A work in progress: The Redheaad

[cbrice89]

So i just got done skinning my redhead. I cant believe it but i didnt cut a single hole in the skin! i also left very little meat on the skin so im hoping this will reduce some fleshing time. I do have a few questions... Since this is only my 3rd mount, which is the easiest; flying, standing/sitting, or dead? One of the wings has a few broken primary feathers but i could probably hide them in a dead or standing mount. Also, i got my kit from a local taxidermist and it looks as though my foam body may be too big? Does it look too big or do you think the real body shrunk up some? If it is too big hopefully he will allow me to switch it out with a smaller one. Im going to be fleshing and cleaning it tomorrow but i was wondering if i should give it a little rinse before i flesh it? (I noticed in one of the tutorials the bird was fleshed before it was clean/degreased.) here is my pic of my progress thus far.

[hmw]

That body is way too big!  Get a flexible measuring tape - like from the fabric store - and take measurements of the carcass.  Measure around the breast and measure the length.  Try to match those measurements as close as you can to the body when you order.

That duck looks to have a good layer of fat on it.

Good luck

[pearsontat]

You are going to need to either shave that body down or get another one, it is too big.

[finazducks]

If that eye is yellow like it looks in the picture it is the wrong color.  should be orange.  Yes body is way too big.  Looks like a body designed for a flying bird.  Leg position is off for standing or lying down

[Brian]

i agree with the eye color. everyone uses yellow but when i went to nc in december we shot alot of redheads and none had yellow eyes!

[cbrice89]

Thanks for the tips. I spoke with my local taxidermist and he is going to let me switch out this body for a new one. Also, i looked at some pics and it seems that the eyes are the proper color..

Here's a link: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=933&authuser=0&tbm=isch&tbnid=GS6VcIgdphajVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/118036/enlarge&docid=GE4DFWwGZeETvM&imgurl=http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/118036/large/C0054173-Male_Redhead_Duck_head_resting-SPL.jpg&w=530&h=356&ei=L0MpT5rYN8LftgevzunTDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=484&vpy=471&dur=740&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=165&ty=107&sig=101277501186754440675&page=4&tbnh=145&tbnw=193&start=97&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:97

Any recommendations on the mount?? should i do dead or sitting/standing? I think flying is out of the question now.

[txoutdoors]

Get used to altering the forms. Very few I work with dont need changed. (Maybe I am just buying the cheap stuff...lol) Seriously, you need to make key measurements on every bird and transfer them to the form. Here is a link to a chart that should help.

http://www.taxidermytoday.com/WaterfowlMeasureChart.pdf

[cbrice89]

Thanks!

[Julie Savage]

Txoutdoors, I use that chart religiously, a great tool.  Cbrice89, try to get the taxidermy friend to show you how to make your own body for birds using excelsior.  It take minutes to make and you can control the size and position more correctly without altering.  Just a suggestion and use that measuring chart Txoutdoors referred you to.  Good luck and don't give up.  Make it do what you want it to do, correctly of course.

Julie Savage
www.savagetaxidermy.com

[cbrice89]

Thanks Julie. Ill ask him about that!

[cbrice89]

How long will my skin last before it starts to dry out? I skinned it last night and put it in the freezer. im going to take it out this afternoon and clean and flesh it tonight. once i do that, would it be safe to re-freeze? I have a full time job and can only work on it in the afternoons..

[Tohickon]

Regarding my area of expertise, the eyes I normally recommend are not a bright yellow, but a straw yellow with a tiny bit of red around the pupil which further tints the yellow color.

[finazducks]

Another thing to note:   Turn your body over and put a caliper on the wing joints on the body.  I think you will see that the joints on the cast body are too far apart.

[Nancy C]

Just FYI.
That looks like a Stefan Savides body from Research, and they are almost always too big.  Sometimes they are WAAY too big - to such a degree that they are un-useable without a complete makeover, and at that point they are nothing more than a source of carving foam.
It is better to measure the body that you take out and then to order your form based on those measurements.
Don't worry about what species it's supposed to be made for. As long as you use diving duck forms for diving ducks and puddle duck forms for puddle ducks you will be okay.
You should be making tracings of the bodies in any case, so that you will have the measurements, profile, leg attachment points and etc readily available.

[cbrice89]

thanks nancy. Im taking the carcass to the taxidermist in a little while and he is going to get me hooked up with the right sized body.