Field Care
Protecting Your Trophy From the Start
Every hunter knows the thrill of a perfect shot, that moment when instinct, patience, and skill come together. But once the bird is down, the story isn't over. What happens in the next few minutes can determine whether your trophy can be preserved at its finest.
Field care is about respect: respect for the bird, for the hunt, and for the memory you want to preserve for years to come. Birds are delicate, and their plumage can only be preserved in its full beauty if properly protected from the start. Blood, mud, heat, and rough handling can cause irreversible damage. With a little care in the field, you lay the foundation for a mount worthy of the experience behind it.
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Keep it Clean. Keep it Cold. Keep it Compact.
Treat it Gently
Birds intended for taxidermy should be handled very differently from those harvested solely for sport or the table. Treat your trophy gently. Instead of grabbing or carrying it by the neck or tail, or hanging it on a lanyard with the rest of your bag, hold it by the feet and keep it separate from the other birds. Even if that special bird has only minor shot damage, blood and fluids from other birds in the same bag can ruin its plumage.
Keep it Clean
Protect the bird from its own body fluids, which can stain feathers and damage their delicate microstructure. Tuck a small piece of paper towel into the mouth and down the throat, using a small stick if necessary. Wrap the entire head in wet paper towels and cover it with a small plastic bag.
These simple precautions help contain blood and digestive fluids, preventing serious problems later.Once feathers become clogged with coagulated blood or other fluids and are frozen in that condition, damage to their microscopic structures can be irreversible. No matter how carefully and thoroughly we wash them afterward, they may never fully recover.
Keeping feathers clean helps preserve their delicate structure and makes them easier to wash, resulting in a smoother, more natural and elegant finish in the final mount.
Turkeys
In the case of turkeys, reach the bird as quickly as possible after the shot and pick it up by the legs to prevent it from damaging its plumage against the ground during its final struggle and flapping. Wrap the entire head in dry paper towels, then cover it with a plastic bag to contain blood and other fluids. Place additional paper towels around any bleeding areas. Use plenty, as large birds may bleed considerably.
Next, fold the wings and carefully align the bird so that no feathers or other parts protrude from the body. Finally, place it inside two or three large plastic bags. Heavy-duty trash bags work well for this purpose.
Loyal, but Not Always Gentle
Retrieving dogs are invaluable hunting companions, but not all have a soft mouth. Some may leave little or no visible marks, while others can cause severe damage, including punctures, holes, and entire patches of missing feathers. Such damage may require hours of repair, if it can be repaired at all.
If your dog is still learning or tends to have a hard mouth, consider retrieving a particularly prized bird yourself, provided it is safe to do so.
Unnecessary Procedures
Important: Birds intended for taxidermy should never be dispatched with a finisher. The wound it creates not only requires additional repair but can also damage sensitive areas of the head and cause blood and brain matter to leak, clogging the surrounding feathers.
The same applies to breasting birds in the field. Cuts made under these conditions are rarely clean, often leaving jagged openings, severed feathers, and clotted fluids, all of which can compromise the quality of the final mount. Please do not sacrifice a special trophy for a few ounces of meat.
Beyond feather damage, taxidermists rely on the original carcass for anatomical reference. In our particular case, we also take precise measurements to select or carve a form that accurately reproduces the bird's proportions.
For these reasons, we strongly encourage hunters to leave their birds intact. Avoid breasting them, and certainly do not attempt to skin them yourself or wring their necks.
A Cleaner Solution
Chest compression, also called the “Taxidermist Squeeze,” is an old technique that we learned long ago and that, unfortunately, has been largely forgotten. It is very effective, humane, and arguably the cleanest way to dispatch an already-wounded bird in the field, particularly for taxidermy purposes.
It consists of applying pressure to the rib cage to suffocate the bird. The technique varies slightly depending on the size of the bird.
For birds smaller than a duck or pheasant, slide your hands under the wings and hold the rib cage on both sides using a precision grip. Make sure your fingers are positioned in the axillary area (featherless), avoiding grabbing or pulling feathers from the dorsal, scapular, or flank tracts. Then squeeze and hold, bringing your fingers and thumbs together.
For larger birds, the size of a goose or above, slide your hands under the wings and place the heels of your palms on either side of the rib cage, in the axillary area. Interlock your fingers above the back, then squeeze and hold, bringing the heels of your palms together.
It is important to apply steady pressure, gently but firmly, while keeping the bird away from your body and face, as it may begin flapping vigorously before closing its eyes. The process typically takes only a few seconds.
Don’t Forget the Feet
When it comes to the feet, remember that in the field, we cannot know whether the originals will ultimately be used or replaced during the taxidermy process. The safest approach is to treat them as if they will be preserved. Wrap them thoroughly in damp paper towels to prevent freezer burn.
Cast feet are becoming increasingly popular among taxidermists because of their realism and durability. They reproduce every scale, wrinkle, and fine detail while eliminating shrinkage and vulnerability to insect damage. However, depending on the material, they can also be brittle and prone to breakage, and their rigidity can make them difficult to conform naturally to irregular surfaces.
There are also situations where preserving the original feet is preferable. They may have unique features, such as scars or deformities, that the client wishes to retain. At Aix, we generally prefer to preserve the original feet for standing mounts, allowing us to position them more accurately on rocks, driftwood, and other uneven surfaces.
Keep It Cold and Compact
Once tagged and carefully wrapped, your bird should be compact, secure, and cooled quickly to slow bacterial activity. Heat is the hidden enemy: keep it away from direct sunlight, body warmth, and car engines. Place it in a cooler with ice as soon as possible to keep it cold until it can be frozen.
Just as important, make sure the head, neck, legs, and wings are tucked securely against the body. Once frozen solid, any protruding parts become highly vulnerable to breakage, sometimes beyond repair.
To prevent dehydration and freezer burn, seal the bird in several layers of plastic, ideally two or three bags, pressing out as much air as possible from each before sealing.
A Legacy Piece Begins in the Field
These details may seem small in the excitement of the hunt, but they are what separate a mount that looks “good enough” from one that stands as a true legacy piece. At Aix Taxidermy, our craft begins with the specimen you entrust to us. The care you take in the field allows us to bring out the very best in your bird.
Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758).
