Trophy Care

The hunting season is quickly approaching and now is the time to make preparations for preserving the trophy you take this fall.  By this I mean that I recommend knowing where you’d like to take your trophy for taxidermy services, what you want done, and in what pose you’d like.  There are a myriad of poses and positions that trophies can be displayed in, and a little research on your part may ensure you get exactly what you want.  For example, if you are a deer hunter, and you harvest a trophy buck, how do you want it mounted?  Which direction do you want the buck facing?  How do you want him to hold his head?  Where on the wall do you want to hang him, or are you opting for a full body mount?

However, the most important thing you can do to ensure a quality mount is to talk to your taxidermist and ask him or her how to preserve your trophy until you get it to the shop.  Do you know how to cape trophies for a shoulder mount?  If you are going out West or to Alaska, this question is much more important, as you will probably be far away from a freezer.  It is a huge disappointment to see a trophy come into a shop, only to see the cape has spoiled.  The only proper solution in this case is to buy a replacement cape, which will of course add expense and frustration to your mount.

I encourage all hunters to talk to your taxidermist before heading afield and find out how he or she would like the trophy brought in.  I can’t emphasize enough that the more care and attention given to your trophy immediately after it falls, the better the quality of the mount, and the higher your satisfaction.