living in minnesota there has been no dove season here since 1946 and with the season opening on the 1st of sept i was wondering how there are to mount is there skin thin or do there compare to a pheasant. just want to be prepared so when o do my first i now what to expect
thank you for all your time
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but I hear they're quite delicate, not at all like a pheasant....I remember reading a post in the archives about someone requesting 2 doves from a customer to mount 1 bird..something about using the wings of 1 dove on the others birds body...I actually think it was Nancy that detailed this process, so maybe she will post...
Also, the skin will need dusted in potato starch, I think it was, to create that soft look and feel that doves have..
Good luck
TJ
What is Potato Starch ( don't say starch out of a potato or Tatter) Where can you buy this stuff, wouldn't it work on Ducks?
The first thing you should know about doves is "Don't do them". The second thing to know is that after you forget the first one, you'll not make that mistake too often.
Comparing the mounting of a dove to a pheasant is like comparing mounting a cottontail to an elephant. Doves were created as prey and one of their protective devices is feathers. Lots of feathers that fall out to the touch. Nancy's suggestion works because to get one good dove, you're gonna likely need 2 or 3 to piece together. I find that freezing them first helps a little and I skin them just as soon as the skin is movable. The do peel right up to their beaks which helps to a large degree.
I use dry preservative because of the alum in it. Alum acts as an astringent and actually helps lock the feathers in, but only slightly. (I would think that potatoe starch would be asking for big trouble as it will likely attract mites and other varmints. At least with DP, the borax will keep such critters at bay.) You are still going to have to be REALLY gently with the skinning and mounting and you'll find that after your first one, whatever you charged for a pheasant wasn't nearly enough for a dove.
Those September birds are gonna be full of Pinfeathers and not worth alot for mounting. There are also going to be alot of young birds killed with very few feathers on them at all. I hope that you have a late season split (Dec) when the birds are feathered out.
is widley used in Europe. All it does is replace the natural "bloom" that doves and pigeons have. "Bloom," is a natural powder that is produced by the down the feathers as they breakdown, thus causing a very soft, subtle feel to the birds.. it also helps to tone down the colors every so slightly.. or at least I think it does.. but it may be mental.
However, to my knowledge, Potatoe starch does nothing for the preservation of the skin. It is mainly for cosmetic purposes. Personally, I've never been able to find the stuff here in the states.. I know it's out there, I just don't know where to look so I've been known to dust doves in baby powder.. but I only do this after the feathers are somewhat dry as it will cake on them and be hard to remove.
Doves in general are a nightmare, but September doves are the worst.. even if it looks perfect.. I'd still chunk it in the garbage without too much of a second glance. Skinning a dove is a job not to be taken on while one is sober else you'll go in sane.....If you want one good bird as a end result.. you should tell your client to bring you atleast three to five birds...as the majority of them will be useless for mounting. If it has blood on it, don't waste your time get another bird... Washing a dove (atleast a mourning or white wing) should be avoided if at all possible....just makes things easier.
It can be done, and it can be done well....it just takes a lot of practice.
Have fun,
Jon
And then you end it by saying: "Have fun"?
(THAT should certainly scare 'em off!)
But seriously, they ARE nightmares ... unless you happen to get a late-season one in perfect feather that died of fright, in which case they are no worse than a mild case of food poisoning.
It is ESSENTIAL that you keep them spotlessly clean while skinning them. I use cotton bits which I stick to both the meat and the inside of the skin so that the feathers can't possibly turn under and touch anything wet. If you manage to skin one and still have the feathers on it you are doing well. Leave the cotton on except right where you are defatting, and go VERY carefully. For doves I use scissors to remove the fat, and if you havent done that before I suggest you practice first on something else. Blot up any free oil immediately.
The idea is not to have to wash them. It CAN be done, and I'm a fanatical bird-washer, but on doves it's best not to borrow trouble if you don't have to.
If you manage to get a clean, prepped skin complete with feathers you will probably be okay. Just go easy on it during the assembly, and do any skin adjusting with a probe - NOT your fingers!
I was sure that you real bird people would have a different take on doing them than us "all service" people. It's refreshing to hear that even the experts avoid them. You guys made my day.
Us burdy people are weird aren't we........?
But Nancy has it bad... she actually mounts things like Diamond Doves and takes them to competitions and wins....... I personally would only ever put myself through something like that if death were my only other option.
J
i think i will do some of my own first before i take any in sounds like something that i don't want to do for a customer until i'm sure i can do it right thanks for all your post
Would you say that doves are harder to do than the notoriously delicate Woodcock?..I've done 1 of them..and hope to not get another one anytime soon.. LOL
She knows what she is talking about. I have been lucky with the 4 mourning doves I have mounted in that I have not lost any feathers with the skinning. Having said that, you should know that of the 4 I mounted, 3 ended up in the trash can and one is on the wall. My biggest bain with them has been getting fat on the feathers as I skin. I use a tremendous amount of absorbant to pack in while I skin but I seem to move it around too much while I skin and I end up with matted stuck feathers along the incision every time. Knowing how they lose feathers I try repair with anything but water and I have only managed to get the one to clean up nice enough not to look like a frankenstein bird. But I'll continue to work on it because the challenge is a great one!
David Luke did a great article, with pictures. He mounts a Eurasian Collared Dove, which is a little bigger than a mourning dove. It explains the use of potatoe starch and all. Either way be prepared to working on skin that is as durable as wet toilet paper. Jon is right, the potatoe starch is used after a rinse to hand tumble the bird. You must use DP or Borax to preserve it. You can get potato starch at an ethnic food store or ethnic section in larger grocery stores. It think it is used in making certain Kosher dishes.
The collared/ringneck doves withstand taxidermy more like small pigeons than like doves. They are quite a bit tougher than mourning doves and would be a good variety to start with.
This isn't to say that you can be ROUGH on them in any way, but if you are careful, gentle, and have switched to de-caf you should have a good chance of success.