Submitted by Marty on 5/10/99. ( )
It's almost that time of year for the does to start dropping fawns. I have always loved the displys of fawn mounts in glass surrounded in a natural setting and was wondering how one would go about doing so if one were able to obtain a fetus from a road kill. I've been told that they are freeze dried, but how do you position them to your liking? Also where would one send the fawn to get freeze dried, and about how much can one expect to pay? Thanks in advance for the help
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This response submitted by George Roof on 5/10/99. ( georoof@aol.com )
Marty,
I've mounted over a dozen newborn/unborn fawns. I never had one freeze dried because they look like unborn fawns when you get them back. That may sound dumb, but the wrinkled, sleepy eyed poses of freeze drying don't meet my fancy.
I've used McKenzie forms exclusively and the only problems I've ever had was the fragility of the hide. You can cut it with your fingernail and too much handling will cause the fine hair to slip. I make a ventral cut. I cut the head off the form and mount it up through the neck. Then I put of dab of bondo on the neck and shove it into place and hold it until it dries. I also insert a 12 gage wire up the form legs and cut them in half. I slit the legs of the fawn at the hooves and then insert the hooves and push the legs down the "tubes", using a short length of wire to align them. This leaves you with a very minimum of cuts to sew and hide. The mounting takes much longer than some folks like, but the results end up with a deer looking as if it were already born.
Prior to mounting, I ususally imbed a block of plywood in the flat portion of the belly. When it dries, I lay sheet moss, ferns and other greenery in a bed and then drive a screw through the base into the block in the fawn. Cover with glass, and serve.
This response submitted by Dewey on 5/10/99. ( )
When I first started taxidermy,I found a road kill fawn.I called the Michigan D.N.R to ask about posessing the deer and they told me to get rid of it,no ifs ands or buts. I do'nt know if there would have been a diference if I would have been liscensed at the time,or if laws very from state to state. Just food for thought.
This response submitted by Mark on 5/11/99. ( )
Marty, I agree with George on the freeze drying they look really wrinkled if they are done this way. I have used the McKenzie forms also and they fit extremely well They have the legs cut off so you are able to insert the legs before you assemble the mount. I have never had one fit as well as the ones from McKenzie. As for the permit YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK WITH YOUR d.n.r. before you pick one up. in minnesota you just have to call them and they will tag it for you. good luck, Mark
This response submitted by Mick on 5/11/99. ( MicD63@aol.com )
Here in NY a possession tag can be attached by either a conservation officer or the state police. A side note is that the tags are attached at the scene of the accident, bringing it home and then calling the authorities may land you in a spot of trouble. I heard a story from a friend a few years ago that shows their position on roadkills. He was following a friend to his home several hours away in the middle of the night, when his buddy hit not one deer, but two. Mind you these were two separate accidents about an hour apart. Not wanting to let the deer go to waste, they tied both to their cars. Arriving at their homebase, they hung both deer in their basement for processing. Paranoia set in and this guy decides to call the state police to report the accidents and get possession tags. The officer told him in no uncertain terms, that the carcasses need to be tagged before being moved from the scene of the accident. When asked what he should do now, the officer responded "keep your mouth shut, and enjoy your venison". Maybe if he wasen't reporting two separate incidents it would have been a tad less suspicious ? In any case, I occasionally think of removing my scope from my remington and remounting it to the hood of my truck in hopes that my success rate might increase :)
This response submitted by Bill on 5/12/99. ( yoxtax@aol.com )
In NY the deer that is struck, the doe, is tagged and the fawns are covered under that tag. Some may dissagree but I have been involved in a few, and at least that was the responding officers decision. I like freeze dried fawns and some are wrinkly because they really are! But you can still FD them smooth, too. The only gripe I have is the lack of a ligit moth or bug proofer. I don't mean the gimmicks out there but a REAL bugproofer. Glass cases rule for now, I guess. If I do them conventionally I always use a McKenzie form from Roger Martin.
This response submitted by Tax on 5/12/99. ( )
I heard about a road killed deer on my police scanner and the
accident was close by so I went to the scene. There was a
state trooper there and an En Con officer there. The person who
hit the deer had left. I asked if I could have the deer and they
told me NO you didn't hit the deer with your car. I also seen
a baby fox beside the road and (assumed) it was a road kill. I
promptly called the D.E.C. and asked if I could have the baby
fox. He said NO. So I then called the main office to ask why I
couldn't have the baby fox. The answer was and I quote. We can't
let you have it because in doing so could mess up the fur market.
Strange how one baby fox in my livingroom could mess up the fur
market but hey they are the boss. I think alot depends on the mood
of the game warden you talk to. Maybe he had a bad day.
This response submitted by Mick on 5/12/99. ( MicD63@aol.com )
I have two unborn fawns in my freezers now that came about as the result of a deer collision last spring. The fawns were seen struggling inside the doe at the scene of the accident and were removed by the authorities present. Unfortunatley they lived only a few minutes at the scene. Two passerbys asked if they could have the fawns, presumably the driver did not want them, and they were given to these two gents. The state police did attach two separate possession tags to the fawns though. In turn, I purchased them. Now you make me wonder, if the tags corresond to the doe in question, I haven't checked. I do know that it is illeagal to pick up road kill in NY without a permit, but it does help illustrate Tax's point that possibly it does indeed depend on the interpretation of the officer at the scene. Ceratinly leaves a lot of "gray area", and coupled with the general unpleasantness of working on road kills, perhaps it's better to avoid entirely. Just some food for thought.
This response submitted by Bill on 5/12/99. ( yoxtax@aol.com )
Technically the possession tag was meant for consumption but a fox can be picked up if you have a valid small game license. Out of season fox fall into the hands of the CO's discretion. The doe hit with fawns intact are all covered by the original tag as "parts there of" but the responding officer can make his own decision. Usually when the animal is struck and left behind (technically a leaving the scene violation in NY) they don't always issue a tag to a passer-by but can if they wish to. Get this...the officers in my area have granted me permission to salvage these and let them know as soon as I can for tagging. I would never push this by doing anything illegal but it is nice to have that trust. That's NY for you!
This response submitted by Bill on 5/12/99. ( )
I ansered on newer post. Answered, that is...
This response submitted by Tax on 5/12/99. ( sodium@northnet.org )
Are you in N.Y. yox? I am and was just curious.
This response submitted by Fan on 5/12/99. ( bobby@dinero.net.. )
Care to take another guess yoxy?
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