Bowtech Dave

Well, I am getting ready to leave in a couple weeks to go bowhunting for turkeys in TX. I have been doing a lot of reading about bowhunting these awesome birds. I have found a couple articles about taxidermy care for the birds. I don't plan on doing a full mount in the event I am lucky enough to take one, but I want to make a fan mount.

That being said, how long will a turkey stay fit to eat if you do not field dress it right away? One person said that you should freeze the entire bird until you can get it to a taxidermist. I will be doing the fan mount myself, but I don't plan on doing it right away. I plan on waiting until I make it back home to New Mexico to take care of it, which will be a few days. Our hunt is three days long.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

shaftnem

If you're planning on doing a fan mount, you can just cut the tail off the bird, and care for the meat as you usually would. Cut from the back of the tail, where it meets the body.You'llwantto leave a little of the skin and thefeathers that run down the birds back. These feathers have alot of color in them and they'll cover the long bare quills of the actual tail feathers. It makes for a much more attractive mount. The meat, as well as the tail, feet, and beard should always be kept as cool and dry as possible. If a freezer is available, that would definitely be the best option.A cooler or refrigerator will work {for a couple of days, anyway} if it's the only thing plausible.

Alex The Hawk

I'll buy the wings if you are not going to use them ??

nctaxi

It's a shame to not at least do a breast mount. Do you hunt Texas often? I was ignorant, well more ignorant, when I was younger and thought that I would always do the hunt and fish various places. Well, now I have to get reproductions of the various fish I caught (walleye, salmon, pike, smallmouth, etc). If you don't get to Texas much, spend the money on getting it mounted, someday you may wish you had!

livbucks

I took a boss with 10 inch beard on two separate occasions and only did a tail mount of one of them. I'm now regretting that choice. I now wish I would have done a banking flight mount of one and a full strut of the other. I guess money was an issue then.

nctaxi

Money is always an issue! I've taken 3 gobblers and never had any mounted, regretting it every day.

rgswildlife

Get it mounted guys.



Rich

Bowtech Dave

I would love to do a full mount, but I don't have the money and I don't have the room in my house to display a full mount. I like the idea of a fan mount. I was just wondering how long I could wait to do the fan mount? That is mighty fine lookin mount rich! Maybe someday I will have room for something like that.
Dave

nctaxi

Dave - talk to your taxidermist about doing a breast mount. It doesn't take any more room than a fan mount and still looks great. You would have to freeze the whole bird or have your taxidermist skin it out. Here's what I would do - go talk to your taxidermist, ask him/her about a breast mount. Do it a little at a time, maybe pay a little towards the head or skinning, get your bird then have him/her skin the bird, then get the head freeze dried and painted, etc.. If your taxidermist will work with you it may be the way to go.