I'm wanting to mount a squirrel using the David Ellzey "Hanging Dead" pose. The problem is the squirrel I have is 13 1/2" long by 9" around. The largest form I can find in this pose is 11 3/4" by 6 1/2". This is going to be my first mount and I'm hoping to place it in the mouth of a coyote that I'm having done. Does anyone have any suggestions? I checked the archives but couldn't find anything. I read about building up the mannikin but I'm brand new to this and that seems like a big size difference. Thanks for the help.
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David,
The dead mount mannikin you refer to is for a static mount intended to stand alone. What you are looking for, you're not going to find, you'll have to improvise. Since you're going to have to deal with a jqwset of the predator animal, I'd suggest you buy a squirrel head only. Mount the head and then fill the body with clay in the legs and feet and pillow fill in the body cavity. This will allow you to compress the body to fit inside the jawset rather than trying to juryrig a hard manniken and a harder jawset naturally.
George is right just done one like that worked out perfect goodluck Robin
1. Buy the form you mentioned.
2. Skin, flesh and degrease the squirrel skin. Put in a Ziplock bag and refrigerate.
3. Heat one gallon of water. Dissolve 1/2 pound of alum into the water along with one pound of salt (any kind - table salt will also work.) You have just made a simple pickle.
4. Soak the squirrel hide for 48 hours, turning now and then to make sure it is saturated.
5. Dissolve 1/2 cup oxalic acid (Ethandioic Acid) into three quarts of heated water.
6. Remove squirrel skin from the pickle and rinse several times in clear tap water.
7. Place in the oxalic acid pickle for four hours.
8. Remove and place in a solution made by dissolving 1/4 cup of baking soda into 1 1/2 quarts (three pints) water. Soak well and agitate for ten minutes.
9. Remove from the soda bath and wash in a Dawn solution. Rinse in clean water until you are sure the soap is completely gone.
10. The skin should be ready to mount and slighty smaller. It may fit the form at this point. If not, you have three choices:
1.) Cut the form in two across a point that would represent the rear end of the rib cage. Glue a block of scrap foam the width needed to lengthen the form. File the edges of the foam insert down to match the contours of each end of the original form. Mount.
2.) Since the animal is dead and will be inserted between the jaws of the coyote, you can trim a strip of excess fur so that the seam will be hidden by the jaws, and mount it in two halves on the form as if the skin were pajamas. Match, pin and glue the edges with Epo-Grip's fine adhesive.
3. Other than that, you can buy the Ellzey "climnbing down" squirrel form (14" X 8 1/2" - Van Dyke's) and modify that.