Preserving capes on the road

[Delmar ODonnell]

Hey guys, I'm on a trip and will be living out of the truck till the 31st. I've been fortunate enough to kill a few birds so far and have been keeping the capes. I've put borax on them, but have been keeping them in a cooler with ice to prevent them from drying out.

Is this necessary? I don't want them to dry out where I will not be able to fan them out to display. Is it a good idea to keep them on ice with the borax or will I be ok leaving them in my truck with just borax? I have been putting the borax on and putting each one in an individual trash bag. They aren't splayed out, but rather folded so they will fit in the bag.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LaLongbeard]

Just plenty of borax and keep them dry no need for ice. Keeping them in a cooler will not allow them to dry. There won't be any problem fanning them out later. I don't keep the whole cape but all my fans and beards I've Boraxed  the fans and left them for weeks without any problem. Don't skimp on the Borax that's what will dry out the meat attached and keep it from rotting and making the feathers fall out of the cape

[Bowguy]

What are you planning on doing w em? Why are you putting borax on? It'll dry em out. Dry preservative is borax plus mothproofer. They need to be frozen not preserved unlesss you only want the feathers.

[Bowguy]

When you say capes what are you referring to as well? You mention "fan out"? Just a FYI I'm only trying to help. I did taxidermy full time for years

[eggshell]

moisture is your enemy and bowguy is right, it's best to freeze them. I think I would just have salted them and spread them out for air whenever I could. Drying is the safest option in my opinion if you can't freeze them. Leaving them moist will only let the feathers slip, there is no in between short of total preservation or freezing. Cool and wet is better than warm and wet, but both eventually lead to spoilage. I think You can actually re-hydrate them later if you salt them ( maybe bowguy can confirm this ).

[Bowguy]

moisture is your enemy and bowguy is right, it's best to freeze them. I think I would just have salted them and spread them out for air whenever I could. Drying is the safest option in my opinion if you can't freeze them. Leaving them moist will only let the feathers slip, there is no in between short of total preservation or freezing. Cool and wet is better than warm and wet, but both eventually lead to spoilage. I think You can actually re-hydrate them later if you salt them ( maybe bowguy can confirm this ).

That's a good post. You can rehydrate.

[LaLongbeard]

I've never had a Gobbler mount done but this season on an out of state hunt a buddy killed one he wanted mounted. The taxidermist said to use borax. As mentioned drying the cape is the best option if you can't freeze  it.

[Delmar ODonnell]

I apologize for the confusion. I'm not trying to do anything special with them. I usually pin them upside down on cardboard the day after a kill, with the fan spread out, and apply a liberal amount of borax and let set for a month or so to preserve them just as a memento of a successful hunt like this.
Since I'm living out of my truck for the next 2 weeks, I don't have the space or resources to pin them on cardboard and let dry. What would be the best way to preserve them for 2 weeks so I can do that when I get back? Thank you so much for the help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Delmar ODonnell]

Based on your comments "preserve" might not be the correct term to use here. But if I need to dry them, what would be the best way? They aren't laid out, but rather folded upon itself so it can fit in a bag, and the borax obviously doesn't stay on like it would if it was laying on a flat, unmoving piece of cardboard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LaLongbeard]

I would get a cardboard box or use an empty ice chest and put the cape in and cover with borax. We used a cardboard box but we had two trucks and plenty of room if your cramped for space that might not work. I'd definitely get them out of the plastic bags which will hold moisture and condensate. Borax or salt will not hurt the feathers in anyway, it shakes right out when dry.

[Fdept56]

If you're staying in one location I would try to find a taxidermist or just a friendly local that would let you throw them in the freezer. Not sure what to do if you're traveling between spots.

[Yoteduster]

I've always boraxed them real good and put them one at a time in paper grocery sacks then layer them in a cooler with dry ice make sure the dry ice is well wrapped in paper also this has always worked well for me

[WV Ridge Reaper]

Before I freeze my capes I lay shop towels on the meat side just throwing it out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk