How should I go about thawing frozen birds to mount? I am about to attempt my first bird (snow goose flying)and was wondering if I need to thaw it in the fridge or leave it out till it's fully thawed? Also, approx. how long will it take to thaw to the point of being workable (it is a large snow goose)? Any tips on working other advice on working with snow geese is appreciated.
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Craig , for your first bird , why dont you try something thats not full of grease and fat like a pheasant or other game bird. Water fowl are going to be a pain if this is your first bird. You will end up ripping the skin to pieces trying to remove all that fat. I still have the skin rip sometimes and I've been doing this for 34 years. Can you get a pigeon or crow . These would be your best bet. The goose will be a lot of work . If you take it out of the freezer the night before , it will be ready by noon of so. You dont need it completely thawed , but just enough to get the skin off. Just think , if you take a turkey from the freezer to eat , how long does that take to thaw out.A bird with feathers will take longer as the feathers insulate it.
I like to leave them on the shop floor for about 24-36 hours. I leave them in the bag to prevent condensation from forming. Leaving them in the bag will also prevent outside temperature from dispersing to quickly and keep it at a more constant temperature. If it's really hot out, you best do it in the fridge. Work all the joints periodically. When they are fully mobile it's ready for the knife.
Good luck, Bill K
Although this is my first bird I'll be doing "on my own", I used to help out a roomate in college with mounting his waterfowl (personal birds). I'm familiar with the basic process. I chose the snow goose because I shoot enough of them each year that if I make a mistake I can always start over with another bird. My plan is to mount the snow, and a blue goose that I've got, in flying/landing poses to hang from the ceiling in a corner of the room.
Thanks for the advice though.
Take the bird out night before and skin and mount next day,usually you can do this with fish also really big birds maybe need more time,like take them out of freezer mid day...Good luck