how to bring in your species to mount
Mammals (Deer, Elk, Moose, Beer, Boars, Foxes, Etc.)
Any type of mammal needs to be brought in as soon as possible.
Try your best to keep your specimen as clean as possible from dirt, blood or fluids.
When it comes to gutting the animal, never cut the front of the neck or throat. With smaller mammals, you can freeze them whole (do not gut). It is better to skin large mammals right away. If possible; always leave the most difficult areas to skin up to the taxidermist to do, unless you have experience.
Keep your specimen cool and dry, and never drag the specimen as this will cause hair damage.
For Shoulder Mounts: when cutting the cape, make sure to cut well behind the front legs to include the arm pit and belly area to ensure adequate material to do your mount.
For Life Size Mounts: Remove skin from the carcass by starting with the legs, cutting the feet off at the ankles or wrists. Work skin off of the body and remove the skull from the carcass at the first joint of the spine so the skull stays in the hide. Fold skin to skin, roll up, and place in plastic bag and freeze right away.
Nature's Image Taxidermy mounts everything from mink to moose.
Waterfowl and Upland Game (Pheasants, Turkeys)
Any type of bird needs to be brought in as soon as possible. The shape it is in will determine how your mount turns out.
The bird should be as clean as possible; try to avoid getting any blood or dirt on the feathers.
Birds should be carried by their feet to avoid any damage to the neck; if the neck is damaged, it will affect the final result of your mount.
Do not gut your bird; instead, place it whole into a plastic bag so that the bird and all its feathers stay in place
Make sure to include the proper license numbers and hunter information with each bird.
Fish
Immediately after catching your trophy fish, take photos to show the fish's colors; these will be used to match the original color during the mounting process.
Accurate measurements are also needed from tip to tip and the largest girth.
As fish mounts are custom to each fish, Nature's Image will do the best to be as close to the original as possible.
If you forgot to take photos or measurements, Joe will work with you to determine how to reproduce your prize winning catch.
Nature's Image Taxidermy specializes in a variety of fish species and mounts.