Thank you so much for the kind words! As with everything, your skills become better with time. Taxidermy is a true art form and getting to do this as a profession is a blessing.
M first ever mount was a shoulder mount of a billy goat , you never stop learning , everyone has some tips here and there on how they do there work , I also tried a squab pigeon that didn’t go well lol , also have done a fish mount , it’s not so good but have learnt from that for next time , taxidermist is fun loads of work in it but the end results wow , when friends and others comment on your work you know you did an awesome job , 👍
I like to put the actual teeth back in the mouth (the front four), and I like to use some caulking to help the skin to slide,and to make wrinkles if I need to. Even squirting caulking into the tail helps to fan out the tail hairs. But be careful,it can get messy.
I watched your entire entire series from start to finish from fleshing and skinning all the way up to this point, and it was massively informative. I want to get into taxidermy myself, and I wanted to gift my younger sister a squirrel for hunting season in honor of our grandmother, as she absolutely loved squirrels. This is highly informative and again I do appreciate what you both have done!
Question: I'm interested in doing taxidermy, but I notice a lot of variation in practice. The foam mannequins get expensive as the animals get bigger, and they all have very set and predetermined poses. What's a good way to make a simple mannequin with clay, wool, and wire?
Excelsior has been used for decades to make "wrapped" bodies. As long as whatever you're using can hold its shape throughout the drying process will work.
I used a little hide paste on my mannequin and I tanned mine squirrel since I had a pickle ready anyways but I remember my first squirrel it was fun but turned out good
N Tatic The only expense that you should have after purchasing the kit would be for a few household items like a screwdriver, sharp knife and hairdryer.
Finished my first squirrel a few weeks ago with this kit, but I was a little disappointed with how its tail turned out. I worked so hard to fluff and dry it with a blow dryer and it looked amazing when I set it out to dry, but after the two weeks spent drying, it looks awful. The only thing I didn't use was hairspray. Is this the only way to achieve a fluffy tail?
One of the things you can try is to not pull the tail all the way out. Leave some slack in it by pulling it back towards the body. This will help to create more volume and then spray it with hairspray to lock it in. Back brushing the tail from the underside with a toothbrush also helps! If you have anymore questions please give us a call, we’d be glad to help! ~Miranda
Sorry for the delay in responding. Hide paste isn't necessary on small animals like squirrels. Once the hide dries, it will adhere to the form and not move. You can remove the pins anywhere between 2-4 wks. Hope this helps!
@@cdla2000 thank you for getting back to me. I really appreciate the information. If I get a Black Squirrel hunting, I will be buying one of your kits. Thanks again and great video!
Gary Burgess, No we do not. Once the squirrel hide dries around the form it won’t move. We’ve never used any adhesive on our squirrels and we’ve never had a problem.
We are planning to but the amount of work that we have taken in since Covid has almost doubled! We’re definitely not complaining but it doesn’t leave us much time to do anything else.
@@cdla2000 I am trying to understand how this works so please forgive my ignorance. So if i go out and get a squirrel, all i need to do is skin and flesh it, cover it in Borax and then mount it on one of your kits?
@@ericevans7402 Yes. Take care of your hide by not leaving it out too long and fleshing it properly and you shouldn't have a problem. I would not recommend using roadkill because you have no idea how long the animal has been dead. The decomposing process may be too advanced for you to salvage it. It is best to use a freshly harvested animal. We have NEVER tanned our squirrels! Hope this helps!
@@granthess Excelsior works best when you are doing your own wrapped body. It takes a lot of time, patience and a good understanding of the specimens anatomy to make it look natural. The foam mannikins are an easier way to “get your feet wet”!
You act like you've done a bunch of these , but in reality I don't think you have ! You keep forgetting steps ( you keep getting ahead of yourself ) . ie trying to put the skin on the head before the eyes are in and forgetting to put the tail wire in and you can't remember how to do the mouth. Non the less a good tutorial .
In all do respect I think she’s done many and knows what she’s doing. It is not easy to do it and at the same time explain it on camera. Very good job and video in my opinion.
![OhGeesy x Lefty Gunplay - What It Iz [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0yzW9t2ixk/mqdefault.jpg)
I laughed out loud when you zoomed in on the pre existing mount that said 'I see what you're doing to my friends' Great video!
You mounted a black squirrel for me through my taxidermist. So cool to see how it was done.
Miranda makes it looks soooo easy. She's really good at this game.
Beautiful work! I was awed by the skill of the way she set the pins in the toes. Very nicely done.
Thank you so much for the kind words! As with everything, your skills become better with time. Taxidermy is a true art form and getting to do this as a profession is a blessing.
that looks awesome need some more to watch
Blaze face squirrels make beautiful mounts
It was a pleasure watching you work. Beautiful job.
