Rubbing a little bit of vasaline in the tear ducts, under the eyelashes, and on the nose about once a month to keeps it fresh. This also brings some of the life back to the mount.
Thanks for sharing - that's a great tip. There's also a product called "Taxidermist Magic" that I've used in the past to clean up my mounts. It helps with the shine on the coat and also to repel dust. Just as an FYI - you should NEVER use any household cleaners on your mount to clean off dust or dirt. They are very harmful to the coat and will cause it to dry out and wear prematurely.
Great post, JZ. Some people have an appreciation for great taxidermy, some don't. A little wipedown with a napkin slightly dampened with WD-40 will keep your antlers colored like the day you pulled the trigger. It might smell like lubricant for a day or two, so do it when your wife isn't home. If any of you guys happen to harvest a limbhanger this year, check out this guy. He's located way out in Colorado, but from my exposure to his site, he does the best waterfowl and gamebird (read: turkey) mounts in the free world. www.birdmanstudios.com Should I ever take another 70+ point gobbler, he's going to see the Birdman.
I agree, I want quality over quantity. It'll take upper 140s for me to mount another, euros on any before that. I too love euros more and more
I really like my taxidermist. he takes pride in his work. He is very good at what he does. He sets a limit of the number of animals he does a year so he is not pushing just to get them out the door. He is a stickler on detail. There are taxidermists closer in my area but I've seen their work. Mike is worth every penny he gets. Great article !! Tim
i have been doing taxidermy work for the past 4 years and the most important thing for a taxidermist to do is look at LIVING reference pictures of the animal they are mounting, it goes the same for someone looking for a taxidermist. Bring a picture of a live deer while your out shopping around and compare the taxidermists work to a real deer. Money should not be your number one deciding factor, cheap will not always be the best choice in the long run.
