I picked up a dead badger the other days, that was still pretty intact on the outside. The skull was mush unfortunately, but except for a piece of missing skin on the skin the fur was bloody but whole.

I skinned the bugger out, with a cut from tail tip to top of the sternum, and peeling it off from there, leaving the legs etc. in one piece. While I was doing it, my neighbour dropped by and suggested I'd try to mount the thing myself (I inquired at my taxidermist, but $700 for a full body mount of a road kill is more than I want to spend).

I guess a dorsal cut would have been better; easier to slip onto a mannikin and easier to hide stitches, or so I'm told. I may need to make some more cuts to get this skin onto one.

I looked on a few website that sell mannikin, and that is when I got the surprise. Most badger mannikins have eye-to-nose distance and chest circumference close to my badger (though chest circumference on mine is 2" more than the biggest I saw), but the length, from start of tail to nose tip is way off. Mine measured 29" and the biggest mannekin I saw was 21". I was also hoping to find one that imitates a badger coming down an incline, to hide the chin patch, and possible the abdomen stiches better, but most seem to be the other way around (badger looking up to you).

Has anybody got some ideas for a good source for mannikins?

Frans

Frans,

go to www.taxidermy.net and click on the suppliers page. There you can find a ton of companies that will have a badger form. The ones that come to mind are McKenzie, Van Dykes, Jonas, Research. You may also want to get a video that shows how to mount small mammals as it can help you out.

When youre done, you will have a great understanding of why us taxidermists charge so much......fleshing that puppy out is a chore!!!

Hughiam,

I hope I didn't suggest that I thought the $700 was too much for the work, that was not my intention. It is just more than I want to spend, especially since I'm going on a black bear hunt this spring, and hopefully I will have to spend some $$ on that too. I spent two hours just skinning, and could see two more go into fleshing easily. Then there is the cost of tanning, mannikin, and other stuff, and some hours to put it all on, stitching, etc. etc. Shop rental, heating... no, I'm OK with the money, I'd just rather spend it on a BB rug!

Maybe for penance I should take it out of the freezer when I have the time and finish the fleshing. I'm not sure I'd do the ears right, and lips, if they have to be split on such a small animal, or pads for that matter. If I don't get that right, I'll never get to the next stage...

Frans

No worries. Yes you will have to split the lips, nose, eyes and ears. Its not too bad on a badger. Their ears are quite tough. The proplem with them is the dang grease from the fat under the hide. It smell like skunk and is the consistancy of Crisco. Salt it well before you send it to the tannery.

Hugh

Oh, I once did a wild boar skin myself. The fat in the skin was incredible! I probably went to far in an attempt to remove it all, since some of the long hairs can now easily be pulled out. I just put it in a spot where it is undisturbed. A friend later suggested it might have been a good idea, instead of cutting/scraping off more fat/skin, to cut a diamond pattern into it and rub salt in.

What about the pads on the feet? The under-cut the main pad, but don't the individual toe pad need treatment? I guess I need a book or a video, eh? ;-)

Frans