I'm dreaming about a great duck season, hoping to get a nice male pintail (not too common around here) and was just wondering...

What does it cost to have a duck mounted? How would I keep the duck until I can get it to the taxidermist? How long does it take to get them back? Any recommendations for a good taxidermist or one's that I should stay away from?

Thanks in advance.

Prices range quite a bit, but you get what you pay for. Remember you will be the one that has to look at it for the rest of your life.

Champion taxidermists charge between $250-$325 per duck. Of course anyone can order supplies and claim themselves as a taxidermist and charge $100 but that usually gets you a duck that looks like it got beat with a shotgun.

Check out work by Todd Huffman, Blake Wilson, and Shane Smith. They are examples of top notch work and you can mail your ducks to them if you so wish.

If you want to stay local check out the taxidermists listed here: http://taxidermy.net/taxidermists/tlinks.html (Just scroll down to california)

I would ask to visit their shop or have them send pictures of pintails they've done in the past and that should help you find a quality taxidermist.

Also, wrap the bird in a plastic bag and freeze it and get the bird to them ASAP to reduce freezer burn and dried out skin.

Good luck getting your pintail.

Norm

Rinse as much blood as you can, the more water the better, then smooth down feathers and wrap wet paper towels around feet and head, again the more the better. Then wrap with several layers of newspaper , then in plastic bag The tender areas ( feet , face ) will keep longer this way.

Most good Taxidermists seem to have a website now (or at least a facebook page) displaying their work. Type in your town or region and taxidermy, see what you get. The Iowa DNR keeps a list of licensed taxidermists on it's website, maybe CA has a similar list.

I have a cousin who went to taxidermy school tell me to keep a pair of panty hose or nylon stocking in the inner pocket of my coat to slip a bird into. It will hold all the feathers and wings in place and the head tucked in tight, too protect everything. I don't know if this is common, but it made sense.

My taxidermists gallery page:
http://www.bakkertaxidermy.com/site/gallery

number 26 of 60 on the fish page is my Northern Pike from ND.
Some day, a nice drake/hen mount.

Well, I haven't gotten my Pintail yet, but I do have a few beautiful birds; a GWT, a Cinnamon Teal and a Canvasback. All drakes. I have rinsed all the blood off, the feathers are smoothed down, head under the wing, covered in a nylon to keep the feathers nice, stored in a pastic bag with the air pumped out, then inside another plastic bag and stored in my freezer. Although 2 of the birds are teal, I'm very proud of all of them and want to do this right. I'm OK with spending some $$$ on this project, but I can't invest $200+/bird. I may only be able to afford getting 2 of these birds done.

Here's the next questions...
Are there any good Taxidermists, that you could recommend, that don't cost an arm and a leg?
How long can I keep my birds "on ice" before I need to make my decision and get the birds to the taxidermist?
Last, how do I ship them? I mean, won't the birds defrost on the way to the taxidermist? Should I use dry ice?

Thanks in advance,
B-Boy