How to Prepare your skull for European mounting:

Preparing your skull for shipment is easy. Follow these simple steps:

1. Remove tongue, eye balls, fat behind eye socket and brains.

2. Remove all fir and large pieces of meat.

3. Attach hunting tag for records.

4. Place head in plastic bag

5. Put in freezer.

I provide local pick up around the South Puget Sound area. Call me to set up a pick up time.

NOTE: Proper preparing prior to shipping will save you money and me time.

If you have any question, dont hesitate to call or email me.

 (253) 255-1434 or jim@bonesandbirds.com

How to prepare your game bird for Mounting

When saving a bird in the field for later mounting, several steps should be taken to keep the trophy in good condition. In anticipation of keeping a bird for mounting later a hunter should take along several items such as newspaper, paper towels, and masking tape. Follow these steps as shown in the pictures below.

1) Stuff paper towel into the mouth and deep into the throat of the bird.
2) Wrap 3 - 4 paper towels around the head and neck of the bird.
3) Carefully tuck the head and neck under the wing being careful to keep blood off of the feathers.
4) Wrap the bird in several layers of newspaper using the masking tape to keep it in place.

Now place the bird in a paper bag for transport home. Once home, replace the outer layer of newspaper with a lightly damp terrycloth towel. Place into a plastic bag, seal and place the bird in the freezer. Follow these additional helpful hints to keep your trophy in good condition for the Taxidermist.

• Always choose a trophy that is in good shape. Even though the bird may be one-of-a-kind, if it is blown to pieces you can't expect to receive a perfect mount upon completion.
• After harvesting, keep the bird in a cool as possible environment. Keep out of direct sunlight and warmth.
  
• Never attempt to skin the bird or remove the entrails.
• If possible, wipe off any additional fresh blood from the bird. Water works well for this. Don't worry about getting the feathers wet but don't over-do-it either.
• Never place a fresh bird into a plastic bag without following the steps above first.
• It is possible to save the meat for later consumption provided the bird has been kept cool and frozen quickly, however, it is not advisable.
• Get the bird to the Taxidermist as quickly as possible after freezing. Birds will keep for up to 6 months frozen but quality may suffer if kept frozen for an extended period of time.
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