Game bird taxidermy 101

Any hunter has his or her reason to chase their animal of choice in conditions that are often far from comfortable. For me, the main reason is to put meat on the table, followed by a strong urge to be out in the bush, close to nature.

The fact that I shoot to feed myself and my family means little goes to waste. However, over the years, I increasingly find myself out and about shooting pests for farmers. This is something that was always ‘part of the deal.’ In exchange for access to properties, I would control pig, dog, goat and other populations.

Whether it is stricter gun laws, changing sentiment, lack of time, or something else, I do not know, but where a decade and longer ago, most property owners would have a rifle or shotgun to despatch pests, an increasing number of properties I hunt on no longer actively control pests themselves. Instead, they rely on hunters to do so for them.

Of course, you will not hear me complain that this provides opportunities to shoot, but it does make me feel a little ambiguous. Yes, the pests need to go and fortunately, many of the species I shoot make for good eating. However, there are a few species that I do not eat. In order to not let the despatched animals go to waste, I decided to see what use I could make of them. This led me to taxidermy. Not because I necessarily want to mount entire animals, but to preserve useful parts of them or to mount them for educational purposes.

While at it, you learn more about the anatomy of the animals you work with. For those interested in the basics, this 101 will provide some insights. To start easy, I