I have been reading this forum everyday, buying books, watching videos and anticipating my first mount. I finally found a perfect roadkill squirrel, still warm, no marks. I carefully wrapped him as instructed and patiently waited for a free weekend. Well, it was this past weekend. I started on the squirrel late Saturday afternoon and was finally done skinning, fleshing, washing and drying by midnight. This step took alot longer than I thought and didn't go exactly like the video-- couldn't fully split the ears, part of the tail pulled off when turning, and a couple of small holes in the toes (but I DID skin down to the last digit!). After a night's sleep, I was ready to tackle part two. I tried to slip the skin over the manikin to check for fit. Of course it didn't fit. In the video and manual they use flexifoam semi-soft manikins, whose arms can be bent. I did not see these when ordering and mine was a rigid model. The arms would have to GO. I cut them off at the bend and marked them. I prepped the manikin as instucted and spent a lot of time on the eyes. Slipping the skin on, the head went on pretty easily and actually seemed to fit. I had placed the cut off arm pieces into the skin, up to the clay filled paws (Of course THIS manikin didn't come with front or back feet). I slid the arms into place and put a pin in from the outside, down through the ajoining arm and clipped it flush with the fur, then countersank it into the manikin. By this time, the Hide Paste is all over me, the bottom half of the fur and my boyfriend, who came in to help hold the thing while I pinned the arms. I continued to try to work the skin into the correct position, but it never fully pulled down over the bottom. I had the pieces meet at the lower end of the belly and there is a portion near the tail that has no coverage. The back feet were a total mess to deal with, having no form to place them on, they were filled with clay but floppy. I again placed wire into the manikin to hold them. The sewing job was poor and I ended up using a couple of dabs of Superglue to reinforce a few areas. After a lot of grooming, he is kinda presentable, who knows how he will look as he drys. His front feet look silly holding a nut, since the fingers want to stick out in all directions. I have him sitting on the mantle, since my dog Jasmine ( a beagle/labador) thinks he looks great and tasty. I wonder if most people (or anyone?) have this much trouble with their first mount. I will try again since I have a Rattler in my freezer, but I am paranoid about tackleing another project. Thanks for listening!
Lesley
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I don't claim to be an expert my any means but I know exactly how you feel right now. When I finished my first mount was not up to par to say the least. I can only let you know that they truely do get better every time you do another mount. You just look at what you don't like on your previous mounts and don't make the same mistakes on the new ones. Eventually you will have a mount that really looks good to you. I know alot of people will disagree with me, but I personally feel that a squirrel mount is more difficult than say a deer.
Ryan
Lesley;
Stick with it.A squirrel for your first mount, is a tough one.I started with the Northwestern school of Taxidermy, In the early
60's.I did a pigeon for my first mount.I had the neck twisted on
the form I wrapped, everything came out wrong.Just don't get
discouraged.It'll come to soon.Good luck with your next mount.
Mike
I agree with Ryan.The smaller the animal the harder it may be. My fist project was a deer for a friend. I am still learning.Duck your head and keep trying good luck
Hi Leslie, Most people think doing taxidermy is relatively easy, but they find out its not after they start mounting. My first bird 25 years ago looked like a penquin when I got done. Everybody starts out this way.
Do not give up as once you start picking up the knowledge of doing taxidermy,it will be a lot easier and fun. I would recommend that you join your state taxidermist association where other taxidermists can help you through your problems.You can read all the books and watch all the videos, but there is nothing like having someone assist you who can explain it easier.If you can find somebody locally that will help you out when you have a problem, that will work too.If you have more problems with your small mammals, feel free to e-mail me for help.
Lesley,
Don't give I to am just starting out my first sguirrel looks like he got ran over by a truck(a big truck) and his bottom feet are longer than a jack rabbits his eyes bulg out more than a gold fish.But I keep him right next to me when I mount outher things just to see how far I came from my first mount.Also the next one I did came out a 100 times better so just don't give up you will get it.besides a squirrel is tuff to do try a raccoon or something a little bigger it seems to be a little easier to me any way.hope I hope this made you feel better about your squirrel.
My very first mount was fish. This was over thirty years ago when I was just a kid. I had a nice bream. I slit him up the belly, pulled out his guts, just like you do when your going to eat em. I shoved his stomach cavity full of hay and sewed him up. I just went with his natural eyes since I didn't have any. Boy he looked great the first day. Not so good the second and by the third you could not get close to him with out puking. If there was a catagory for smell I would have taken Master of Masters with that fish. Though some may disagree I think my mounts are much better now. Keep trying, squirrels are hard even for professionals. Ron
dear Lesley you think thats hard try doing a small chip monk . i skinded it last week end and what amess.But it turnd out good lol.
It gets easier from here. Take your next squirrel and hold it up to the one you just mounted. AHGGGGG! Man, it does look bad doesn't it? I keep my first fish next to my computer as a constant reminder of days gone by. I still make mistakes but not all of them at the same time, that only happened to the first one.
Keep at it, hang in there, keep a stiff upper lip, count your blessings, your cup is half full, time heals all wounds, and good luck on the next one.
Have a moderately good day, Bill K.
now sit back and giggle at your first try, i actually threw my first try away after awhile, was a chipmonk, was trying to get ahold of steven king, to see if he was gonna make any more pet cemetary movies lollllllll , i even have a couple other things to donate !
keep trying and youll get better !
:)
Thanks for all the encouragement.It has helped me feel better and not so stupid. The squirrel doesn't look so bad (if you squint while looking at him). Besides, my dog just LOVES the squirrel and could stare at him all day--lol. I'll post how the second project, the Rattle snake goes.
Lesley
Everyone starts the same way. I do not have any of the first mounts I did. I think I did around forty or fifty critters from pigeons to squirrels to rats and small trout. All have gone by way of the trash can in the last twenty years, slowly being replaced by new and more anotomicaly correct and more presentable critters. Don't get to discouraged, but don't be afraid to crittisize your work either. I know I speak my own feelings, btu I am my own worst crittic, and most of my customers love things that I like to pick over and tell myself I could do better.
Feel free to e-mail me with quetions or concerns or just to shoot the bull. I, like all the others here, remember how tough it was starting out and have been there, done that, and can help out with some things.
Steve