I just got my roadkill doe pelt back from the tannery and she is really beautiful and i really want to make a full mount display of her for the museum i work at. Unfortunately we are a small museum and cannot afford many of the forms sold in Van Dyke's. I was wondering if I could at least buy a head mount and then reproduce the rest of the body? Or is there another option?...
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
NO money, well I'll assume you have time.
Yes you can carve the remainder of the form out of surplus foam and re-enforced with wire/treaded rods.
Just take carcass mesurements and collect foam. Note not all foam is created equally and some glues will melt some foams. Expirement. You can also play with wire mesh, wood, cardboard,burlap, excelsior mixes. Good luck
Sounds like you are considering trying to do a difficult lifesize mount with A.-little experience B- Subpar materials.
Freeze that doe hide. Save your pennies while it is frozen. Or even look for donations etc. It seems to me that you are tackling a project that is tough enough on a state of the art form, with alot of skill. Dont want to bust your bubble but this could be a nightmare.
a difficult job to say the least with the porper materials and equipment. Save you money and maybe talk to some taxidermists in your area and see if they will give you some consideration on the mount since its going in a mueseum.
Sika, You know there is always more than one sulution to a problem. Getting a doe mounted lifesize is not a huge expense. Seems like a good opportunity for a local business to "sponsor" a display. Or maybe a school class project to raise money in support of the museum. A good taxidermist in your area might be persuaded to offer a bit of a discount to help out. Before combining a bunch of old foam I would explore the possibilities further. You did not say what state you are in--maybe someone reading this site can help you out. -Aaron H.
Thanks for everyone's input, in response to Aaron, we're a small college on an island in Maine, I'm sure there will be some liberal Main-Landers who would be willing to help us out. Thats a great idea and I didn't know why I didn't think of that initially. I was hoping to test my skill but as others pointed out...it may end up in the destruction of a great specimen, especially since I've only done small/medium sized mammal mounts and some birds so far.
Cheers
-Sika
Of Museum can't afford 250 bucks for a mannikin ?
were a student run organization...and were small, not all museums are adequately funded...money doesnt come easy for small organizations either
I am a licensed Taxidermist in Maryland, I would be willing to help you get your Doe mounted but I have some questions about the field prep done first. I would be willing to do the work for the cost of material that you can afford and I will donate the labor. send me an e-mail if you are interested and I will contact you.