What to Expect When You Work with Us
The moment you take the bird you have dreamed of for years, the rare beauty you never expected, or your child’s first duck, the story begins. From the field to the finished piece on your wall, that experience deserves to be handled with care, clarity, and respect.
At Aix Taxidermy, our role is to help preserve that story through refined craftsmanship, thoughtful guidance, and transparent communication from start to finish. Here’s what you can expect before the process begins.
1. Initial Contact and Field Care Guidance
When you first contact us, we’ll provide the instructions you need to care for your bird properly in the field and at home. Proper handling during the first hours after harvest plays an important role in the final quality of the mount. You can learn more here: [Field Care]
2. Drop-Off or Shipping Arrangements
We’ll schedule an appointment for you to drop off your bird at our studio. If you live too far for an in-person visit, we’ll walk you through shipping your bird frozen. Find all the steps here: [Shipping Your Bird]
3. Initial Condition Assessment
If the bird is fresh and brought directly from the field, we inspect it carefully upon arrival for damage, immature plumage, feather loss, or anything else that may affect the final appearance of the mount. If the bird arrives frozen, the full inspection happens after thawing. If we find anything that could affect the final piece, we’ll notify you by email or text before proceeding so we can discuss an alternative pose.
4. Understanding Your Story
We want to hear the story behind your bird, how you harvested it, the habitat it came from, and how you’d like to remember the experience. These details help us guide the pose, attitude, and overall presentation of your piece. Pictures of the location are welcome too.
5. Pose and Display Discussion
During your visit, we’ll discuss the pose and base or habitat you’d like for your bird. Reference photos are always welcome, and if you’re not sure yet, we have a wide selection of reference images for every species to help you choose. We’ll take the condition of your bird into account and do everything possible to bring your story to life as you envision it. If damage to the specimen creates limitations, we’ll reach out to discuss alternative poses or display options so we can still achieve the best possible result while honoring the natural beauty of your bird.
6. Required Tags and Documentation
Every migratory bird (ducks, geese, cranes, coots, rails, woodcock, snipe, and crows) must be received with the appropriate federal tag, which we’re happy to provide if you’re bringing your bird in person. You can also download and print this tag from our website beforehand, especially useful if you’re shipping the bird. [Download Migratory Bird Tag]
Turkeys are received with a copy of the harvest tag, which can also be printed at our studio.
7. Paperwork, Invoice, and Deposit
Once the pose and display options are settled, we’ll complete the paperwork. This is also a good time to review our policies or ask any questions about the process. A 50% deposit reserves your place on our schedule, with the remaining balance due upon pickup. Expedited service is available upon request. Active military and veterans receive free expedited service, just let us know if this is your case and bring your ID with you.
8. Complex Habitat Bases
For projects involving complex habitat bases, we’ll discuss everything you’d like to include while planning the pose. We’ll then prepare a sketch of the complete project and send it to you by email for approval. Once approved, we’ll send an updated invoice with an estimated cost for the habitat.
Examples of Sketches and Completed Projects
Habitat pricing is based on materials and time, so the final cost may vary slightly depending on complexity and total work required.
9. Originality of Work
Reference photographs are always welcome as inspiration. Every commission, however, is interpreted through our own artistic vision and informed by reference photos of living specimens, ensuring each piece remains original and uniquely yours.
10. Ethics and Respect for the Wild
We hold a deep respect for wildlife and for the animals entrusted to our care. Our commitment is to honor each specimen with the highest standards of craftsmanship while representing every species as accurately and naturally as possible. Our work is guided by authenticity, anatomical accuracy, and natural history, which is why our studio is dedicated exclusively to naturalistic wildlife taxidermy. We don’t do anthropomorphic or rogue taxidermy.
Example of the details of our work
11. Keeping You Updated
As your project approaches the front of our queue, we’ll reach out to let you know it’s scheduled to begin within the coming month. This gives you a chance to confirm everything is still in order before we start. We will not proceed with your project until you confirm with us. If unforeseen circumstances mean you need to postpone, just let us know and we’ll find a new place in our schedule.
12. Mounting Notification
Once your bird is mounted, you’ll receive a notification that it has entered the drying stage, along with an estimated timeline. We believe the first impression of your finished piece should be experienced in person, photographs rarely capture the depth, color, texture, and craftsmanship that come through firsthand, and can sometimes create misleading expectations. Immediately after mounting, birds are carded, taped, and pinned, and not yet finished or painted, so this stage doesn’t reflect the final piece. For this reason, we don’t share photos or videos of completed commissions before pickup.
13. Drying Time
Drying time depends on the size of the bird, the pose, and environmental conditions. Higher humidity can extend this stage, but it typically runs two to four weeks.
14. Finishing Work
After drying, we move into finishing work, painting, feather curling, detail restoration, and refinement of certain areas as needed.
15. Pickup Notification
Once your commission is complete, you’ll receive a pickup notification. We reserve safe storage space for two business weeks so you can arrange a pickup time that works for you. After that, we can discuss long-term storage if needed, with a storage fee added to your invoice.
Our process is built to deliver the highest quality craftsmanship in the shortest turnaround possible, with no shortcuts, which is why clear communication matters so much to us.
16. Safe Transport Home
If you’re concerned about transporting your mount safely, we’ll guide you through that too. When needed, we can provide a stable support structure, typically a wooden frame, to help protect the piece from sudden stops or movement during transport.
17. Crating for Client-Arranged Shipping
We currently offer delivery within Connecticut. For clients further out who prefer to arrange their own carrier, we offer custom crating, with an additional fee based on size and project complexity.
18. Discretion
We take discretion seriously. Client identity, personal information, and contextual details are kept confidential and are never shared unless you expressly request it.
A Final Note
We aim for complete clarity in communication, confidence in our craft, and peace of mind from your first conversation with us to the moment you take your piece home. Every commission entrusted to our studio is approached with the same care, attention to detail, and respect we’d want for our own most treasured memories.
We look forward to preserving yours.
If there’s any question you have that isn’t included above or in the Q&A section, please text or email us and we’ll be happy to answer them.
Call or Text: (860) 637-7706
Email: studio@aixtaxidermy.com
