Taking a wild gobbler is a worthy accomplishment and the successful hunter should be proud. Many happy hunters want to have a significant gobbler mounted. It is easy to do this because a qualified taxidermist does most of the work. Your job is to send him a bird in reasonable condition in the first place.
A good taxidermist can work wonders but don’t tax him too much with a badly shot-up or otherwise mangled specimen. Don’t field dress a bird you know you want to have mounted. Although if you do a clean job, you can change your mind. This is not a difficult repair for a qualified practitioner.
After your harvest, clean up the bird. Wipe blood off the head and feathers with a moist cloth and unruffled and straighten out the feathers. Wrap the bird up securely and take care to protect the feet and head from freezer burn. Next freeze your trophy and look at examples of various taxidermists’ work to pick out a good one.
Brenda Valentine is a virtual store of knowledge when it comes to woodscraft, wildlife and hunting. Brenda appears regularly as an expert resource in numerous magazines. She also gives hunting seminars around the country, and is a staff writer for Bowhunter magazine. Brenda joined the Realtree Pro Staff in 1998.