For the taxidermist to be able to produce quality work, he needs quality raw material. Animal skins can be classified as perishable goods and must be treated accordingly. By following some simple guidelines damage such as hair slip can be avoided.
When trophy hunting, do not shoot for the head or neck. Holes are difficult to hide. Use full metal jacketed bullets (solids) on small animals.
Do not drag the animal over the ground, even for only a couple of feet.
When loading the animal onto the hunting vehicle, use padding (dry grass or soft leafy branches) under the head and neck for protection. Cover the carcass to protect from the sun.
The animal must be skinned as soon as possible to prevent bacterial activity and resulting hair slip. It is important to ensure that all flesh is removed from the skin.
For flat skins or rugs: Cut from the tip of the tail along the centre of the belly to the centre of the chin to ensure an even color pattern.
Capes for shoulder mounts: Cut a V-line from the top of the head to the horns, cutting carefully around the horns without cutting off the hair. Then cut straight down the back of the neck to well behind the shoulders. Take off the cape by carefully skinning around the eyes, turning the ears and splitting the lips.
For animals with manes, make the cut on the side that the mane is hanging to, down the back of the neck about 2cm away from the mane. Otherwise, if the animal is to be mounted looking to the left, cut to the right of the main.Immediately after skinning, wash the skin thoroughly to remove all blood. Use cold fresh water to which bactericide eg. Phenol has been added.
After drip-drying for a few minutes, the skin is ready for salting. Salt liberally, ensuring that you rub salt well into all the folds of the skin. Roll the salted skin up and leave it in a cool place. After 3-4 days, hang the skin to dry.
Fresh wet skins must never be transported, as damage and hair slip can occur. Skins must always be at least partly dry before transportation. Pack skins in a bucket or similar open container. Never use plastic bags.
Cut away as much flesh as possible and remove the eyes and brain. Fill the cranium with water and scratch out the brain as well as possible, repeating the process a few times.
Leave the skull in a bucket of clean, cold water for a few days. Change the water daily to prevent discoloration of the skull.
Salt the skull well and leave to dry or cook the skull for a short while and remove all flesh. When you handle the skulls, whether you cook it or not, make sure not to damage any parts of the bone. Especially the lip and nose bones. This is important especially in the case of European mounts.
Store trophies in a cool, dry place. Use Karba-dust on the skins to keep insects away and
Naphthalene on the floor to keep rodents away.Deliver your trophy/trophies to your taxidermist as soon as possible.
Freeze as soon as possible without taking out the intestines.