Care for mounted trophies

[ArcherandShooter]

How much tender loving care do taxidermist mounted trophies require in order to keep looking nice for a long time?

Springmom and I have two whitetail and a hog's head that we want to put up in our cabin out in the Hill Country, but the cabin is only heated / cooled when we are in residence, typically only a few days a month. In the extremes of weather out there, we're concerned that the trophies won't bear up well under the conditions.

Are we worried for nothing, or is there something to it?

 

[dakotasin]

the mounts will handle it better than you think. mine are doing fine, and while not exposed to wicked extremes in heat year in year out, have been subject to extremes in humidity, and at one time were in storage in an unheated/cooled house (2 years).

 

[Double Naught Spy]

There is 'fine' and there is 'fine' and they aren't the same. Your mounts are biodegradable, so things like extremes in temps and humidity are specifically bad for them. Your mounts may remain looking well for only a few years instead of decades.

The other concerns you should have concern insects. They can do a lot of damage to mounts in a fairly short period of time.

 

[ArcherandShooter]

Insects?

I thought part of curing a trophy mount involved lots of arsenic. Is that not just as bad for insects as it is for us?

 

[Wildfire]

Wouldn't worry.

Hey there :
i have mounts that are getting qiute old. They still look new. Mine are in my house, but we have some in a cabin also. Just dust them off now and then with a damp cloth. Never had a bug issue.

Old mounts with the ollllld way of doing it has been gone for some time now, Those could and did shrink and could at times split the hides. but that method has been doen away with years ago. You could use some kind of bug spray if ya thought that was gonna be a problem.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Arsenic is no longer legally used. It is very bad for us. Also, arsenic use (from what I have seen) was not always all inclusive on the mounts and as such, you get sections or portions that are not treated.

Back in the day, a mount might be treated with arsenic, but the filler material might not be treated. Filler often included wood-based products such as paper, cork, sawdust, and wood chips. These fillers are great food for a variety of insects. Newer mounts, of course, use various form molds and polymer fillers instead of organic fillers.

Damage can happen in short order...

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7HPIC
http://www.booktrail.com/mtr/default.asp
http://www.wildlifeartistry.com/hints-care.htm