available taxidermist or freezer, contact me about techniques to skin out the entire cape (including the head) and salting the hide. This is the only method in remote locations that can preserve your hide for later mounting.
Because of the various diseases that wild game can transmit to humans, always use extreme caution when handling the carcass. Use rubber or latex gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling.

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Cut the throat or anything on the front (throat) side of a deer, elk, antelope, etc. This is very difficult to repair and could require a new cape.

Salt the hide unless you completely skin the head (and the feet on a bear), turn the ears and split the lips of the animal.

Leave the skin in the sun. This causes bacteria growth, which causes hair slippage.

Hang the animal by the head or attach a rope around neck.

Drag the animal, especially against the hair pattern. Try using a cart at all cost.

Drive around with your trophy, showing it off to your buddies. Rather show them a picture and preserve the hide properly.

Wait for the meat locker to call you when your cape is ready. Be proactive and stay on top of this. Most lockers, use a lot of water for washing per regulation standards, and your trophy hide could be subject to absorbing water from their cleaning process. This causes bacteria growth.