I have a turkey that I want to mount by myself. It has been in the freezer for a couple of years. I have very little experience in taxidermy. I just can't afford to pay someone to do it. I have mounted a flying duck, a couple of squirrels, and done several antler mounts...but I am a serious novice.
Could someone please give me some suggestions? I don't even know what materials/chemicals to buy. Where do I make cuts to skin. Any help would be appreciated. I realize I could / should buy a video. Be as detailed as you would like. What is the easiest way... Strutting, flying, standing.
Thanks for your help.
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WOW! That is a tough one.....First off, if you have only done a couple of birds then you are a million miles away from doing a turkey. Whole different concept here. Everything is on a giant scale compared to regular "bird" mount....My best advice to you is to save your coins up and get two or three videos on mounting a turkey. They don't have the whole operation on one video that I know of. Probably the least expensive place to purchase these tapes is from Van Dykes, and they might have some used ones that are a little cheaper yet. Start from the beginning tape ( I think there are three ) and look at each one two or three times and then decide if you are ready to tackle this job. They will tell you what you need to get......For a beginner the standing mount would be the easiest one to start with, and then let your imagination take over. Don't give up, and good luck!
I must confess, the first bird mount I ever did was a strut turkey. I had heard that turkeys were one of the toughest birds, but I put my mind to it and it turned out pretty darn well. I actually got Grand Champion at our fair. Anyways, Yes turkeys are much larger, but that doesn't neccessarily have to be a bad thing. Like TW said, get a good video on the particular pose you choose. I would also recommend getting the Breakthrough Bird Manual. Great information in there. If after this you still want to proceed, do the following. First of all, order a turkey head. Freeze dried or artificial. Anthony Eddy makes a nice artificial head. I prefer freeze dried, but artificial will be there in a week where as freeze dried may take months-your choice. Don't skin the bird until you watch the video twice and then watch again while you are working on the bird. About the pose, I love strut turkeys, but again, that has to be your choice. I would stay away from flying or gobbling for your first few mounts. Here is another issue though; price of mounting. We understand that $450.00 + is a lot of money. But you will also have a lot of costs for start up: Form - $10.00, Head - $40.00, Wire - $2.00, Thread, needle, scalpel, exc. - $5.00, Paint - $10.00 Books/Video - $40.00, Base/Habitat - $30.00, Preservative - $3.00 and I am sure I forgot something. That totals $140.00 (low end). Now add in your time. My first strut turkey I spent 25-30 hours skinning to final detail work. My point is, if you are only doing this because of the money factor - there may be more hidden costs (time constraints) than you think. If you are doing this because you want to learn and enjoy the pleasure of the labor - GO FOR IT! There is no greater feeling than producing a memory. I strongly encourage you to read the archives and learn everything you can about everything on this site.
Good Luck and Send me a photo of the finished mount!
Brady
bergeyb@hotmail.com
I agree, this is a tough undertaking. I had done over 100 birds before I tried my first turkey. I now have done about 12-15, and I'm still struggling to find "my method". Breakthrough Bird Manual is a very good reference manual - get one if you are serious about bird taxidermy. An alternative for your first try is a "shoulder mount". This makes a nice trophy, it doesn't take up so much display space, and the mounting process is more manageable. You don't have to deal with those huge legs and wings.
Thanks guys for the help. I have considered a breast mount. I may do this if I screw up. I enjoy the process, so it is more than just saving money. I am going to buy videos/books. How about the cuts. I need to get this thing out of my mom's deep freeze. Can I skin it and then refreeze it until the form and videos arrive?
I just finished watching a Turkey video that I Got on ebay It was very in depth and about 2 1/2 hours long. I thinnk that the buy it now price was about $14 plus 3or 4 dollars shipping.
Dont get intimidated. Learn what yopu can. There are some considerations for turks, like anchoring them. I HIGHLY reccommend the three part series in Breakthrough Magazine by Cally Morris. I also like Van Dykes videos by "Wicker Bill" He really makes the head painting simple. You just have to have the right equipment for these birds. I have taken techniques from several people to create my own method. I cant imagine doing one without: 1. A wire wheel, 2. an airbrush and 3. a top notch sturdy mounting stand-even if its one you build yourself. I found that working on turkeys really accelerated my other bird work. It makes you more aware of feather patterns, anatomy and the like . Good luck and have at it