School Research Paper

1.What type of specimen is good to learn on? Squirrels are good to learn on as they have little fat, and their skin is pretty tough. A pheasant or quail would be my choice for birds.

2.What do you do with the carcass? I'm assuming you just bury it somewhere?? I put them in a trash bag and leave them in the freezer until trash day, and then throw them out with the trash.

3.What chemicals are commonly used for the cleaning and treatment of the skins? There are a number chemicals used, each with different purposes, depending on which process you are using and what you are trying to do; borax, pickling acids, dawn dish soap (for degreasing), tanning chemicals, acetone, etc.

4.Where can you get the skins or whole animals from?? Most of our work specimens come from hunters or fishermen. Some from roadkill where it is legal to do so. You can buy capes or hides from other taxidermists, trappers or tanneries here on this forum in the for sale page.

5.Do you need a license for taxidermy, like hunting or trapping? Some states require a license and some do not. You do have to have a federal migratory bird license if you’re going to work on ducks or geese.

6.Is going to a taxidermy school worth necessary? I think that going to a good school for lessons would be a good investment.

7.Is taxidermy expensive to make? There are material costs and a lot of labor time. If you are going to do taxidermy for a living there will be quite an investment in equipment, space and materials.

8.How do you properly clean an animal? Carefully! How you skin and clean depends on the animal - different methods for different species. There are different ways to skin animals depending on the pose you want for the animal as well. Basically, removing the skin and getting as much flesh, tissue and fat removed as possible.

9.What skills are good to have when learning to do taxidermy? Patience, an artistic eye, a strong stomach, the ability to work with your hands, and more patience.

10.What kind of animal do you specialize in? While most taxidermists deal with all types of work, most seem to have certain things they are better at than others. Game heads, snakes, and life size mammals are my particular specialty - I can do fish and birds, but am not as proficient at them as I am the others.

There is a wealth of information in the tutorial section of this forum. You’ll find lots of more detailed information for your research there. Good luck!

 

What Mike said! The only thing I think might be different is #5.

A license may or may not be required depending on your state to do everything but migratory. Migratory does require a federal license. For Commercial work you will most likely need a business license.

If you are doing it only as a hobby (no commercial work) and not for any financial gain (material only) probably will not require a license of any type.
I am going by Tennessee law but it was the same when I lived in Illinois. You are best off to check with your state game office to get the scoop for your state.

Good luck with your paper.

Vic