after the kill
 

Once I take an animal, what should I do to preserve it before I take it to the taxidermist?

RE: after the kill
 

Freeze it as quickly as possible.

RE: after the kill
 

keep it as clean as possible.remove all the blood with a damp colth.if it is a bird,make sure all the feathers are stright and try to not break any.a turkey can loose a lot of feathers flopping around.get to the bird as quick as you can and don't let it flop and jump around.slid it into a vest or if you have cloth bag slide into it head first.
If you are not on a long trip,get it to your taxidermist A.S.A.P.

a fish,make sure the fins are laying flat and stright.wrap in a damp towel and place in plastic bag.be careful with the fins,especally after they are frozen.

all of this is the way I liked it when I was doing the work.
good luck on getting a good mount.

RE: after the kill
 

should I clean it before I take it in? And if so, where should I stop right behind the shoulder?

RE: after the kill
 

stuck;it depends on what you take,as to clean or not.

the only thing I would say clean is a big game animal ; deer ; antalope ;bear or the like.

all the small game , you can leave as is.
Go talk to you local taxidermist and see what he wants you to do with an animal.he should have a card that shows where and where not to cut.get a copy and be very careful with the knife.don't cut the skin or hide.

RE: after the kill
 

just out of curiousity what would you say is the longest you can wait with a animal before taking it in?

Waiting
 

It all depends on the weather. In hot weather, the animal should be skinned and salted as soon as possible. Or get it to a cooler or freezer as soon as possible. Not only to save the hide, but also to prevent the meat from spoiling. You should also cover the meat with some sort of protection to keep the bugs off. On antelope one of the most important things to remember is to keep all blood off the fur. The fur on an antelope is hollow and will absorb blood. Which is almost impossible to remove after the blood dries. (KEEP ALL BLOOD OFF OF ANTELOPE). All birds that are to be mounted should have the vent, and mouth stuffed with cotton to prevent any fluids from soiling the feathers. Also all shot holes should be plugged also. Wrap the bird carefully, so not to bend any feathers. Especially any long sprigs, and tail feathers Then freeze the bird as soon as possible. On birds such as pheasant I would recommend taking an old cardboard roll from paper towel or such, and inserting the tail feather in this to prevent any damage.

Coyote Caller

RE: Waiting
 

Here is a tip for your birds....Carry a old pair of (ladies nylons) when you bag your "lets say turkey" just slide the bird in the nylons(in the leg of the nylons), and you can tie off the ends of the nylon, it will keep your bird clean, free of flies, and you wont break any feathers...I tell my customers to also wrap the head with some paper towels, to absorb any blood.

>>lori->

RE: Waiting
 

When I shoot a deer, I load it up in the back of the truck and drive it to the taxidermist studio about 45 minutes from were I do most of my hunting.

If I shoot a buck in the evening then I will gut him, then hang him up in one of the barns over night, then I'll take him to the taxi. I love my taxidermist, he does every thing at his shop. Its a real "one stop shop".

RE: Waiting
 

Our taxidermists like us on big game to gut it and skin it keeping it intact as possible from just in front of the back legs. They also have us skin out the legs without cutting above the knee. The more intact hide they can work with the better. Even though it takes us 4 hours to skin it out, they appreciate the extra material we let them have.