Once the hunt is over and you have harvested your trophy wild turkey, you will need to decide how it should be displayed in your home for years to come. There are many choices available to suit different space requirements or any budget, but the first thing to consider is the quality of your specimen.
If your bird has a great deal of damage to any specific area, you will want to minimize the problem by choosing a pose which hides the damaged area. For instance, if one wing is in really bad shape, you could choose a side view gobbling pose which would conceal the damage on the bad side. If the tail was all messed up, you would probably not want to display it in a full fan, so a strutting pose would be a poor choice.
However, if the head is damaged beyond repair, don’t worry about it. A damaged head should not be a problem, as taxidermists routinely use an artificial replacement turkey head instead of the real thing.
Choosing a pose is one of the most important decisions you will make. The basic poses that most turkeys are mounted in can be divided into five categories: strutting, standing (or walking), gobbling (or roosting), flying, and dead mounts.
It is easy to underestimate the amount of room you will need to properly display a wild turkey. These birds can take up quite a bit of room. Strutting and standing mounts will need the most floor space or table space, while roosting, gobbling, flying and dead mounts are generally hung on the wall.
Once you have determined the pose, the next step is to decide how you will display your trophy. Selecting the right base and habitat display is just as important as choosing a pose, as this decision will be the key to establishing the overall visual impact of your trophy. Incorporating a tasteful and artistic base in your display will help to complete the mount, by adding design, color, texture and storytelling to the piece. This added dimension will bring your mount to another level. Instead of just a mounted bird on display, you will now have a finished work of original art to complement your decor.
Strutting Pose
The most beautiful and majestic pose is undoubtedly the strut. A strutting Tom displays all of his feathers puffed out for the optimum effect in impressing his hen. If you have a prime specimen with nice feathers, tail and wings, choosing a strutting pose is a no-brainer. This “shingling” layered display of all of the feather groups makes the iridescent colors of the feathers really pop for a stunning display.




Walking or Standing Pose

Gobbling or Roosting Pose

Flying Pose

Dead Mount Pose

Tail and Beard Display

Whatever you decide, your turkey taxidermy display will be a permanent reminder of your successful spring hunt, bringing a tasteful slice of the outdoors into your home as a treasured memory of sports afield.
Be prepared before the hunt to ensure that your turkey specimen will produce the very best quality mount. See this article to find out everything you need to know about Wild Turkey Field Care.
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