PROPER FLESHING: MAMMALS
by Rick Carter

"Don't worry about how fast you are if you are a beginner. Do it right and the speed will come later. "

THIS ARTICLE is the first of a series on proper fleshing techniques. I decided to begin with a whitetail deer because whitetails are the most significant and common North American animal entrusted to taxidermists by sportsmen.

After many years of observing literally thousands of mounted whitetail deer, it is obvious that a large number of the problems with those mounts are due to poor thinning and fleshing.

Whenever a hide is too thick, uneven or lumpy, it is certain that there will be problems when the taxidermy process takes place. Spending some extra time shaving a hide properly will actually save time by alleviating some of the problems experienced later as the mount progresses. Although I don't intend to cover skinning deer, there are a few things that need to be mentioned. The first thing I always stress is the elimination of...

...Continued in the Fall 2001 Issue of Breakthrough.

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