Submitted by B.S.Rhea on 11/23/1998. ( )
I had a friend bring me a fox he seen hit in front of his house its in good shape but it was hit hard is there a cleaner way to skin roadkill if it is ruptured inside i cant believe im mounting roadkill but it would be a waste to let it turn to dust is the back incission the easiest to skin and conceal?any and all help would be appreciated as this is a hard to come by animal to mount i would like for it to turn out very well but i dont want to get over my head ive done a few deer and fish and they turned out great is a lifesize alot harder?thanks for the help.P.S.since this is my first to do would you recomend a closed mouth over a open mouth?
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This response submitted by John Bellucci on 11/23/1998. ( ArtistExpr@aol.com )
Hey B.S.,
You have got to start using punctuations when forming your sentences - you know periods, commas, and such. Also capitalize when you start a new sentence. How the hell do you expect anybody to make heads or tails of your ramblings?
The information you seek is best found if you read a book, namely the "Breakthrough Mammal Taxidermy Manual", available from WASCO and other suppliers.
As for roadkill specimens, they sometime need to be literally "scraped" and "picked" out of their skins! It can be messy and sometimes downright gross, but once the hide has been tanned and mounted, it can be rewarding!!
Your first attempt should remain as a closed-mouth specimen. It is easier to tuck the lips on your first run.
Good luck to you... John B.
This response submitted by Bob C on 11/28/1998. ( )
Hi BS , I would have tried to answer this sooner but our deer season kicked in and I was just a liiiiiittle busy. Things have settled down a little so I thought I try to answer a few questions. Its funny , a road kill can look so good from the outside but when you get to the inside YUCK!!! The only advice I can give you is take your time and scoop out anything thats not skin. I know it sounds grose and it sometimes is. But if you have the courage (and the stomach) then go for it. A dorsal incision is the easiest to do and hide.Make the cut from the shoulder blades to the base of the tail. I dont think you'll be getting in over your head.And so what if you do , just start swimming , thats how you learn!!! I would also keep with the closed mouth for a while.They're not that much more difficult but for simplicitys sake stick it. Oh BS, by the way your punctuation didnt bother me much, Iknew what you were asking . Not to mention , somebody that spells as bad as me better not complain about somebodys punctuation!!! Bob C
This response submitted by Bill on 11/28/1998. ( yoxtax@aol.com )
if the road manicured specimen is really bad, keep in mind it may not hold up well through the tanning with the blood in the skin, etc. But to make the skinning a bit easier, let the animal firm up in the freezer for awhile. Not so much that you cant move it, just to firm it up. It usually smells less that way, too. Oh, and BS, with your unique punctuation style and Bob's spelling, you two could start your own language! Just kidding with you, of course, I don't want to sound nasty...we knew what you were asking and hope you've gotten the answers, OK?
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