f you would like to mount an animal, there are a number of tasks you should do quickly as well as some things you should avoid doing to ensure the carcass is protected. Following these guidelines will assure you of a successful mount.

• For most animals, a shot to the head or neck will make mounting impossible. These shots permanently damage an animal’s cape.
• If you have not shot the animal in the head or neck and wish to have it displayed, avoid slitting its throat to bleed it out. While many suggest this, the blood can actually ruin the animal’s fur and make it impossible for you to mount it.
• After killing your prospective trophy mount, you should take as many pictures of it as you can, ensuring that you document it from multiple angles. In addition, you should take as many measurements as possible. Doing this will help a taxidermist create a more lifelike and accurate approximation of your animal.
• After measuring your animal, avoid dragging it back to your home or vehicle. The ropes commonly used to drag animals easily damage an animal’s delicate fur and skin, so that mounting is no longer possible. If, however, you have no other way of transporting your animal, you should place it on a tarp or old blanket and use these to drag it along the ground.
• When handling your animal, use extreme caution when touching its carcass. By using rubber or latex gloves while handling the animal’s carcass and thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water afterward, you will be able to protect yourself from many of the diseases naturally carried by wild animals.
• You should try to take any animal you want to be mounted to a taxidermist, as soon as possible. If you cannot reach a taxidermist quickly, you should properly field dress and skin it and then roll the hide up (being careful to cover the nose and face of the animal) and put it into a freezer until you can transport it to the taxidermist.