Now is the time to call the taxidermist
By Moosetrack Megan

Posted: October 19, 2015

General season will be upon us in a few short days and folks will beging brining home meat and in some cases, hides and heads that the want mounted. Two Montana taxidermists gave the following five tips for folks bringing in an animal to be preserved as a trophy.

Call before you hunt.

Taxidermists have preferences for how an animal is butchered, and it varies from species to species. Different techniques help them hide seams and make the mount look better. Call ahead of time to get a brief rundown of how the taxidermist wants the animal preserved.

When in doubt, leave more skin than you think is necessary.

It’s easy for the person doing the mount to chisel a piece off the skin, but impossible to retreive it from back on the mountainside.

Cut from the inside to the outside.
This prevents unnecessary hair removal and bald spots on the hide.

Make straight, even, uniform cuts.

Zigzags look bad and are difficult to work with.

Get it cold and get it cold quickly.

Deterioration starts from the moment of death. Get the hide out of the heat, sunshine and blowflies as soon as possible.

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