How to Store a Bird for Taxidermy

There is a lot of information out there that results in hunters ruining their chances of having a nice bird preserved by a taxidermist, make sure you’re not one of them!

In the field

Do NOT let a dog retrieve the bird – you’re greatly increasing the odds your bird comes back with bald spots where the dog was holding the bird, even if your retriever has a very soft mouth.

Do NOT hold the bird by the neck – best practice is to hold the foot or bill (as long as the leg or neck isn’t broken) Try to be mindful of how you handle the feathers as to not pull any out.

Set aside out of the sun – Try to find a spot to store the bird where it is out of the water, in the shade, and unlikely to be damaged until you are finished hunting.

 Do NOT use a finisher or wring neck – if you want a bird to be preserved for taxidermy, best practice is to tuck the wings in and apply significant pressure to the chest in order to push all the air from the lungs. The finisher tool makes a fairly large hole in the back of the head and wringing the neck often stretches out the skin.

Packaging for storage

1. Wrap WET paper towels around the feet and where the bill attaches to the skin.
2. Place head either over back or under a wing (whichever you don’t have to force)
3. Place in a Ziploc freezer bag (I prefer at least 2 bags) or heavy duty garbage bags for larger birds.
4. Push all the air out of the bag, close bag, and place in the freezer.

Do NOT vacuum seal or use textured vacuum seal bags. Period. Don’t do it. – The texture from these bags will permanently imprint the feathers and feet. The vacuuming will crush the feathers and draw fluids out of the bird onto its feathers.

Do NOT use panty hose, grocery bags, or any bag with texture or print on it – Every bird ever brought to me in panty hose had feathers tightly held down in the wrong direction. They also offer no protection from freezer burn. Bags with any kind of ink on them (ie. Any grocery bag) will eventually bleed the ink onto the feathers.

Do NOT use DRY paper towels or newspaper – any kind of dry, absorbent material will only draw moisture from the bird, causing it to freezer burn faster.

Bonus points if you make sure all feathers are laid down in the direction they would naturally lay – Occasionally I’ve found that feathers frozen while flipped in an unnatural direction will fall out once defrosted.

What about blood? Dirt? Water? – Do your best to keep the bird clean and dry but a small amount of any is generally not an issue.

How long can I store my bird? – If packaged up as I outlined above, a bird can be frozen for several years. Exactly how long? I don’t have the answer to that but I’ve done many birds over 5 years frozen without issue. I’ve also received birds that were frozen improperly for 1 year that were absolutely ruined so make sure you put forth some effort into packaging!