Brian Mower Taxidermy
How to Care for Your Trophy in the field to ensure a quality mount
Please Call 267-640-9910
How to Care for Your Trophy in the field to ensure a quality mount
Please Call 267-640-9910
There are several different ways you may choose to mount a mammal and each way requires slightly different handling in the field. You may choose to do a full body mount. This is most common for small mammals (like mink and squirrels) and medium mammals (like foxes & raccoons). Bear, deer and other big game animals can also be mounted as full body mounts, but because of the size, they require different field care than small & medium mammals.
Bear are the animal most often made into a rug, but bobcats, coyotes and foxes also make a beautiful rug. Field care is very similar for any animal you want to make into a rug. Half or 3/4 body mounts are also very popular for bear, but can be done for other animals as well.
Gameheads or full shoulder mounts is the most popular way to display many trophy animals. Deer and other horned and antlered animals are most often mounted this way.
BASIC RULES FOR FIELD CARE OF ALL MAMMALS
1. NEVER SLIT THE THROAT OF ANY ANIMAL !
2. When field dressing any animal, always make your cuts with the sharp edge of the knife UP.
3. When field dressing ANY animal that you want to have as a full body mount, You must leave his/her genitals and bung hole attached. DO NOT cut these off.
4. If you must skin the animal yourself, make as few cuts as possible.
5. Do not drag the animal unless you place something under it to protect the hide.
6. NEVER hang or drag any animal by the neck! This damages the hide and stretches the neck. Hang any animal with the head down and drag out by the antlers or front legs.
7. Place tags carefully in the hide or taped to the antlers or horns, doing as little damage as possible. NEVER Poke a hole in the ear for tag placement.
8. Keep every animal as COLD as possible (42 Degrees or below)and bring it in as SOON as possible. NEVER EVER place your game animal in a plastic bag and leave it in the sun or other warm place like your basement. Your basement or garage are not cool places.
9. Keep your animal skin away from water. Water promotes bacteria growth which makes the hair fall out or (slip).
10. DO NOT SALT any animal unless it's head and feet are completely skinned and fleshed.
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.
1. Check for damage. Head damage is particularly difficult to repair, so are very large holes. If you feel the animal is mountable, then.....
2. Place in a plastic bag. Most small & med. mammals carry fleas, lice or ticks. If you have some bug killer, like RAID, spray the animal down before putting it in the bag.
3. Bring the animal in fresh or place in your freezer. DO NOT GUT or SKIN unless the weather is very warm and you have no access to ice. This is especially true if you want a full body mount, many measurements are needed from the carcass.
4. If you must field dress the animal, then a make a cut from the bung hole up the center of the belly to the ribs. Do not cut past the rib cage. Remove the entrails. Do not remove the testicles, penis or bung hole.
5. Fill the cavity with ice and bring in as soon as possible.
If you bring in your small mammal whole, I can look it over and help you choose the best way to mount your mammal. Full body mounts and rugs are the most common choices, but there are some other interesting options. Mammals can also be shipped via UPS if they are frozen first. Call before shipping to be sure you enclose the proper paper work.
GAMEHEADS
Full shoulder mounts, are the most popular way for most people to display their trophy animal. For local customers, once the animal is field dressed and properly tagged, I encourage you to bring in the WHOLE fresh animal. I will gladly remove the cape at no extra charge. I do this for a couple reasons. First, when you see where to make the cuts and measure the neck, you will do a better job if you ever have to cape another animal yourself. Second, by caping the animal myself, I know the cape is not cut short and I eliminate any extra holes that are often cut in the hide by an inexperienced skinner. Third, I can get fresh & accurate neck measurements which helps me get the proper size form for your animal. And since I take a limited number of gameheads each year, if you wait to bring in your deer, I may be booked up already.
However, the following diagram and instructions should help you if you are in a situation where you have to skin the animal yourself. If the animal is too large to hang by the hind legs (elk, moose), then make the cuts on one side of the body and skin it as far as you can. Then lay the hide back over the meat, and roll the animal over. Make the remaining cuts and finishing skinning to the back of the skull.
1. Make a cut around the body BEHIND the front legs.
2. Make a cut up the back of the neck from the base of the skull to the first cut behind the shoulder
3. Make a cut up the back of the front leg to the point where the leg meets the body. Then bring the cut over to meet the first cut. DO NOT CUT INSIDE THE FRONT LEG.
