How long can you leave a pheasant in the freezer and still be able to mount it? It's cavities were stuffed with cotton balls and then placed inside a pair of panyhose to keep the feathers from being damaged. It's been in the freezer for right at a year. Thanks!
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Til you take it out. LOL
More seriously the bird can be left in the freezer for years. The longer it is in there, the greater the chances for freezer burn. Which can be correct by rehydrating. I use borax water(4oz.borax to a gallon of water)and what I do with birds is, as I skin it and come upon a dried out area, I inject a little of the borax water into these spots or you can take a paper towel soaked in the borax water and wrap it around the dried areas.
Ryan , if the insides have been removed than theres a greater chance that it will be freezer burnt faster . Also , if it was only wrapped in panty hose and not some kind of plastic bag , then I think a year maybe the limit on this one . Pheasants are a dime a dozen , get a new bird for the customer . Rick
Pantyhose may be a good idea to preserve feather alignment and integrity in the field, or on the way home, but it is not a good idea for long term storage. Like newbirdman said, by gutting the bird, you have afforded freezer "burn" two avenues of attack. Sometimes the set caused by the panty hose is difficult to reverse after even moderate storage times.
Actually I think that male birds should never suffer the indignity of wearing panty hose. That is fine with hen birds, however, and even male birds that come from the San Francisco area. This neutral gender thing has gone too far.