Fish
Fish — skin mounts
- Carefully examine the fish for damage and determine the best or "show" side.
- Take a good 35mm color photo. Avoid bright sun and flash photos (too much glare).
- Keep the fish alive or get it cold immediately. The faster a fish gets cold, the better the colors hold.
If you are in a back-country situation where freezing may not be possible, or you practice catch & release, see Fish Reproductions below for the alternative.
Fish reproductions
- Measure the length from the nose to tip of the tail. Fan, or spread, the tail when measuring.
- Measure the girth (circumference) of the fish around the belly.
- Weigh the fish, if possible.
- Note any unique markings, scars or color variations.
- Take a clear color photo of both sides of the fish.
Birds
Birds
Birds are very easy to care for in the field. First, you must determine if the bird is good enough to mount. Many birds brought in each year, particularly waterfowl, are not fully feathered enough to make a quality mount.
Handle the bird carefully and avoid anything that might stain or break the feathers. Birds may also be frozen and shipped via UPS if you live a distance away. Please call before shipping.
Mammals
Mammals — basic rules for field care
- Whenever possible, bring it in fresh for the taxidermist to skin.
- NEVER slit the throat of any animal.
- When field-dressing any animal, always make your cuts with the sharp edge of the knife pointed up — away from the hide.
Small or medium mammals
No matter how you plan to mount your small or medium mammal — up to the size of a coyote — the field care I recommend is the same: check for damage (head damage is particularly difficult to repair), keep it cool, get it to the studio whole when possible.
If you bring in your small mammal whole, I can look it over and help you choose the best way to mount it. Full body mounts and rugs are the most common choices, but there are some other interesting options.
Large mammals — full body mounts
Mammals such as deer, sheep, goats and bear that you want as a full body mount need extra care and attention in the field. Field-dress the animal in the usual manner, EXCEPT — keep the cut as small as possible and don't open up the chest cavity any more than necessary.
If your trophy is an antlered animal, you will also need to make a short "Y" incision from each antler and slightly down the back of the neck. Follow all other gamehead instructions when skinning.
Rugs
Skinning an animal for a rug is the simplest method. Make the usual cut down the center of the belly to the anus and field-dress the animal. Cut down the inside of each leg from foot pad across to the body cut. Skin carefully, lifting and pulling the hide away from the meat — don't cut holes.
Cut through the wrist and ankle joints by cutting the tendons. Leave the feet attached to the hide. I do not recommend that you skin out the feet or the head; do not salt the hide.
Gameheads (full shoulder mounts)
Or full shoulder mounts — the most popular way for most people to display their trophy animal. For local customers, once the animal is field-dressed and properly registered, I encourage you to bring it in whole so I can do the caping right.
If you must cape it yourself, make a cut behind the shoulder, then up the back of the neck from the base of the skull to the first cut. Cut up the back of the front leg to where it meets the body, then over to meet the first cut. DO NOT cut inside the front leg.
Take a cloth-tape measurement around the neck behind the ears (on the meat, not the hide). Then a second measurement 3" down the neck, parallel to the first. Bring the measurements with the cape.
