Hi, I shot a 21 # turkey this season and am going to mount it myself. I have done plenty of ducks and geese in my taxidermy shop but never a turkey. I am going to mount him strutting, do I need to lift each feather and place a cotton ball under to keep them that way till they dry? Years ago, someone told me this was the only way. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Sandy
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
..........he says that another option would be to hang the mount on the wall facing down to let gravity do the work.
That works best for me. If you look in the archives it should be there along with other ways, within the past few months.If you can't find it post here and I will look.
i used to hang them too so you could let gravity help you.... but then i learned a better way.
first and foremost, you must have a manniken that fits. I use cally morris' with the sculpted drumsticks. they make for an extremely solid mount, which is a top priority for me. now, dont quote me exactly because i dont have a catalog in front of me...but i believe the TK54 fits birds from 21-24 pounds. your bird would be on the low end of that scale, and that would make the skin fairly loose on the form. THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! you need to have a little slack in the skin so you can do what you want with it.
with that in mind, once you have the skin on the form you will inject some latex caulk in strategic places. under the scaps, and along the back are the most important. you need to cut a small hole about every 3-4 inches right down the middle of the back to get your tube in and then squirt it around as well as you can. distribute it fairly evenly by working the skin from the outside with your hands. if your skin isnt too tight, you will then back brush the feathers on the back to make them stand up, the caulk will help hold them there.
just baby sit it for 3-4 days until the caulk sets up and they will stay put.
no hanging, no cotton.
call Breakthrough Magazine and ask for the back issues that feature cally morris' turkey mounting procedures. and read them before you move on with your bird.
in some circles of taxidermists, the turkey is affectionately know as the "bird from hell", and rightly so. you need to get a good idea of what you are going to do long before you ever try to do it. good luck, turkeys are no picinic.