birds

[road.kill]

has anyone ever had a duck or goose mounted? if i get some with good color and size this year i may be looking into getting one mounted up. But dont know what to do, begining with care of the animal.

obviously pick one that didnt get eaten by the dog or broken wing or anything. But once i get the bird i want, how should i freeze it?

Also, anyone have good recomendations for bird mounts? 

Thanks

[BIGBULLBALLS]

road.kill, after you kill the bird freeze it then pull it out and put it in a plastic bag.  Try to get most of the air out and put it back in the freezer.  If you are looking for a great bird taxidermist try Mike Casper in Walla Walla.  He is world class.  He has done a snow goose and a pacific brant for me and they are flawless.  He is going to do a speckelbelly for me this year.  I can post pics if you want to see them

[road.kill]

thanks for the reply. Im not sure if i will get a bird that i want mounted this year but its definately a possibility. i will keep him in mind. You dont need to post pictures now but maybe i could ask later on? You dont need to spend time posting a picture without me having a bird in the freezer 

ive heard that you should freeze them with the head tucked under the wing, any truth to that?

[luvtohnt]

My taxy told me to tuck their head under the wing then slide then head first into a nylon stalking. This is supposed to keep all the feathers down against the body so nothing is out of place. Also make sure you wash all the blood off before freezing.

[boneaddict]

Get any blood off of it you can, especially those with white feathers.  It discolors them if you let it set.  Place the head under the folded wing and tuck it tight like a little pacjkage.  Some recommend using a womans nylon stretched over it to help secure it, but I do not do that.  I usually place a papertowel next to the bill or around it as no matter what, blood always seems to leak out and that helps absorb it from the feathers.  Wrap it up tight and then plastic bag it.  Get as much air out as possible.  If you wrap it in a pillow case or something like that prior to plastic bagging it you can extend its life a bit in the freezer.  Chest freezers seem to freezer burn less than the stand up ones.
Good luck.

[boneaddict]

If you are doing one with a tail (pheasant) be careful of that.  It can bend and reshapen but frozen they are REALLY brittle.

[Michelle_Nelson]

A "Frost Free" freezer will cause an animal to freezer burn a lot faster.

[boneaddict]

Kind of the same physics behind chest versus stand up.  the chest hold the heavy moisture when you open the lid, the chest when you open it, it all "slides" out onto the floor.  It deydrates or "burns your specimens faster.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I use nothing but chest freezers.  I can get more into them.  Usually nothing stays in their long enough to get freezer burned.  I make sure I re wrap hides brought into me that are already froven.  For those I freeze I make sure the head is in the inside which prevents freezer burn. 

The worst freezer burn I find is usually on heads that are froven whole and it is normally around the eyes, on the ears and the nose.

I will eventually get a stand up for my already tanned hides.