4. Cut around the front legs, just above the knee. 5. Lift and pull the hide toward the head as you begin skinning. Be careful in the armpit area not to cut any holes.
6. Continue skinning until you are at the back of the skull, then stop.All of the hide should be hanging over the head.
7. Using a cloth tape measure, (or a boot lace if you forgot the tape) measure around the neck, behind the ears and under the jaw. Measure on the meat not on the hide, at the smallest point
8. Make a second measurement 3" down the neck, on the meat, parallel to the first measurement
9. Separate the skull from the neck, fold the hide flesh side to flesh side and place in a plastic bag to keep from drying out. DO NOT SALT THE SKIN !! Salt should be used only after the cape is fully processed or it will prevent the hide from freezing properly and create excess fluid which can cause the hide to spoil faster.
10. If you are still unsure about where to measure, leave at least 6" of neck attached to the skull and bring it in. The head and cape may also be frozen now and brought in later. Keep in a cool, dark place like an unheated garage or a spare refrigerator. You must bring the head into a taxidermist immediately if the temperature is above 60 degrees and within 2 days if the temperature is above 45 degrees or you need to freeze it. The hair will begin to "slip" if it is not frozen or processed soon after skinning. Follow the instructions for freezing mammals.
The following instructions are to be followed only if you are in a back country situation, the weather is warm and you do not have access to refrigeration.
Measure from the nose tip to the inside corner of the eye (tear duct) only if you must remove the entire cape from the skull. To do this, make a cut from the base of the skull to the base of each antler or horn. Carefully cut and pry the skin from around the antler, then cut thru the ear cartilage as close to the skull as you can. Continue skinning forward until you reach the back of the eye. Put your hand under the cape & stick your finger in the eye socket. Then lift the skin & eyelid away from the skull as you carefully cut thru on the flesh side. DO NOT CUT OFF THE EYELIDS ! At the front of the eye, many animals have a deep gland. When you reach the front of the eye, cut towards the bone and continue pulling on the cape. The next area is the rear corner of the mouth. Cut thru here and separate the skin from the bone where it meets the teeth. When you reach the nose cartilage, cut straight down. Cut along the bone until the hide is completely off the skull. Now freeze the skin or ice it down, unless you are very experienced in processing capes. DO NOT SALT !!! Salt will only work if the nose cartilage is split, the lip skin is split, the ears are turned and the entire hide is carefully fleshed. The hide will not freeze if it is salted.
FULL BODY MOUNTS - LARGE MAMMALS
Mammals such as deer, sheep, goats and bear that you want as a full body mount need extra care and attention in the field. First, field dress the animal in the usual manner, EXCEPT - keep the cut as short as possible and do not remove the genitals or the anal opening. Make your initial cut to the side of the genitals and next to the anus. To prevent fluid from getting on the meat - tie them off under the skin. If you are familiar with a dorsal or back incision, this is the way I prefer to mount life size mammals. You may find it awkward and difficult to do in the field if you are not accustomed to skinning an animal this way.
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 instructions when skinning. You will also need to take the following measurement. You will need to take a measurement from the tear duct near the eyeball to the center of the nose. U can use a flexible tape measure or a piece of string. Write this measurement down. Do not forget it. Or you can text or e-mail it to me.
FREEZING MAMMALS
The most common problem with freezing mammals is the drying out of the ears, feet and face. This can make it more difficult to properly skin and prepare your mammal for mounting. For all mammals, wipe or rinse as much blood off the hide as possible, then do the following: 1. Wrap the face with a wet towel. Be sure to cover the nose and ears. Use more than one towel if needed. Place a heavy plastic bag over the towel, squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can and use tape to keep it in place.
2. For deer or other horned or antlered animals, wrap each ear with a separate wet towel and place a plastic bag over each ear. Then wrap the face from the bases and over the nose with another wet towel.
3. Wrap each foot and the tail (except the tail on bear) in a wet towel and place a plastic bag over each one.
4. If the animal is skinned, fold the skin flesh side to flesh side and fold or roll it up. Now place the entire animal or skin into a heavy plastic bag. If the animal has horns, allow them to stick out of the bag if possible.
