Trophy Care
Big Game Shoulder Mounts:
Always cut completely around the body well behind the shoulders. It's better too long than too short. Cut around both legs at the knees and cut up the back side of each leg till you hit the lower chest and then go straight back towards the incision around the body. Once this is complete you can roll the hide/cape down over the shoulder and neck and cut off close to the head. Do not cut the cape up the back of the neck. Neck meat is not needed so you can cut off the head right at the back of the skull or close to it.. Only skin out the rest of the head if you are trained to do so. Wash off blood, especially on white areas. Let the cape cool for a short period then freeze it.
Birds
First and foremost, INSPECT your specimen! Stretch out the wings and look for broken primaries or secondaries. Spread out the tail and check the feathers. Your mount is only as good as the condition of your bird. Fold the head down along one side and cover it with the wing. Place breast first into the plastic bag and leave the end open so the bird can cool. Doing this will protect the specimen from damage in the blind, boat or field. Once you leave the field, the bird can be sealed in the bag and the bag marked with the species/type bird, date you got it and the place it was taken. You can now freeze the bird until time allows for delivery to the taxidermist or just take it there while still fresh.
Small Game
Do not gut or skin unless you are trained to do so. Do not place in a game bag. Keep cool. Put in a bag in the freezer as soon as you can and leave the bag open till the animal is cooled off.