Thank you for the kind words!
Thanks for the video!! Beautiful work!! I’ll be ordering one of the kits!!
This Is So helpful :) i watched it whole and learned so many new things thank you so so much!
I just ordered my kit. I'm very excited and can't wait to mount my squirrel. Thank you for the video
Did it work ?
Great job! I love the work you guys do. I've mounted a few and will be ordering a few kits soon. Thank you for all you do!
M first ever mount was a shoulder mount of a billy goat , you never stop learning , everyone has some tips here and there on how they do there work , I also tried a squab pigeon that didn’t go well lol , also have done a fish mount , it’s not so good but have learnt from that for next time , taxidermist is fun loads of work in it but the end results wow , when friends and others comment on your work you know you did an awesome job , 👍
How close are you to Nashville? I'm looking to get some fish done not to worried about the end result patience and practice makes greatness
Thank you for making this video, I will be ordering my kit right away.
You have no idea how helpful this is thank you
Thanks, Miranda. Great job!
thank you sooooo much for these videos.
I like to put the actual teeth back in the mouth (the front four), and I like to use some caulking to help the skin to slide,and to make wrinkles if I need to. Even squirting caulking into the tail helps to fan out the tail hairs. But be careful,it can get messy.
Your link for the kit is not working
I watched your entire entire series from start to finish from fleshing and skinning all the way up to this point, and it was massively informative. I want to get into taxidermy myself, and I wanted to gift my younger sister a squirrel for hunting season in honor of our grandmother, as she absolutely loved squirrels. This is highly informative and again I do appreciate what you both have done!
Question: I'm interested in doing taxidermy, but I notice a lot of variation in practice. The foam mannequins get expensive as the animals get bigger, and they all have very set and predetermined poses. What's a good way to make a simple mannequin with clay, wool, and wire?
Excelsior has been used for decades to make "wrapped" bodies. As long as whatever you're using can hold its shape throughout the drying process will work.
@@cdla2000 thanks!
What size bit did you use on the dremel tool, & how deep did you carve out?
Excellent video!
loved the info and great video where can I get a hide ready to mount I became disabled and cant skin my own any more
Friends4Ever CraftingKids I’ll send you one
Then how would you mount it if you couldn’t skin it...
This is awesome will be trying it myself next season?
I don't understand how they make it look so easy
Any Acupuncture jokes while pinning the squirrel head? Good work, thanks.
thank you. i will for sure get the kit
I think they said 10 days or two weeks
I used a little hide paste on my mannequin and I tanned mine squirrel since I had a pickle ready anyways but I remember my first squirrel it was fun but turned out good
For your kits, what if a squirrel measures between 9 and 10 inches long?
Rule of thumb in taxidermy: Always go with the smaller form!
when do you take the pins out of the face and feet?
Thank you for the video........ Where can I find the pattern? Please help me
When I click on the link in the description it brings me to a boarding school for teens and says it’s not secure
Trying to order this kit but the web page linked is not working - where can I get this kit? My squirrel is ready to be mounted!
How long does it take for the squirrel to dry after you've mounted it before you can take the pins out?
At about 38:50 they say it should take 10 days to 2 weeks for it to dry. So I would assume that is the when you would be able to take them out.
Cool
Stud
10 days to 2 weeks.
Have you Tanned your squirrel with anything or are you just skinning and fleshing it and using the borax powder to preserve it
I think they just used borax if they are doing step by step I don’t know why they would leave the tanning out
@@redcrosw Yes David replied to my question all most faster than I could write it.
Thanks for your reply
Do you always case skin the squirrel?
What did you use to tan the hide
Uhh, question, our neighbor(who we are really close with) is hunting deer, is there a kit for does or bucks??
I see that kit is around $70. There is a lot job to be done about it. How much reasonable money it could cost at the end?
N Tatic The only expense that you should have after purchasing the kit would be for a few household items like a screwdriver, sharp knife and hairdryer.
It’s great thank you.
Finished my first squirrel a few weeks ago with this kit, but I was a little disappointed with how its tail turned out. I worked so hard to fluff and dry it with a blow dryer and it looked amazing when I set it out to dry, but after the two weeks spent drying, it looks awful. The only thing I didn't use was hairspray. Is this the only way to achieve a fluffy tail?
One of the things you can try is to not pull the tail all the way out. Leave some slack in it by pulling it back towards the body. This will help to create more volume and then spray it with hairspray to lock it in. Back brushing the tail from the underside with a toothbrush also helps! If you have anymore questions please give us a call, we’d be glad to help! ~Miranda
@@ellzeystaxidermy2872 Thanks so much, Miranda! These kits are really wonderful.
