I'm just curious as Maxx's post got me thinking. How long do trophies last? Will the animals I shoot now look good 40 years down the road or will I need to have them re-caped over the years?

It depends. If the skins had a good tan and were mounted well they should out last you. Sunlight is bad and will cause fading. Smoke and heat are also bad. Clean them every now and then and try to keep them out of direct sun light. Take a Q-tip and some Windex and bring life back to those glass eyes.

Birds will not look good after 40 years unless they are under glass.

Also do not forget about other things that can happen to mounts. Make sure they do not fall off the wall or get bugs or get chewed on by a dog or get a hair cut by your kid! And I don't care what your wife says, keep them out of the garage!

I'm amazed how long some last.

I have a picture of my dad and his mule deer, with me standing beside it. He shot his deer in 1949. I was two. Forty years later Bucky looked fine, although at 55 he wasn't looking that good. I blame myself. Too much living overseas and in and out of storage.

My dad had the head mounted in Artesia, New Mexico. I'm sure the man is dead probably, but he did a Hell of a job.

What to do to rehydreat?,when they start drying/crack around nose, eyes, lips?

RustyD, the best thing would be to take it in to your taxidermist for repair and a paint touch up.

quote:

What to do to rehydreat?,when they start drying/crack around nose, eyes, lips?

Rusty,

No rehydreating that, two things to do,

1) like Grafton said, get it repiared, that's if it's not to far gone...

2) Remount it with a new cape, I have done quite a few old mounts or pickled mounts.

Your taxidermist should be able to guarantee his work for the rest of your life!

For long-haired critters, like coyote/bobcat:

1. Is vaccuum cleaning detrimental to remove dust?
2. Would combing every now and then be detrimental?
3. Would wiping down with something like a fabric-softener sheet or spraying with anti-static spray cause problems?

Thanks for any input.

erict, Here is what I do. Take a soft cloth and spray it lightly with windex. gently wipe down the mount with the direction of the hair to remove dust. Touch up the eyes with windex on a q-tip. Back brush the fur with a fur (slicker)brush to fluff it up a bit, (or fluff with a hair dryer or compressed air). Then gently lay the fur back down a bit with your hand. If you do this right, the spots on the cat should show up nicely. I do not know how powerful your vacuum is so I do not recommend that, although I have heard of people doing this without any problems. I do not know what is in the anti static spray so I would not recommend that either.