Moment In Time Taxidermy

Small Mammals

Animals, coyote sized or smaller, should not be skinned unless by a professional. Don't gut the animal. Small mammals will spoil quickly because of their thin hide and bacteria. If you can't take the small game animal immediately to our studio or drop points, as soon as the carcass cools completely, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it.

Birds

Do not gut the bird. Rinse off any blood on the feathers with water. Take the bird immediately to our studio or drop point or freeze it. Put the bird into a plastic bag for freezing being careful not to damage the features, including the tail. If the bird's tail fathers do not fit in the bag, do not bend them. Let the tail stick out of the bag and tie the bag loosely.

Fish

Do not gut your fish. If you cannot take your fish immediately to our studio or drop point, borax thoroughly or wrap in a wet towel and put it in a plastic bag, making sure all the fins are flat against the fish's body (to prevent breakage), seal tightly, and freeze. A fish frozen with this method can safely be kept in the freezer for a few weeks.
Note: A fish will lose its coloration shortly after being caught. A good color photograph immediately after the catch may enable our wildlife artists to duplicate the natural color tones of that particular fish.

Caping for a Shoulder Mount

1. With a sharp knife slit the hide circling the body behind the shoulder at approximately the mid-way point of the rib cage behind the front legs. Slit the skin around the legs just above the knees. An additional slit will be needed from the back of the leg and joining the body cut behind the legs (Figure 2A and 2B).

2. Peel the skin forward up to the ears and jaw exposing the head/neck junction. Cut into the neck approximately three inches down from this junction. Circle the neck cutting down to the spinal column. After this, cut the head off the neck. This should allow the hide to be rolled up and put in a freezer until transported to our studio or drop point. These cuts should allow ample hide for the wildlife artist to work with in mounting. Remember, we can cut off excess hide but we cannot add what we do not have.

There are two major methods of skinning for a large life-size mount such as deer, elk, or bear. These methods are the flat incision and the dorsal method. We recommend the flat incision.
The Flat Incision is used for rug mounts and for a variety of poses. The areas to be cut are shown in Figure 1. Make these slits (cutting the feet free from the carcass) and pull the skin off the carcass. The head is detached as with the shoulder mount.

Tips

Always have appropriate tags with your trophies when you take them to our studio or drop points. Do not cut the ears for attachment.