Do you tan it or just use borax
@@mikailarogers239 just Borax
Legendary
How long do you leave the pins in?
Have you got a home kitset for a 16.5 hands high horse thankyou very informative.
That's going to be a lot of pins.
@@davespringer777 no my trusty nail gun should do the job.😊
Is it just squirrels that you don't have to use glue on to get it to stay straight on the form?
How many do you do a week?
How much do the kits cost?
Ok thank you
Yg Swift I did not know until you told me thank you again
I live in UK and can provide moles, rats, squirrels and foxes for taxidermy.
Hi Steve, squirrels and foxes would be of interest, do you have a website or whatever?
Im interested in buying a mole!! What are your prices?
Is there any places to buy just the squirrel molds
There’s some taxidermy shops you can buy them from.
McKenzie
What is this clay that you use that has such a long working time?
Non-hardening clay. When the hide dries, it won't matter if the clay underneath is dry or not.
@@cdla2000 thank you so much for the quick reply!
Do you tan it or just use borax
How long do you pin
What medicine u r use? I mean what is the name of ta medicine....
How does this work with no tanning?
I didn’t see any glue being used to keep the face in place. When do you remove the pins?
Sorry for the delay in responding. Hide paste isn't necessary on small animals like squirrels. Once the hide dries, it will adhere to the form and not move. You can remove the pins anywhere between 2-4 wks. Hope this helps!
@@cdla2000 thank you for getting back to me. I really appreciate the information. If I get a Black Squirrel hunting, I will be buying one of your kits. Thanks again and great video!
Impressive.... ! I enjoyed this video.
How much do the kits usually cost?
I bought mine and it was 89 shipped.
Also do you use any kind of glue
Gary Burgess, No we do not. Once the squirrel hide dries around the form it won’t move. We’ve never used any adhesive on our squirrels and we’ve never had a problem.
I wet tan the skins. much better than just borax
Can I wash it with shampoo and conditioner? Is dawn soap better?
Use dawn. It is a gentle soap and a degreaser.
Was this a green hide or was it tanned
Gary Burgess We don’t tan any of our squirrels.
ca yall make more videos?!?!?!
We are planning to but the amount of work that we have taken in since Covid has almost doubled! We’re definitely not complaining but it doesn’t leave us much time to do anything else.
does the borax dry the pelt for mounting the animal
Yes it does
@@yassifiedcleorrr thanks
So u don't tan your squirrel hides at all
Nope, Just use borax and get it mounted in a short amount of time and you'll be fine.
@@cdla2000 I am trying to understand how this works so please forgive my ignorance. So if i go out and get a squirrel, all i need to do is skin and flesh it, cover it in Borax and then mount it on one of your kits?
@@ericevans7402 Yes. Take care of your hide by not leaving it out too long and fleshing it properly and you shouldn't have a problem. I would not recommend using roadkill because you have no idea how long the animal has been dead. The decomposing process may be too advanced for you to salvage it. It is best to use a freshly harvested animal. We have NEVER tanned our squirrels! Hope this helps!
@@cdla2000 Yes, this helps a lot, thank you! I have a hide from yesterday and one from today (fresh kills, not roadkill. ;) )
Je cherche un taxidermiste au Maroc
Why was the head Wight
SOUTHERN FOX SQUIRREL
We are related!!!
Hey! The squirrel changed color!
Good video!!and hot taxidermist
Wow the kits are $60+
Can you just use wool or cotton?
@@granthess Excelsior works best when you are doing your own wrapped body. It takes a lot of time, patience and a good understanding of the specimens anatomy to make it look natural. The foam mannikins are an easier way to “get your feet wet”!
Unfortunately we do have to charge that much, but the supplies that we include (excluding the form) will be enough to mount several squirrels.
Nice I'm Waseem from Pakistan .. online birds taxidermy Peshawar
Is Miranda married????!!!!
Yes, happily for 20 years!
So easy, even a girl can do it?
I'm pretty sure that's sarcasm.
That’s the motto I live by🤣 If most people only knew that women make awesome Taxidermist!
skin also not pasted on the form, not good
You act like you've done a bunch of these , but in reality I don't think you have ! You keep forgetting steps ( you keep getting ahead of yourself ) . ie trying to put the skin on the head before the eyes are in and forgetting to put the tail wire in and you can't remember how to do the mouth. Non the less a good tutorial .
Be careful what you say. I think she has done a lot of them. In front of a camera can be different.
Allen Wilson or she’s just not used to explaining it on video you douche
In all do respect I think she’s done many and knows what she’s doing. It is not easy to do it and at the same time explain it on camera. Very good job and video in my opinion.