How to Prep Your Bird for the Taxidermist

So, you shot a trophy bird! Any harvested animal that has some special meaning to the hunter is considered a trophy by my definition. First retrieves, first ducks of a certain species, unique-looking hybrids or color variations can all fall under the “trophy” category that you’ll want to bring to the taxidermist in the best condition possible. To make things easier on your taxidermist and have a better looking mount, here are a few steps you can take.

• Preparing a bird for the taxidermist begins with the retrieve. Try not to let the dog pick at the feathers and dispatch the bird without wringing its neck to the point that the head detaches.

• Keep the bird clean. When you have the bird in-hand after the shot, you’ll have to decide relatively quickly whether it’s going on the wall or in the freezer. If it’s a mountable bird, keep it safe and clean in the field. Wipe excess blood off of the feathers and don’t let it freeze to metal or become roughed up in any way possible. Try and cool it down as quickly as you can. Avoid hanging it by its neck.
• Prepare the bird for the freezer. If you can’t get to the taxidermist right away, you might want to freeze the bird. Birds can be safely kept in the refrigerator for about 2 days if you’re able to get to the taxidermist in that window, but if not you’ll want to freeze it. Wrap the bill and feet in a wet paper towel to keep them from drying out. Avoid using pantyhose, newspaper or textured bags to wrap the bird in. These materials can freeze to the feathers and imprint undesirable patterns and damage feathers. Instead, tuck the bird’s head under its wing to minimize the chance of the neck snapping if dropped while frozen. Then, place the bird inside of a plastic freezer bag and remove as much air as you can. You can double-bag it if you want.

Green-wing teal with damaged head due to shot. This bird would not be the best candidate for mounting. 

• Freeze bird and wait!
• At the taxidermist: Make sure you have all necessary harvest information with you: license information, etc. This protects both you and the taxidermist. Have an idea of what kind of pose you want the bird in. If one side or body part is damaged from the shot, the taxidermist can work with you to choose a pose that helps conceal the damage or possibly order replacement parts. Have your down payment ready (if necessary).
• Other things to consider: In general, birds shot later in the season have fewer pin feathers as they have had more time to grow out since molting. Too many pin feathers on early season birds make skinning more difficult and also can cause the bird to look patchy and in poorer quality condition than some of the later-season birds you will harvest. Then again, if your kid’s first bird or your dog’s first retrieve was a teal on September 1, the memory still makes it a trophy in my opinion even if the mount might not be as perfect as a late-season plumage bird.

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