5. Get as much air as possible out of the bag and tie or seal it shut. Seal the bag around the bases of antlers with tape. You need to keep as much air out of the bag as you can.
Now place the animal in a freezer near the bottom, if possible, so it freezes quickly. Wrapped like this, it will be in fine shape for several months and should cause no problems for any taxidermist you choose to bring it to.
Bear are the animal most often made into a rug, but bobcats, coyotes and foxes also make a beautiful rug. Field care is very similar for any animal you want to make into a rug. Half or 3/4 body mounts are also very popular for bear, but can be done for other animals as well.
Gameheads or full shoulder mounts is the most popular way to display many trophy animals. Deer and other horned and antlered animals are most often mounted this way.
BASIC RULES FOR FIELD CARE OF ALL MAMMALS
1. NEVER SLIT THE THROAT OF ANY ANIMAL !
2. When field dressing any animal, always make your cuts with the sharp edge of the knife UP.
3. When field dressing ANY animal that you want to have as a full body mount, You must leave his/her genitals and bung hole attached. DO NOT cut these off.
4. If you must skin the animal yourself, make as few cuts as possible.
5. Do not drag the animal unless you place something under it to protect the hide.
6. NEVER hang or drag any animal by the neck! This damages the hide and stretches the neck. Hang any animal with the head down and drag out by the antlers or front legs.
7. Place tags carefully in the hide or taped to the antlers or horns, doing as little damage as possible. NEVER Poke a hole in the ear for tag placement.
8. Keep every animal as COLD as possible (42 Degrees or below)and bring it in as SOON as possible. NEVER EVER place your game animal in a plastic bag and leave it in the sun or other warm place like your basement. Your basement or garage are not cool places.
9. Keep your animal skin away from water. Water promotes bacteria growth which makes the hair fall out or (slip).
10. DO NOT SALT any animal unless it's head and feet are completely skinned and fleshed.
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.
1. Check for damage. Head damage is particularly difficult to repair, so are very large holes. If you feel the animal is mountable, then.....
2. Place in a plastic bag. Most small & med. mammals carry fleas, lice or ticks. If you have some bug killer, like RAID, spray the animal down before putting it in the bag.
3. Bring the animal in fresh or place in your freezer. DO NOT GUT or SKIN unless the weather is very warm and you have no access to ice. This is especially true if you want a full body mount, many measurements are needed from the carcass.
4. If you must field dress the animal, then a make a cut from the bung hole up the center of the belly to the ribs. Do not cut past the rib cage. Remove the entrails. Do not remove the testicles, penis or bung hole.
5. Fill the cavity with ice and bring in as soon as possible.
If you bring in your small mammal whole, I can look it over and help you choose the best way to mount your mammal. Full body mounts and rugs are the most common choices, but there are some other interesting options. Mammals can also be shipped via UPS if they are frozen first. Call before shipping to be sure you enclose the proper paper work.
GAMEHEADS
Full shoulder mounts, are the most popular way for most people to display their trophy animal. For local customers, once the animal is field dressed and properly tagged, I encourage you to bring in the WHOLE fresh animal. I will gladly remove the cape at no extra charge. I do this for a couple reasons. First, when you see where to make the cuts and measure the neck, you will do a better job if you ever have to cape another animal yourself. Second, by caping the animal myself, I know the cape is not cut short and I eliminate any extra holes that are often cut in the hide by an inexperienced skinner. Third, I can get fresh & accurate neck measurements which helps me get the proper size form for your animal. And since I take a limited number of gameheads each year, if you wait to bring in your deer, I may be booked up already.
However, the following diagram and instructions should help you if you are in a situation where you have to skin the animal yourself. If the animal is too large to hang by the hind legs (elk, moose), then make the cuts on one side of the body and skin it as far as you can. Then lay the hide back over the meat, and roll the animal over. Make the remaining cuts and finishing skinning to the back of the skull.
1. Make a cut around the body BEHIND the front legs.
2. Make a cut up the back of the neck from the base of the skull to the first cut behind the shoulder
3. Make a cut up the back of the front leg to the point where the leg meets the body. Then bring the cut over to meet the first cut. DO NOT CUT INSIDE THE FRONT LEG.
4. Cut around the front legs, just above the knee. 5. Lift and pull the hide toward the head as you begin skinning. Be careful in the armpit area not to cut any holes.
