Mounts?

[Waterfowl Freak]

Have a ? about a Redhead i have in the freezer, he has been there since end of last season was going to mount him and never got around to it. How long with they keep or is it a lost cause to try? O ya and he is in a nylon so he should be in good shape. Any thoughts or suggestion would be appreciated

thanks, Eric

[callemquacktn]

He should still be ok.

My buddy who is a taxidermist is still getting birds from last yrs season.

[goosewhkr]

It sounds like you stored him properly. He will be fine. My taxidermist has 2 honkers of mine that he has had for over 3 years. He had all these ducks for about the same amount of time and they turned out fine....

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2261/dsc00142ef9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

hope this helps!!!

[Waterfowl Freak]

Thanks for the feedback guys, i'll have to get him goin

thanks again Eric

[Jason Mears]

He'll definitely be fine.

[JustinW]

Guess there will be different opinions. My Grandfather has been a bird taxidermist for the past 30+ years. He recommends to people that they not have birds that old mounted. First off, good job on storing the bird in a nylon, as long as you kept the neck strait and all of the feathers strait the bird will keep in the freezer for a while. The problems come when a bird has been in the freezer for 9+ months or so. Freezerburn starts to set in relatively early because the skin is so thin on birds. After a while the skin on top of the skull freezerburns and prevents the feathers from being able to be puffed back up to their natural fullness. Around this same time the feet will get freezerburned and will feel dry. Try thawing the bird enough to feel the feet. If the feet still feel soft and supple like the day it was shot then it may still be in good shape. But if you feel that the thawed feet have stiff webbing then the quality in the mount will be compromised.
The season will be here soon, might be best to breast this one out and look for a good bird this season that you can mount when it is fresher. Also check out some of the taxidermy association websites. You can find events and meet up with other bird taxidermists and learn some of the tricks that make the good mounts look so good.

[David Rearick]

Justin is correct you need to watch freezer burn. I have had birds in the freezer for 1-2 years and they show no problems after mounting. OI you want to be sure, when you freeze a bird wrap the bill and feet in a wet paper towel. It will keep them from freezerburning for extra time and save any possible headaches. If the feet do dry out, you can always use the feet from a different bird, like species, to solve the problem!

[Stuart McCullough]

Justin brings up a good point with the feeezer burn. I did taxidermy for about 13 years and with birds that had been stored for some time freezer burn was a problem. Mainly the feet, eyes, head, and wing tips. The way I found to help prolong the freezer life was like this. First I would make sure that all of the feathers would lay correctly with the bird facing back down. Then I would gently put the head under one wing. The I would place a moist cotton ball in the web of each foot. Once all was in place I wrapped the bird tightly making sure to not damage any feathers with freezer wrap and date it.

Stuart McCullough
Avery Outdoors Inc.
Pacific Flyway Pro-Staff Manager

[JustinW]

Justin brings up a good point with the feeezer burn. I did taxidermy for about 13 years and with birds that had been stored for some time freezer burn was a problem. Mainly the feet, eyes, head, and wing tips. The way I found to help prolong the freezer life was like this. First I would make sure that all of the feathers would lay correctly with the bird facing back down. Then I would gently put the head under one wing. The I would place a moist cotton ball in the web of each foot. Once all was in place I wrapped the bird tightly making sure to not damage any feathers with freezer wrap and date it.

Stuart McCullough
Avery Outdoors Inc.
Pacific Flyway Pro-Staff Manager

wrapping the feet in damp towels isn't a bad idea and new to me but makes perfect sense. This is the same manner a fish would be frozen in to prepare it for taxidermy. The only problem i can see presented with tucking the head under is that it kinks the quills of the neck feathers and if they are frozen like that and left for a while (read:not very long at all) the feathers tend to not lay properly on the neck. Every taxidermist will have their preferred way though. I by no means "know it all", just picked some stuff up from being around it my whole life. In general, check with your taxidermist and if you plan to mount a bird, bring your nylons into the field and make sure you take care of the bird from the moment it faulters in the sky.

[Waterfowl Freak]

Hey thanks guys that's some great info i'll have to check him out when i get a chance, i'm stuck in the woods right now lighting them on fire it controlled burn time for us firefighters

thanks again, Eric Stelk