Doing a Drake Can customer bird. The neck and down the sides of the bird is all pin feathers. After swimming in fat of defleshing this bird none of the pin feathers were lost but they were broken open. However the next step "from some experience" washing the bird is where I'm afraid they are gonna go . Is there any use in continueing or is it a lost cause? I've just about had enough of waterfowl and this is the first duck of the year.
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I make it a practice to refuse any early season/pin feathered birds period. It's a lose/lose situation and after you hear that heartwrending, "But it's the only one I've ever shot like that in my life" song and dance, some people are conned into doing them. I don't buy into it. If you do a great job, it still looks like crap and YOU are the one who's to blame. You'll be badmouthed by that customer even though he knows it was a crap bird to begin with. I'd have never gotten as far as you are now.
Ryan,
Canvasbacks and most other divers are suprisingly resilient. If the feathers look ok from the outside and they are not falling out right now chances are you can pull off a decent mount. You didn't say when the bird was shot but I see a LOT of divers from Lakes Erie and Ontario and can honestly tell you that if it is a mature bird---as in you can tell it is a drake-- and was taken any time after the first week of November you should have no problem in producing a nice piece for your customer.
George's comments definitely apply to puddle ducks as they tend to prime up later than divers but since divers generally come down much later they must prime up quicker---and usually do.
You will know as soon as you wash and dry the bird if it is going to be mountable. I ALWAYS take questionable divers that far before making a decision on mountability. A canvasback is the king of waterfowl and is often the most prized trophy in a waterfowler's collection. You owe it to your customer to "give it your best shot".
Good luck!
Paul Czarnecki
www.tristatetaxidermy.com
Its not a big deal to wash, tumble, dry. do a quick test fit with necking and a body. see how it goes. Maybe even have the customer look at the product before you proceed.
Cans are far and few between nowdays, I say give your best shot. I just did one that was blown to heck. I was WITH the guy and watched him do it! Boom and the bird hit the water about ten yards away, I sent my dog. BLAM! He was all jazzed about getting his first can, didnt want it getting away! Well after a but chewing on shooting birds that my dog was en route to, that probably didnt need "finishing"- he begged me to mount it. ALL the wing bones were gone. The head was hammered. broken leg. Got it done and worked hard. Some of us will never shoot a decent Can, the bird was worth the headache.
Turned out to be my dogs last duck retrieve. He died unexpectedly a short time later.
I will proceed when the eyes come in. The bird was a early Oct. bird shot in Canada. I shot one Can this year myself as a backup bird but I shot up the wingtip on one side. If worse comes to worse the switcharoo might get played and swap wing feathers. We'll see.