6. Continue skinning until you are at the back of the skull, then stop.All of the hide should be hanging over the head.
7. Using a cloth tape measure, (or a boot lace if you forgot the tape) measure around the neck, behind the ears and under the jaw. Measure on the meat not on the hide, at the smallest point
8. Make a second measurement 3" down the neck, on the meat, parallel to the first measurement
9. Separate the skull from the neck, fold the hide flesh side to flesh side and place in a plastic bag to keep from drying out. DO NOT SALT THE SKIN !! Salt should be used only after the cape is fully processed or it will prevent the hide from freezing properly and create excess fluid which can cause the hide to spoil faster.
10. If you are still unsure about where to measure, leave at least 6" of neck attached to the skull and bring it in. The head and cape may also be frozen now and brought in later. Keep in a cool, dark place like an unheated garage or a spare refrigerator. You must bring the head into a taxidermist immediately if the temperature is above 60 degrees and within 2 days if the temperature is above 45 degrees or you need to freeze it. The hair will begin to "slip" if it is not frozen or processed soon after skinning. Follow the instructions for freezing mammals.
The following instructions are to be followed only if you are in a back country situation, the weather is warm and you do not have access to refrigeration.
Measure from the nose tip to the inside corner of the eye (tear duct) only if you must remove the entire cape from the skull. To do this, make a cut from the base of the skull to the base of each antler or horn. Carefully cut and pry the skin from around the antler, then cut thru the ear cartilage as close to the skull as you can. Continue skinning forward until you reach the back of the eye. Put your hand under the cape & stick your finger in the eye socket. Then lift the skin & eyelid away from the skull as you carefully cut thru on the flesh side. DO NOT CUT OFF THE EYELIDS ! At the front of the eye, many animals have a deep gland. When you reach the front of the eye, cut towards the bone and continue pulling on the cape. The next area is the rear corner of the mouth. Cut thru here and separate the skin from the bone where it meets the teeth. When you reach the nose cartilage, cut straight down. Cut along the bone until the hide is completely off the skull. Now freeze the skin or ice it down, unless you are very experienced in processing capes. DO NOT SALT !!! Salt will only work if the nose cartilage is split, the lip skin is split, the ears are turned and the entire hide is carefully fleshed. The hide will not freeze if it is salted.
FULL BODY MOUNTS - LARGE MAMMALS
Mammals such as deer, sheep, goats and bear that you want as a full body mount need extra care and attention in the field. First, field dress the animal in the usual manner, EXCEPT - keep the cut as short as possible and do not remove the genitals or the anal opening. Make your initial cut to the side of the genitals and next to the anus. To prevent fluid from getting on the meat - tie them off under the skin. If you are familiar with a dorsal or back incision, this is the way I prefer to mount life size mammals. You may find it awkward and difficult to do in the field if you are not accustomed to skinning an animal this way.
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 instructions when skinning. You will also need to take the following measurement. You will need to take a measurement from the tear duct near the eyeball to the center of the nose. U can use a flexible tape measure or a piece of string. Write this measurement down. Do not forget it. Or you can text or e-mail it to me.
FREEZING MAMMALS
The most common problem with freezing mammals is the drying out of the ears, feet and face. This can make it more difficult to properly skin and prepare your mammal for mounting. For all mammals, wipe or rinse as much blood off the hide as possible, then do the following: 1. Wrap the face with a wet towel. Be sure to cover the nose and ears. Use more than one towel if needed. Place a heavy plastic bag over the towel, squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can and use tape to keep it in place.
2. For deer or other horned or antlered animals, wrap each ear with a separate wet towel and place a plastic bag over each ear. Then wrap the face from the bases and over the nose with another wet towel.
3. Wrap each foot and the tail (except the tail on bear) in a wet towel and place a plastic bag over each one.
4. If the animal is skinned, fold the skin flesh side to flesh side and fold or roll it up. Now place the entire animal or skin into a heavy plastic bag. If the animal has horns, allow them to stick out of the bag if possible.
5. Get as much air as possible out of the bag and tie or seal it shut. Seal the bag around the bases of antlers with tape. You need to keep as much air out of the bag as you can.
Now place the animal in a freezer near the bottom, if possible, so it freezes quickly. Wrapped like this, it will be in fine shape for several months and should cause no problems for any taxidermist you choose to bring it to.