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BIRDS             

    GENERAL  INFORMATION ON OUR METHODS
   PHOTO GALLERY -        Ducks & Geese          OR         Gamebirds
   FIELD CARE
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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
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Gamebird Photos
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Turkey Photos
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Turkey
                          flat 1/2 mount

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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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