Taking proper care of your animal in the field is the first and one of the most important steps to properly preserving your trophy
Large and Small game animals
- Never hang or drag any deer or bear by the neck
- Never Slit the throat
- Wipe excess blood off of the hide. Do not wash
- We recommend bringing in the entire animal so were able to skin or cape ourselves.
If your unable to get your animal to a taxidermist take it to a respected meat locker and ask them to cape or skin the animal for you. After you receive your hide make sure to get it to the taxidermist or freeze it as soon as possible.
Small mammals such as coyotes or smaller should not be skinned or gutted, they should be taken directly to the taxidermist or frozen whole as soon as possible.
Birds
- Do not gut the bird
- Take great care not to damage the feathers
- Gently wipe off any excess blood with a damp cloth
- Wrap the head with a paper towel
Carefully fold the feathers in and tuck the head under the wing and slide into a plastic bag and freeze. If the tail feathers won’t fit into the bag just leave them hang out making sure not to bend them.
Fish
Do not gut your fish.
If your unable to get your fish directly to a taxidermist, wrap it in a very wet towel and put it in a plastic bag, making sure that all of the fins are folded up tight against the body. Lay the fish on a flat surface to freeze.