my brother in law gave me a chucar to stuff for display in my shop. i need help in how to measure the bird to order the form. in WASCO's catalog there is 3 manikins. they are measured by lenght and girth. do i measure the carcas after skining or measure before skining. do i measure the widest part and the length from the base of the tail to the base of the neck. i am new to birds, i dod one phesant, and got lucky there with a good fit. any tips would be very much appreciated. thank you in advance.
bob
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Note: It is spelled ... C H U K A R. *ahem*
Moving right along ....
Measure the body after you skin it. Measure the circumference at the widestpoint with a tape measure (or a string and a ruler.) Measure the length from the front of the breast to the base of the tail.
Hint: look at the photos of the forms. If they have a tail molded in it will make them measure slightly longer than the skinned body.
If you cant find one exactly right, go with te net size smaller.
thank you nancy for the measuring info. also for the gramar lessons. i have never been a good speller. lol now i can measure my birds correctly. i hope. if you have any other tips or suggestions i would apprecitate those too. like i stated i am new to birds, only did one phesant. thanks again
bob
Though they still supply the measurements, most suppliers sell by SPECIES. Canada geese and pheasants are even sold as "average" of "medium" and "large" or "extra-large". Bird skins are incredibly elastic and even when you measure the carcass, you're going to find the skin will fit quite loosely depending on the drying to shrink it. THAT'S what makes birds tricky. As soon as you complete them, they look great, but if you don't keep after them for a few days and the skin shrinks, you'll have a scrawny, pencil-necked mess on your hands.
I keep telling you guys..... Why not wrap the body? You can get as exact as you want. As a rule of thumb, wrap it a little smaller than the carcass.
first. for geoge. you said "if you don't keep after them for a few days and the skin shrinks, you'll have a scrawny, pencil-necked mess on your hands". what things do i have to look for and adjust threw out drying?
second. jon you said to wrap the body. what would i wrap it with and how do i go about that. do i make the whole body with hemp?
again thank you for your help. any more advise and tips is very helpful. thank you
bob