Good afternoon all. I have a question for you Merganzer experts. I hit the orange button but didn't find this addressed.
Im getting ready to mount my first Hooded Merganzers. When I skin a duck I cut around the bill, skin backwards and completely remove the scull through the opening created vs. cutting the neck area and inverting. I then clean, rebuild and reuse the original scull.
My question is, being as the Merganzer's beak is smaller than a ducks bill, will the opening created by cutting around the beak be large enough to extract it's head the same way? Or do I need to do the neck cut?
Any other helpful tips of what I'm about to experience will be very much appreciated.
V/r
Pat
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mergansers are the only duck you can do this with . when you are skinning down the neck towards the head keep on skinning over the head and it you can skin from back of the head works great
Mergansers are one of the only ducks that the skull will fit through the neck. When I skin one out, I cut around the bill and free the skin maybe a 1/4" back. Then, I invert the head from the inside. When I mount the bird, I attach the head to the neck and then insert it into the body.
I wasn't even thinking of doing it that way. That's great!
Thanks guys, I appreciate the advise.
Pat
So If a guy were to still want to use an artificial head would you just free the skin from the bill and pull out throught the neck and put it back together in reverse?
Just so you know will all skin all invert from the head inside.
I always use artificial heads, and i still skin the skin off from back of the head to the beak before skinning it there is no neede in cutting away from beak
With other waterfowl species that swallow large prey items you often invert the head. I've also done it with eiders and scoters.