Information-Resources
Field Care Essentials for Your Hunting Trophy
Field Care
Protect Yourself
Use caution when handling wild game. They may carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Protect yourself by always wearing rubber or latex gloves. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling.
Field Care Essentials (Proper care and handling)
Proper field care is the critical first step in ensuring that your mount will be of the highest quality. Hiring the right taxidermist is essential; however, even the most experienced taxidermist can only do so much if proper field care is not performed. Improper field care may result in hides being lost in the tanning process or may affect the outcome of your trophy.
Decomposition begins with death. Bacteria and internal chemicals and enzymes begin breaking down tissues. It is imperative that the animal is cooled down as quickly as possible to decrease the rate of decomposition. This is especially true with antelope and early season animals.
When gutting your trophy, do not cut up through the brisket. As a general rule, do not salt a skin after removal. It is best to bring your skin to a taxidermist as soon as possible. If it is necessary for you to salt the skin, salt ONLY after it has been properly fleshed and everything is turned out. Failure to properly flesh and turn out the skin may result in loss of the hide.
After cooling, freeze all skins as quickly as possible to avoid damage.
Caping for a Shoulder Mount
Skinning for Life-size Mounts (Large Game)
Skinning – Small Game
For animals the size of a coyote or smaller, simply ice down the animals as soon as possible. DO NOT gut the animal. Small mammals, especially carnivores, will spoil very quickly. If it is not possible to get a small game animal to a taxidermist right away, then after cooling the animal completely, put the animal in a plastic bag and freeze it.
Once again, take extreme care when handling these animals due to the fact they could be infected with rabies or other disease.
Birds
To minimize damage, avoid allowing your dog to mouth the bird more than is necessary. If possible collect the bird yourself to limit the damage. Do not carry the bird by its neck and do not wring its neck as this can cause damage to the feathers. It is best to carry the bird by the feet. After rinsing blood from the feathers with water, cool as soon as possible. Do not gut the bird. Bring it to a taxidermist immediately or freeze it. When freezing, put cotton inside the mouth and place the head under a wing Place the bird into a plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible. Do not bend the bird’s tail feathers when freezing. Instead, let the tail feathers stick out of the bag and loosely tie the bag.
Fish
For both skin mounts and reproductions, take pictures as soon as the fish is caught as fish can lose color almost immediately. Photos will help when replicating and capturing the beauty of the fish in the mount.
Do not gut the fish. Wrap it in very wet towels and put it into a plastic bag, making sure that the fins are flat to the body. Freeze the fish.
Important Notes
- When bringing your trophy to a taxidermist, make sure that all appropriate tags accompany your trophy. Migratory birds require the hunter’s name, address, type of bird, where the bird was taken, date the bird was taken, license number, and signature.
- Be aware, that although this doesn’t occur often, despite a hunter’s best field care, problems with a skin may arise due to a myriad of factors including but not limited to: sickness; time of year; too much moisture; etc.
- Executing the proper field care must be a top priority. Although you may be tempted to share your experience and trophy with others, doing so before proper field care may result in irreversible damage.
Our Process
Below, we’ve provided information about our process so that you might be better informed as to what to expect when you entrust us with your trophy.
When we receive your trophy, we will inspect it for potential problems. You will then be advised of problems as well as potential options and solutions.
Your trophy will be tagged. We will “punch” all parts of the trophy with an identification code so that you may rest assured that your trophy is just that, YOUR trophy.
Once everything has been inspected and tagged we will proceed to the next step, pose instructions. Tom will personally contact you, preferably by phone, to discuss poses that best capture the beauty of the animal and that meet the requirements and/or restrictions of the space and surrounding environment that you have set aside to showcase your trophy. If you prefer to communicate via email, Tom will honor your request, and correspond via email. Of course Tom is always willing to meet with you in person. If you prefer to drop your trophy off or if you are “in the area” and would like to drop by, Tom is more than willing to discuss pose instructions with you at your convenience.
After pose instructions have been determined and a 50% deposit has been paid, your trophy will be prepped for the tanning process. This includes skinning, fleshing, and salting the trophy. We use only the best tanneries and materials throughout this process.
Once your trophy comes back from the tannery, we will soak and measure the skin and determine the best form selection. This is only the beginning. We will cut, size, and sculpt the anatomy according to your pose instructions to give you exactly what you asked for.
Once the proper size and pose is achieved, we then will proceed to mount your trophy. During this process the highest quality materials are used and skilled precision applied to create your unique trophy.
Custom Habitats – Upon request
Tom has years of experience designing and creating realistic habitats. Whether your dreams include building a museum, a trophy room, an intimate habitat to showcase your trophy, or simply “bringing the outdoors in” with a custom tree, Tom has the vision and experience to bring your desires to life. Upon request, custom trees, foliage, landforms, and water features are intentionally designed and constructed to magnify each animal’s beauty and spirit while emotionally drawing each beholder into an authentic experience.
Once custom habitats are completed, your trophy/trophies will be strategically placed within your custom designed habitat(s). Whether preparing your uniquely designed piece for shipping, pick up, or when completing an installation, each trophy is cleaned and touched up with precision to ensure each artistic creation is of the highest quality.
*Basic habitats are included with each mount. Please contact Tom for details as to what basic habitats include.
Pedestals
If you have selected a pedestal mount, at this time, your trophy will be placed on the pedestal. We include basic habitat features with each pedestal. Should you prefer additional habitat features, please let us know. We will be more than happy to custom design a habitat to meet your every desire. Again, prior to scheduling pick up, delivery, or when completing an installation, each trophy will be cleaned and touched up with precision to ensure each creation is of the highest quality.
More questions?
Please feel free to call us at (775) 997-6641 or email us at [email protected].
*Final payment is required prior to pick-up, delivery, or installation.