WING"TIPS" # 20 Packing birds for shipping

[wingman]

Hello! Well here's a tip on a topic or should I say an activity I personally hate to do SHIP BIRDS. I ship approximately 200 birds a year to various wholesale clients and customers scattered throughout the country, I can honestly say I have not had a single bird damaged using this method, I will give the lessons I have learned out now. The method is rather simple, Slip a thin trash bag over the bird, arrange the birds in the box so they have about an inch or two of space between the box edge and any other bird cover with foam peanuts and just keep ''layering'' birds until the box is full. RULES to follow!! Make the peanuts settle well as you pack the birds , shake the peanuts down to get them to settle WELL. The main thing I DO NOT do with this method is to screw the wood or attach the bird down in any manner, let them ''free float'' on the bed of peanuts, In the past when I have attached the wood I have had some get damaged, NOW another tip is to wire the birds HEAVY in the mounting process if you know they are to be shipped.  I use the McKenzie boxes, cut one side down so you can ''reach'' into the box to position birds.and then just re-tape the box when it's full. The pics once again should answer the questions, GOOD LUCK!!

 All of the birds in the picture of the birds on the table ended up in the three boxes in the last photo, You can average 6-9 birds per box depending on box size and pose.

[wingman]

more

[JonHarleTX]

OKAY EUGENE~

You've got to STOP posting pictures like that.
The more I see them, the more LAZY and UNPRODUCTIVE I feel!!!!!!!

HEHEHEHEHEHE.. Okay, so I really am LAZY and UNPRODUCTIVE.. who'd of thunk..

I do my mounts almost the same way, except I wrap mine in cotton batting sheets.  I used to use trash bags, and then I had a client complain that his mount was soaked to the bone when he recieved it.  The only thing I could think of was a:) either he was lying just to get a refund, or b:) the interior of the bag somehow condensed wetting the bird.  He did say the box was not wet...  Either way, he never provided enough proof of anything, so he never got his refund, and although I'm not quite sure if I 100% believed him or not, I've never used a plastic bag again either.

Oh and I like the Boot!  Such a fashion statement, from such a classy guy!

Take Care,
Jon~

[Tereza Revis]

Thanks for the tip.  I am about to ship 2 pieces to South Carolina so this helps alot.

[SteveP]

Thanks again Wingman! The idea of shipping still makes me cringe even after seeing how it's done. I know it's cost-prohibitive, but I still would want to deliver in person. Even though I'm nowhere near your quality, these mounts are still my babies. I'd probably cry if one didn't make it safe and sound. Maybe I shouldn't even think about making a business out of it. How do you ensure that the pheasant tails are reinstalled correctly?

[wingman]

Sorry Jon,  didn't mean to cause you distress Steve, the upper and lower tail coverts and back feathers are dry and the tail pins in the gap in between. I usually have the tail attached on single customer birds and only have the wholesale taxidermist clients glue them in position as they tend to have no problem doing so and they almost always want as many birds in a box shipped to them as possible.

[Rick RR GBirds]

Eugene,

Do you detach the tail on pheasants before you ship out?  Or do you free float the tail as well?  Thanks bud!

Rick

[wingman]

Hey Rick!. I detach the tails on all my pheasant mounts and I ship the tails with the shipment in a seperate bag with the names or invoice number written on the area I hot glue. I shipped a pair of birds today where the tail was attached as I usually don't like it for private customers to have to try and glue the tail in position, and yes I let those free float in the box as well.

[Chad]

Wingman,
Do you have any close-ups of the Canadian goose on the wall ?
Would like to see pic. of that mount.
Thanks

[wingman]

Here Ya go Chad!

[mimes]

Wingman, are the McKenzie boxes you are using the same single walled boxes that they ship deer forms in? I have been using double walled boxes for added crush resistance. Thanks again for the great post!

[wingman]

Mimes , YEP!

[Gscaup]

WOW!...not seen many landing honkers with their legs spread like they were landing on a saddle horse.

[Nancy C]

WOW!...not seen many landing honkers with their legs spread like they were landing on a saddle horse.

You don't have to see many - just one, GS.
I have seen photos of landing geese in positions much more absurd than this. The only difference is that they are usually in such poses when they are farther above the ground.
I don't really have a problem with that, though. Sometimes a bit of artistic license is needed simply because of space limitations.

Personally, I really like the mount.

[AkMartenTrapper]

Well I for one have seen many waterfowl, mallards, widgeons, teal, white fronted geese, and canadas contort there bodies into many unusual configerations, most often by landing or flaring just as they were about to land, due to something they felt wasnt right at that particular moment, maybe in was the wind or maybe it was my decoy spread, or they noiticed me hunkered down, just my .02 worth, but I personally like the mount, it has alot of character and the quality of workmanship speaks for myself, wouldnt mind having it hanging on my wall.

 AKMartentrapper