Fish:
Take as many detailed photos of your fish as soon as possible to help with color restoration.  There are many variations of color for
each specie depending the time of year and location it was caught.
Do Not gut your fish!!

Try to get the fish to your taxidermist as soon as possible.  If you are unable to get it to your taxidermist, wrap the fish in a wet
towel or t-shirt.  Then you can wrap it up in plastic or garbage bags.  Label the bag and lay flat in the freezer till you are able to get
it to your taxidermist.  Be careful not to damage the tail in the freezer.
If you are unable to freeze the fish, get it on ice until you can get it to your taxidermist!

Reproduction Fish
For the catch and release fisherman or if you just want a fish for you trophy room we can  provide  you with a quality reproduction of the fish you want or caught.  Just a few simple measurements to help us with getting you a reproduction as close to the same size fish as we possibly can.

Take several detailed pictures of your fish. Measure the length from the tip of the tail (slightly pinched together) to the end of it's nose.

Measure the distance around the fish at the largest point to determine it's girth.

Big Game:  For Life-size or Rug
When Gutting the animal, start in the anus cut around the genitals towards the rib cage.  Be sure to try and cut as straight as possible.

If at all possible try to take the entire carcass to your taxidermist for him to skin to his or her liking.  There are a few different ways to skin your trophy.  Some mounts will require to be skinned differently than others.  The 2 main methods are ventral (up the belly) and dorsal (down the back)

If you are unable to do the previous step here are some tips and a diagram for skinning ventrally. This will generally work for most mounts unless they are going to have their belly exposed in the finished mount, and all rugs.

1. Cut down the back of the hind legs to the anus on both sides.

2. Cut down the back of the front legs and across to the center of the chest.  Be sure cut behind the armpit.

3. Now you can start to skin around the legs of one side until it is free from the carcass.  You will need to cut the foot off at the ankle to complete skinning the leg.  You will also need to cut the tail off at where it meets the body.  After one side is done you can roll it onto the side you just skinned and do the same to the other.

4. After you completed skinning the body skin up the neck to the base of the head.  Sever the neck  at the base of the skull. This will have completed the skinning process.

5. Now put skin to skin and roll up and put into a garbage bag and freeze.  Do not put the hide into the bag until it is going into the freezer!

1. Flip animal over so it is laying flat on it's belly.

2. Make an incision from the center of the shoulder blades down the center of the back to the base of the tail.  Be sure to stay in the center of the back.

3. Put the animal on one side and begin to kin down the side.  Once you reach the knee you will need to push the leg up so that you can skin down over the knee.  Continue skinning down the leg until you cant go any farther and cut off as close to the ankle as possible.

4. After one side is done roll over onto the side you just skinned and repeat on the other side.

5.  All that is left is to skin up the neck to the base of the skull. Remove the skull were it attaches to the neck.

6.  You are now ready to fold skin to skin and roll up.  Place in Garbage bag and freeze as soon as possible.

Again, do not put into the bag until it is going into the freezer.

Birds:
Try to keep blood out of the feathers.  Should the feathers get bloody, wash out whatever blood will come out with cold water.
Put a piece of paper towel in the birds mouth to help keep bodily fluids in the bird.

Try to get the bird to your taxidermist as soon as possible.  If you are going to be taking it at a later time here are a few simple steps to care for your trophy.

For turkeys, wrap the head in a wet paper towel to keep the head from getting freezer burn.  This will help to keep the detail in the head when it is freeze dried.

Slide the bird into a stocking head first then wrap in a garbage bag.  The stocking will serve as an excellent layer of insulation.