Hi, I have a yellow golden pheasant that I need to tumble but Im a little worried I'll mess up his tail if I do. I use a 55 gallon drum from Van Dykes but im still not sure if or what I should do. Thanks for any help. Allen
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If you are worried about the tail messing up, just cut it off. I remove the tails on pheasants the same way that I do turkeys. Start by cutting the top side just in front of the "short" row of tail feathers, then around the side and continue underneath intill the tail is completly off. You will be suprised at how much easier the tail is to flesh and fan out (if you so choose) when it is seperate from the bird. When you get ready to mount, cut a slot out of the manikin and use bondo and a wire to secure the tail back on. Once the bird is set up with the tail in place, take some super glue and glue your skin back where you cut the tail off. Hope this helps.
Allen,personally I dont tumble any birds,after I remove them from the gas I roll them In a towel generally a white one some towels or rags the color will come out because of the gas.I then place them in a box of borax and cover them completely filling the wings and leg areas,then I leave them for a while then come back and fluff them around some more then leave them a little longer,total time 30 minutes.I do remove the tails on most of my birds especially pheasants. The bird I did for the nationals was a red golden they are beautiful birds and fun to do,hope this helps you GOD Bless Gary Larson
Thanks for the help Scott and Gary! Allen
What worked for you isn't necessarily the only way. Tumbling certainly is a viable option and my OPINION, using gas in any form ISN'T. I notice Nancy and Jon won with their collective piece with Valley Quail and Nancy is adamantly opposed to using gas except in the rarest of instances. What's good for a goose ain't always good for a gander. I know Danny Owens advises tumbling his birds.
And tumble. You don't have to tumble very long. I start using the air on the bird before I tumble. I tumble for less than 10 minutes and then back to the air for drying.
Don't use gas, it's not necessary.
I don't know that it is any easier or has any benefits, but I'm just a creature of habit, and that's how I handle long tailed critters.
After it has been removed, fleshed and washed and rinsed, I usually dip the whole tail in a vat of boiling water for just about 2 seconds to get any kinks or wrinkles out of the barbs. It makes for a very nice tail with proper shape and alighnment.
As far as to gas or not to gas.. If you have the tumbler, which you said you did, then I would see no benefit to gassing the skin. It is just a water displacer. On occasions I will use it on a really greasy bird.. NOT TO DEGREASE, but rather to displace water and the fat trapped in the water that still resides in the plumage after washing. On a pheasant, which normally aren't that greasy, I don't see the point, Now on a 15 lb Canada Goose that has been eating its wieght in corn a day.. then maybe.. but really just a good washing and rinsing will do the trick.
Jon
I do not remove the tail on pheasants...Why? Because of all the pheasants I do a year...Not more than 1 or 2 has ever had tail damage after I'm done with the tumbler.(which I don't use very long in the first place)...I have the Van Dykes tumbler and seems very gentle on bird skins...It's just one extra step I don't have to mess with...Now, I can see plenty of circumstances where somebody would remove the tail...It just depends on your situation!
First of all I never said it was the only way. I dont tumble because of the damage it may cause.I never said to use gas I said that is what I used not implying that it was the only way.Dont make fuel sound so bad its the person handling it.I use coleman fuel its not as oily as paint thinner.people pour that in their lanterns and cook stoves all the time then light a match, ha.If you are going to tumble a 55 gal is to large anyway in my opinion.15 to 20 gal would work good. Gary Larson