Rogue

If you cant guess by the title I am the dumb a&&. I killed a spring bear with my bow, It was a beautiful glossy black not a rub spot one on the hide anywhere. And like the deer and elk hides I salted it and stuffed it in the freezer. Apparently this is a big NO NO! Are there any other things that I should know before I ruin somthing else. If nothing else maybe someone else wont make the same mistake I made.

Rogue

HOGHUNTINGUNLIMITED

thats to bad how big was the bear???

hey I live in grants pass OR so you must have got the bear around here????
thats cool not to many people can get a bear with a bow

Bullet Hole Bailey

I also live in Grants Pass Oregon.....

nctaxi

1. Find a taxidermist before you kill anything. He/she can give you better advise than you will find here. They will be mounting it, some like dorsal skinned, some like it ventral. Find one that you like their price and quality, even if you have to ship it somewhere.

2. What do they use salt for? To stop things, like roads, from freezing. Either freeze or salt but not both.

3. Pay top money for top quality. If you hunt in a $30,000 truck, shoot a $1200 rifle, ride a $6,000 4 wheeler, don't complain about price. Get good quality. Remember this after all the hunting seasons are over and you're sitting in your favorite recliner, do you want to look at a POS or a reminder that you made a good decision.

4. Most taxidermist will show a good customer how to skin and salt properly. If you hunt a lot, a small bag of skins to pack out is easier than a whole hide and head.

5. Learn to skin properly. I hate telling a good customer that they screwed up by short caping, cutting wrong. We, as taxidermist, want to produce the best possible mount that we can do, but it all starts with you.

6. Don't drag a trophy. Deer have hollow hair that is pretty fragile and breaks easily. It sucks mounting the best mount that we can and having broken hair or other problems.

There are dozens of other things but time is limited. Hope it helps

Rogue

Thanks nc I do have a taxidermist that I work with, this being the first bear that I had thought of doing anything with other than eating I treated it like I do the elk and deer capes. Salt will be a big NO in my book from now on.

Hey guys its good to see some southern oregon folks on here. I killed that bear up near union creek on a spring tag. Just walking the roads as the bears were out in force filling up on spring grass. He wasn't a monster approxamately 240lbs but had a great coat on him.

thanks all and good luck if you still have tags to fill.

Rogue

rgswildlife

Wildlife Taxidermy by Richard G. Santomauro
1732 Highway # 71
Wall NJ 07719
Phone- 732-449-5950
E-mail [email protected]
Web page http://www.rgswildlifetaxidermy.com

If you have any problems or questions before or after you leave on your adventure of a lifetime call me and I will be able to help you. This page contains instructions and detailed information to help you field-prep your specimen and insure a successful mount. NOTE: Before you begin, determine the type of mount you want. If you are unsure, proceed for a life-size mount.
BIRDS
We do not recommend skinning birds unless you are experienced with this. The skin of a bird can be very thin and can be torn easily.
FISH
We do not recommend skinning fish unless you are experienced with this. A fish skin can be very delicate. Also a pattern needs to be made of your fish, along with many measurements, to insure you a quality fish mount.
MAMMALS


SHOUDER MOUNT

1. (Incision A) Cut the skin around the middle of the animal.
2. (Incision B) Make an incision from the base of the skull down the center of the back of the neck connecting to incision A.
3. (Incision C) Cut along the back side of the front legs to incision A. and cut off the legs at the knee.
NOTE: Do not cut into the brisket area. Cut the skin plenty long - we can cut off any extra.
LIFESIZE MOUNT

1. (Incision A) Beginning at mid-chest cut a straight line down the belly, stopping a few inches from the anal opening. Avoid cutting through the penis and scrotum.
2. (Incision B) From the heel of the pad of the rear foot, following the back of the leg, make a cut to where incision A ended. Repeat on opposite leg.
3. (Incision C) Following inside the front leg, from the middle of the pad, to the middle of the chest, make the final incision. Repeat on opposite leg.
RUG MOUNT
Use the same skinning procedures as for a life-size mount except:

