Caring For Your Game
An incredible mount begins with proper game care. As hunters it is our resposibility to handle our trophy carefully in the field and transporting it to the taxidermist. View the information below for help or for more information on proper game care give us a call.
Small Mammals:
Animals,
coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional.
Don't gut the animal. Such animals will spoil quickly because of their
thin hide and bacteria. If you can't bring the small game animal immediately
to us, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it.
Birds:
Do not gut any bird you wish to mount. We recommend that you do not rinse off any blood on the feathers with water. If possible, bring the bird immediately to us or you may freeze it if that is not possible. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing, being careful not to damage the feathers, including the tail. If the birds 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.
Fish:
Do
not gut your fish. If you can not bring your fish in, 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 and damage to the fins, then freeze
it. A fish frozen with this method can safely be kept in the freezer for
months. Note: Make sure you take a good color photo of your fish immediately
after it is caught so we can duplicate the natural color tones of your
particular fish.
Caping For A Shoulder Mount:
A.
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
just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back
of the leg and joining the body cut behind the legs.
B. Peel the skin forward up to the ears adn jaw exposing the head/neck junction. Cut into the neck approximately three inches down from the junction. Circle the neck cutting down to the spinal column. After this cut is complete, grasp the antler bases and twist the head off the neck. This should allow the hide to be rolled up and put in a freezer until tranporting it to us. These cuts should allow ample hide for the taxidermist to work with in mounting. Remember, we can cut off excess hide but we can't add back what has been cut off.
If blood gets on the hide to be mounted, don't wash it off, we'll take care of it. Also, avoid dragging your trophy out of the woods with a rope if possible. The rope, rocks, or climbs could easily damage the fur or puncture the hide.
Note: Because of the various diseases that wild game can transmit to humans, alwayd use extreme caution when handling the carcass. Use rubber or latex gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling.