BIRDS 
GENERAL
INFORMATION ON OUR METHODS
PHOTO GALLERY
- Ducks & Geese
OR
Gamebirds
FIELD CARE
PRICES
SHIPPING
INFORMATION
PAYMENT INFO
WORK
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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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PRICES
Effective 2008
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UPLAND GAMEBIRDS
Price includes driftwood
base or simple
Standing OR flying pose
Ruffed Grouse & Ptarmigan
$ 210.00
Spruce, Sage, Blue grouse
225.00
Pheasant, Prairie Chicken
225.00
PEACOCK Same as Turkeys
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WATERFOWL
Price includes driftwood base or
simple panel
Standing OR Flying Poses
DUCKS Small & medium
$ 230.00
Large (eiders, etc.)
250.00
GEESE Small (Ross`s, Brant, etc.)
300.00
Medium/Lg (Canada, Snow, specks) 350.00
Giant Canada
375.00
SWAN same price as Turkeys (above)
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Turkey
Standing
$ 650.00
Flying
675.00
Strutting
750.00
Deluxe Oak base extra
150.00
Special Turkey Mounts & Parts
Tail & beard / plain oak panel
$100.00
Tail & Beard / story panel
160.00
Breast mount / no panel
245.00
Breast mount w/ oak panel
325.00
1/2 mount (Head, wings, breast, back & tail)
400.00
1/2 mount as above with oak panel
475.00
Turkey Rug / no panel & no head
300.00
Wings, (pair)
85.00
Feet (pair)
35.00
Spurs (pair)
15.00
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HABITAT & WATER BASES
Water surface is smooth or w/ small ripples.
Splashes, large waves, take off and landing poses are extra.
DEEP WATER BASES
4 -6” DEEP (swimming birds - bottom
visible)
Single bird size (8"x16")
$250.00
2 birds size (18"x24")
375.00
(Feet and “lake bottom” visible thru water)
SHALLOW WATER BASE
1 -2” DEEP (floating birds)
Single bird size (8"x16")
$
200.00
2 birds size (18"x24")
325.00 (Water is dark,
feet not visible thru water)
Above prices do not include cost of birds, base
covers or extra habitat plants
Water lily flower only, each
$25.00
Lily pads only (5 assorted)
35.00
Cattails (set 5 leaves, 1 stalk)
25.00
Special Bases
$30 per hour + materials
Plexiglas Covers
COST + 10% |
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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