Continue incision A to the anal opening.
Connect incision B to A at the anal opening.[/ul]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
General Notes

All trophies must be properly skinned & salted or frozen immediately to inhibit bacteria growth.
Measurements of your trophy are helpful (nose to eye, nose to tail, and circumference of belly).
All incisions should be made as straight as possible.
Make all incisions from under the skin up through the hair to avoid cutting the hair. After all incisions are made pull and cut the skin loose from the carcass.
Remove the skin from the carcass to the base of the skull.
Sever the neck meat from the base of the skull.
Sever the tailbone from the carcass, leaving it inside the skin. [/ul]
At this point the skin is now ready to be frozen, with the head, tail, paws/hoofs inside. If a freezer is not available, see Fleshing and Salting.
Skin the Paw/Hoof
The paws/hoof must be skinned out to the last knuckle of each toe, leaving the claw/hoof connected to the skin
Skin the Head
Do this by carefully cutting the skin away from the skull.

The ear butts must be cut off very close to the skull.
Be especially careful not to cut the skin around the eyes and tear duct areas.
The lip skin should be cut very close to the gums.
Leave some nose cartilage on the skin and you will be finished skinning. [/ul]
The skin is now ready to be frozen or, if a freezer is not available., see Fleshing and Salting.

Skin the Tail

Make an incision on the bottom side of the tail.
PUSH the skin from the bone - DO NOT PULL THE SKIN OFF. [/ul]
Removing Antlers

Skin the head first.
Saw through the back of the skull through the eye sockets.
Remove all flesh, membrane, etc. and allow it to dry.
The horns are then ready to ship to us.
If your antlers/horns are in velvet, Contact Us for further instruction. [/ul]
Fleshing and Salting
A temporary way of preserving your trophy is by fleshing and salting the skin. This process should not be done unless you are sure of what you are doing.

The entire skin must have all fat, flesh, and membrane removed from it.
The ears must be turned inside out - separating the cartilage from the back ear skin.
Eyes and lips must also be turned, removing all flesh.
Rub generous amounts of non-iodized granulated salt (available at farm feed stores) into the flesh side of the skin. It is very important in this step to not miss any areas.
Roll the skin up overnight allowing it to drain.
The next day, shake off the old salt and apply new salt.
When no more moisture is present (approximately one week), the skin can be shipped to us. [/ul]
NOTE: Do not use rock salt. The salt will remove moisture from the skin so be prepared for this mess also, do not salt and then freeze this could ruin your skin.
FREEZING YOUR TROPHY
Once any trophy is taken it must be frozen immediately. Place your trophy in a plastic bag and allow it to freeze until frozen completely through. Your trophy is then ready to ship.

BIRDS
Birds are best frozen whole. Birds can be frozen with their head tucked under one wing. Try to remove any blood before you freeze the bird. Put something absorbent in the mouth so fluids do not leak on to the plumage. With a Turkey an incision can be made from the end of the breast to the vent and then remove the guts, this will allow the taxidermist to save the meat for you if it is brought in fresh. If available, on smaller birds, slip the bird into the leg of a nylon stocking headfirst. This will keep all the feathers in a natural position. If this is not possible, Contact Us for other instruction, just don’t bend or break the feather shafts. In my shop if you shoot a migratory bird I need your hunting license number, any some info for the federal paper work.
FISH
Fish are best frozen whole and damp.
NOTE: There is a growing interest in catch-and-release fishing. Because of this Wildlife Taxidermy by Richard G. Santomauro is offering beautiful Reproduction Fish Mounts. All we need to know is a length and girth measurement and you can release your fish alive, for someone else to enjoy!
SMALL MAMMALS
Small mammals can be frozen whole (fox or smaller). Larger mammals should be first skinned. (See Skinning Instructions)