I'm about to attempt a rough grouse and i want it strutting with the neck feathers all puffed out. how can i get the neck feathers to stick way out like they do? this is my first grouse, i have only done a few ducks before.
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I have not done one yet, so this advise may be wrong, but I would a little calk in the neck area, and then pind the skin where you want it. Then adjust the feathers where you want them.
Then go back the next morning and adjust them again as the calk woud have set some. After that they should be set just like you want them.
Roib
after you mounted the bird and groomed the feathers where you want them, hang the bird so that gravity is working with you. (in this case, probably upside down...where as if it were a crested bird you would hang it nose down and tail up). keep an eye on it and keep grooming the feathers if they move for the first day or two. after that, the caulk will set up and hold the quill butts in place. ALSO, for the feathers to be in the right position, the quill butts need to have been fleshed carefully, to make sure that the membrane that holds them has been removed, otherwise when this dries, it will shrink and pull the feathers down with it. Good luck, these birds can make impressive mounts.
Start by learning more about your bird. Its a ruffed not rough or ruffled grouse. Do some studying first to learn the bird & its positions. Then start with a less spectacular position until you learn the basics of how to deal with the skin. I thin a flying mount is actually easier to position for a beginner than a standing. good luck & practice !