BIRDS 
GENERAL
INFORMATION ON OUR METHODS
PHOTO
GALLERY - Ducks & Geese
OR Gamebirds
FIELD
CARE
PRICES
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GENERAL INFO
As with
all my mounts, I take pride in my bird mounts. I
have developed some special techniques and methods
that work very well in producing a long lasting,
beautiful bird mount
Birds are skinned
with a breast incision, removing the neck &
body. Leg and
wing bones are are drilled and cleaned of meat &
marrow and tendons
are removed as much as possible. After thorough
degreasing with
both scissors and a wire wheel, then a soap bath and
rinse, all birds are
placed in a tanning solution. Legs and wing tips
are injected with
the tanning solution. This tanning
solution was developed
by me and has been used in my studio for the last 15
years. Containing
both proven tanning agents and preservatives, I found
it "thickens"
and strengthens the skin, eliminating the fragile
"potato chip skin" that
the typical, dry preserved bird mount has. After
a minimum of 48
hours in the tan, the hide is neutralized, water
squeezed out and
soaked in white gas to displace any remaining water in
the feathers. Squeezed dry again to remove the
gas, birds are then fluffed and the feathers dried
with a blow dryer and compressed air. Once
almost dry, the
holes are sewn and legs and wings are wired for
support.
NOTE - I do NOT "tumble" my birds,
having found that it causes damage to the primary wing
feather tips, tearing of
the skin if there are shot holes and a helluva time
getting all that
dust out of the feathers.
All of my birds are
mounted on Ferebee styrofoam forms, which I have found
to be the most accurate bird forms on the
market. All waterfowl use an artificial head
also made by Ferebee. I use the real skull on
game birds
after it is thoroughly cleaned and all remaining meat
is removed. Necks are made by me out of a
flexible foam material and securely attached to the
head with epoxy glue. The wings and legs are
carefully placed in their proper positions and
securely wired into place. The skin is sewn onto
the form and the skin around the bill (on waterfowl)
is super glued into place. Once positioned, much
time and attention is given to the grooming and
arrangement of the feather groups. This can
take several hours or more, but it is one of the key
steps in making the
bird LOOK good.
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Below are just some of the
possible poses and scenes available
Waterfowl Photos
Click on thumbnail for larger image
Gamebird Photos
Click
on thumbnail for larger image
Turkey
Photos
Click on thumbnail for larger image
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Field Care
for Birds
Birds are very easy
to care for in the field. First, you
must determine if the bird is good enough to
mount. Many birds brought in each year,
particularly waterfowl, are not fully
feathered enough to make a good
mount. Check for pin feathers by
gently lifting backwards and looking for
feathers that are not fully grown. The
back of the neck, the top of the head, the
rump and the side feathers are the areas where
pin or blood feathers are the most
common. Look also at the size of the
bird compared to other birds of the same
species. Older, more mature birds are
generally larger.
Check to see how badly hit
your bird was. If it has large holes,
wing feathers shot or broken off or more than
just a few pellets in the head area, it is
probably in too poor of a
condition to mount. If you are in doubt,
bring the bird in to your
taxidermist so that he/she can check it for
themselves.
Assuming that you have a
well feathered bird that you did not shoot up,
1. Rinse
or wipe as much blood off the feathers as you
can.
2. Place
a piece of toilet paper, or other absorbent
material, in the birds mouth to help absorb
fluids.
3. Tuck
the head under or
next to the wing and place the bird head first
in a plastic bag.
4. Keep
the bird as cool as you can and bring in as
soon as possible OR place in a freezer.
5.
Turkeys and other large birds may need to be
field dressed in order to keep them from
spoiling.
Make a short incision from the vent to the
base of the rib cage.
Remove the entrails and rinse the cavity with
water, then place ice
inside the cavity.
Place in a cooler or bring in ASAP.
Handle the bird carefully
and try and avoid
anything that might stain or break the
feathers.
Birds may also be frozen
and shipped via UPS if you live a distance
away. Please call before shipping for
complete instructions on packing and the
proper paper work to enclose.
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