The best way to take care of a duck is after shooting, place head first in panty hose the knee high ones work great then vaccumm seal it if possible if not just an air tight bag, I perfer the panty hose because it holds the feathers in place and helps prevent the feathers getting damaged.
Please
don't do the above. A good way to remember freezing a bird is to treat it like a T-Bone Steak that you will want to get out of the freezer 6 months later and cook on the grill. Panty hose and blood don't mix. Vaccumm sealing pushes broken bones through the skin, further damaging a mount. It also will expell blood onto the mount causing more work for the taxidermist. The last bird I pulled out of a vaccum sealed bag had actually damaged the tail feathers. IMO, the best thing to do is to put them in a Freezer bag and you are done. These tips might help:
Specimen Selection
& Field Trophy Care
for Waterfowl, Upland Game, Turkeys and Geese
by Bird Works Taxidermy, Inc.Perhaps the most important thing you can do to protect your specimen prior to delivery to the taxidermist is to place the bird in a heavy-duty, sealable
FREEZER BAG before placing the bird into the freezer.
Most of today’s freezers are frost-free and therefore they are designed to immediately begin to draw moisture out of the feet, wings, head and bill of a bird, creating problems for your taxidermist. While these issues can be addressed, they can be prevented by the use of a large heavy-duty Freezer Bag to assure getting back the best mount possible. For larger birds such as Geese or Turkey, roll them tightly in Black Trash Bags and freeze.
Pin Feathers – Feathers that are not fully developed are called Pin Feathers. These feathers are not set in the skin yet and many, if not most, will fall out during the mounting process. Most of them will not fluff properly and this prevents proper grooming of the bird. Early Season birds are most susceptible to having pinfeathers. Your taxidermist will be able to inspect the bird and should consult with you in regards to ascertaining the mountability of the bird.
Immature Birds - 1st year birds, those that hatched during the early summer may not have pin feathers, however they may not be fully feathered and moreover they may not have the color that a more mature bird has. These juvenile birds are not the best as far as specimen selection, but can however be mounted. If you’re not sure, ask a seasoned hunter or your taxidermist what he thinks regarding the condition/age of the bird. Try to harvest as mature a specimen as possible for mounting.
Field Care – Once a Trophy Bird has been downed, taking care of the bird prior to getting it in the freezer is also an important part of assuring a quality mount. Never hang a Trophy Bird intended to be mounted on a Strap or carry it by the neck. This damages the small feathers in this area and can cause problems in mount quality. Handle the bird by the feet and keep it separate from the other birds. Keep the bird cool or on ice and bag it for the freezer as soon as possible. The better the bird received by the taxidermist, the better the mount received by the customer.
Other Concerns – Broken Bones are repairable, however a damaged wing may limit the poses that the bird can be mounted in. Many times, Standing poses are used to hide damage to primary feathers rather than mounting the bird in a flying pose and being disappointed with the final result. Damage to the Feet and/or Bill is not an issue for an experienced avian taxidermist and problems in these areas are easily repaired. Blood and dirt is not a problem and can be removed with proper washing techniques. Bird with large shot holes have to be inspected on a case by case basis, but most can be sewed and covered with proper wing or feather placement.
Remember, a quality bird taxidermist will always advise you to save your money should you bring in an unmountable bird. In regards to a marginal bird, be open to discussing the best pose for the bird. In order to get the best results possible for your bird mount, always take care in getting the bird to the taxidermist in the best possible condition.
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