Back in one of my first posts I showed you a really nice mallard that my girlfriend Laurel put on the water.  We are planning to hang him on the wall of my fly tying room in a banking pose.  Since she took him down in Moab we are going to have him mounted on a chunk of red rock for the backing board.  It took me a few months but I finally got him sent off to Darin Gardner at Bird Fish Taxidermy. I am very excited to get this bird back and on the wall.

I also sent him two other birds for a project that I have started.  Every year I am going to do a dead mount of the first bird I kill during the calender year.  Last year I killed a hen golden eye and this year a beautiful green wing.  That was a fun bird.  It was out on the Great Salt Lake with Jeff Bringhurst, Tony Smith and a father and son from Canada.  The father/son team were some serious hunters.  Drake, the son, went seven for seven out of Tony’s layout boat.  The amount of birds was unreal, thousands upon thousands.  Hunting late season out of layout boats on the Great Salt Lake is something everyone should do.  It is cold, salty, and amazing.

Here are some photos from Darin’s shop.

Proper field care:

Game care begins in the field. The minute that special bird hits the ground proper field care for taxidermy begins. Birddogs hold a place in our hearts as retrievers as well as conservation tools. However, as a taxidermist, it is often that a client brings a bird that has been retrieved by a “hard-mouth” dog. Some birds that get retrieved end up being fine. Others are not so lucky. Try to keep all mountable birds away from dogs. I know, easier said than done.

Keeping these things in mind will greatly increase the odds for a quality mount:

1. Retrieve the bird yourself if it is potentially a trophy.
2. Do not carry birds by their necks, this could cause feather loss. Always carry trophies by the feet.
3. If the bird is not dead, try “if at all possible” not to wring the neck. One effective way is to lay the bird on its chest, and carefully apply pressure to the back with your knee or hand; this will suffocate the bird quickly without damage.
4. Keep as much blood and dirt from soiling the feathers as possible. Keep in mind, I will remove this later, yet, it is best to KEEP IT CLEAN.
5. Broken bones and bullet holes in beaks are generally not a problem. However, lost feathers cannot be replaced!
6. Life begins at 40! 40 degrees F. that is if you’re talking about tissue destroying bacteria. Keep birds cool and put them in the freezer ASAP. Fold the head under a wing. Place them in a plastic bag, PLEASE DO NOT WRAP IN NEWSPAPER OR PANTYHOSE. Plastic bags only! Force as much air out as possible & seal it up. The smaller the bird, the more important this step is! For very small birds, (quail, parakeet) it can be helpful to soak the belly area in rubbing alcohol to prevent rapid bacterial growth.
7. Get the bird to me quickly. The faster I get it, the better shape it will be in, and the quicker you will get it back.