need2hunt Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 It looks like I am going to have the opportunity to chase after some Merriams this spring. I am considering having one mounted if I'm lucky enough to get one and was wondering what preperations I need to consider to get it to a taxidermist? Thanks! G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Get to the bird as soon as he's shot and pick him up so he doesn't flop on the ground and loose a bunch of feathers. After that I would think you would just want to keep him cool and get him to the taxi man as soon as you can...... Thats my .02. Good luck. Are you hunting MO this year:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Keep the bird cold. Place dead bird head first into a pair of panty hose to keep the feathers together and tight against the body. Place in plastic bag and pack in ice. Keep the bird from getting wet while in the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longspur69 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 PLEASE, don't put him in the panty hose. I'm a turkey taxidermist, and it will mess up more feathers than you can shake a stick at. It sounds like a great idea, but really does mess them up. Keep a couple of newspaper sleeves and rubber bands in your turkey vest. When you kill one, put the plastic sleeve over the turkey's head and put the rubber band over it to secure it. And, try to pick him up by the feet so as not to mess up feathers . . . . but watch out for those spurs. Don't bother with putting the head under the wing or any of that mess. Just get him in a large plastic garbage bag as soon as possible, and freeze him. If you are going to ship the bird, it will need to frozen for at least 2 days to ensure that its frozen all the way thru. It takes about 48 hours at room temp for one to thaw out, so make sure to ship on a Monday or Tuesday and no more than 2 days shipping. Let me know if you need more info and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 PLEASE, don't put him in the panty hose. I'm a turkey taxidermist, and it will mess up more feathers than you can shake a stick at. Can you explain in detail on what problems you have come across with this method. I would really like to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longspur69 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Yes Sir, The birds end up getting shuffled around in the panty hose, and the only thing that the panty hose holds in place are the ends of the feathers. This damages the tiny "vel-cro like" ferrules on each feather, which prevents the feathers from smoothing out to their normal shape. In a nutshell, it makes them frayed on the ends. Conversely, the garbage bags offer no resistance to the feathers, and thus don't damage them. The bird can move around in the bag without being damaged. I realize that the panty hose fits snuggly over the bird, which in theory would prevent the bird from jostling around in there. But, the fact is, when the bird gets placed in a freezer on top of last years deer meat, Mrs. Paul's fish sticks, and an old sack of ice cubes, they do press into the bird moving the panty hose and feathers around. Trust me, I mount a couple of hundred turkeys a year, and the panty hose trick is just a good idea that doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 Trust me, I mount a couple of hundred turkeys a year, and the panty hose trick is just a good idea that doesn't work. My god ! I sure hope you have a ton of freezer space. How do you have any time to do any deer or fish with that much bird work ? A half dozen turkeys a year would be over whelming for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longspur69 Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 I do have a ton of freezer space, and I skin them when they come in the shop. Customers that have time to wait can walk out with their breast meat. Also, they don't all come in at once. I get a lot at the end of turkey season, and being a wholesale turkey taxidermist, I get a second big wave in during deer season when other taxidermists start taking in deer and need the freezer space. Oh yeah, to answer your question, I don't do mammals at all. I'm going to start taking in a few fish this year and maybe a few mammals. But, for seven or eight years now, all I've been doing is turkeys. . . . and a few ducks, pheasants, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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