If you’re planning to preserve your next catch and bring it to your local taxidermist in Cody, WY for mounting, you may be wondering what steps you should take following the kill to keep it looking great. Even the most impressive animals can look small, cartoonish and ugly if not cared for and mounted properly after being hunted. Thankfully, there are a number of easy steps you can take to ensure that your trophy is in prime mounting condition following your hunt.
Whether you hunt large game, small mammals or prefer to spend your time fishing, it’s important to know how to best preserve your trophy after the hunt is complete. A well-preserved catch can spruce up your trophy room and provide you with an exciting talking point for years to come.
Here are a few handy tips to follow before taking your trophy to your local taxidermist in Cody, WY:
- Handle carefully: With any type of animal, you should be sure to handle the carcass as carefully as possible. It’s exceedingly important that you don’t damage the skin or muscle tissue of your trophy. Taxidermists can employ a number of techniques that will repair damage caused by entry and exit wounds, but they’re only capable of working with existing material.
- Freeze mammals as soon as possible: Deer and other large mammals should be gutted and frozen as quickly as possible, especially if the temperature is higher than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. While it may be tempting to take your trophy out for a joy ride to show off to your friends, it’s much more important to preserve it for future days.
- Don’t freeze fish or birds: Conversely, fish and birds should never be frozen. Fish, in particular, need to be preserved as quickly as possible by a skilled taxidermist. If you’ve caught a fish that you’d like to mount, you should wrap it in a wet towel and place it in a plastic bag. When dealing with birds, never gut them before bringing them to your taxidermist.
- Cape correctly: If you’re dealing with a deer or similarly sized mammal, you should be careful to cut the cape correctly while gutting the animal. If you don’t know how to properly cape out a deer, you should travel with someone who is knowledgeable. Failure to properly cape out your deer could ruin the entirety of your mount.
- Don’t drag: When working with a large trophy, it’s important to avoid dragging the animal by its head, horns, neck or feet. You might inadvertently tear the carcass, making it virtually impossible for the taxidermist to create an accurate rendering of the trophy. Be sure to treat your trophy with care and caution.
Since 2004, Nature’s Design Taxidermy has been a widely trusted taxidermist in Cody, WY. We are proud to provide each and every one of our clients with high-quality taxidermist services. You can count on us to help you preserve your trophy for years and decades to come. Contact us today to learn more.