Begin Taxidermy With Careful And Accurate Skinning

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Whether you're doing your own taxidermy, or preparing a mount for a customer, friend or relative, skinning of the animal is your first priority. This requires careful attention to detail. An inaccurate skin job will jeopardize the finished work, and in some cases, can make a mount impossible to do. Especially when doing a mount for a paying customer, this just isn't option.

Before beginning to skin your animal, consider the finished project. Pelts can be tanned and displayed alone, or used in either a head or full-body mount. How you proceed with the skinning of any animal will depend on what you're going to do with it.

Pelts that will be displayed alone require fewer detailed cutting skills. This type of skinning is a good place for a beginner to start. Smaller animals such as squirrel and rabbit will make good practice. Bigger projects should be reserved for later, when you're more confident. The pelts can be sold for a variety of purposes and there's a ready market for them nearly year round. Pelts for display are quite popular and they can also be used to make fur rugs, coats and robes. Whether you make these items yourself or sell the pelts to others, there's money to be made.

Full-body and head mounts require very careful cutting and attention to detail. Every cut can mean the difference between a skin that fits the mount and one that doesn't. Leaving enough of the skin to work with, preserving the integrity of the face, dealing with the claws and ears are just a few of the concerns. A slow, steady hand and concentration are the best ways to ensure you do a great job of cutting.

Before you ever make that first cut though, it's important to get some vital statistics on the animal. Making the animal, fish or bird look as realistic as possible is the goal here. Therefore, it's important to take accurate measurements of the body. Take note of everything and keep those notes handy. When you're making a full-body or head mount, these measurements will ensure you get the job done right. Careful measuring and recording now will make your work easier and more professional later.

Once you have the measurements, it's time to get the tools you need. The first is your standard hunting knife. It's typically large and sharp and it's ideal for the first cuts. For fine skinning work, a short bladed knife such as a utility knife or kitchen paring knife is an absolute necessity. Make sure all of the knives you use are sharp and clean and within easy reach while you're working.

Many hunters make the same mistakes out in the fields. They don't know how to take care of their kill. A lot of them end up driving around for a day or two with the deer in the back of their truck so they can go show it off. By the time they get around to taking it to the taxidermist, it's just not salvageable. Avoid this inclination yourself and encourage anyone you'll be doing work for to as well. Tell your clients to bring their kill to you as soon as possible and give them some instruction on what they should do to get the best mount.

It's very important that the animal is preserved quickly and properly so the taxidermy mount turns out right. Ideally, any specimen that will be mounted would be properly prepared in the field. For example, if you intend to do a head mount of a deer, the animal needs to be skinned down to a point on the shoulders. It's important to leave enough skin to allow for trimming during the process. Then entire head then needs to be put on ice and taken to the shop right away. The sooner the process gets started, the better the mount.

When mounting entire specimens, again, it's important to get the animal on ice, and get it into the shop right away. Tissue decays and fur starts to fall out as soon as the animal dies freezing helps to slow this process and preserves the hide.

Hides and pelts also require proper handling in order to present well. If the skinning is done in the field, the entire pelt needs to be soaked in ice water in order to preserve it until it can be tanned and finished. When an animal is brought into your shop, get to the skinning right away and get that hide tanned so it can be displayed or used.

Keeping these simple steps in mind will not only make your own personal taxidermy mounts better, but it will also ensure that your customers will receive an awesome end-product.

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