So there are 3 species of Ptarmigans found in North America.

1) Willow Ptarmigan (Biggest)
2) Rock Ptarmigan (Mid Size)
3) Whitetail Ptarmigan (Smallest)

The "Red Grouse" they hunt in United Kingdom is a "Willow Ptarmigan".

On a waterfowling trip to remote Alaska I had the opportunity to hunt some Rock Ptarmigans in interphasic plumage.



I just got the mount back from my taxidermist. This mount will be integrated into another bigger habitat with other ptarmigan species in Winter plumage (all white).


A good friend of mine is now offering a hunt for all 3 species of Ptarmigan (Willow, Rock, Whitetail) on a single trip in Alaska. If any one is interested drop me a note and I will hook you up.

The Willows are most numerous, followed by Rocks....Whitetail Ptarmigan are a bitch to hunt. Usually you need to fly into higher elevations to get to their habitat.

I am very interested. If you would like, you may send a P.M.

I've got a young Deutsch Drahthaar "spring born" that will need some wild bird exposure in September prior to some chukar, quail and pheasant hunting here in Oregon and Idaho in November and January. By the way, what part of Alaska?

I don't mind if this is discussed on this forum in order to help out your friend.

Are you allowed to have extended magazine tubes or a shotgun that holds more then 3 shell's loaded up?

@Norseman
Please PM me your email address and a phone number and I will get you in touch. My friend can fill you in on the details and logistics of the trip.

Three ptarmigan species are targeted in three different areas and I believe he accesses one by SUV, one by boat and one by plane.

Since Ptarmigan are not considered migratory bird species, it is ok to use lead shot and extended magazines.

P.S. In the first pic the extension on the gun is 15oz of dead weight...it is not an extra shell capacity extension.

Very nice !

Ptarmigan hunt in Sweden 2010

Nice, Alaska has spruce grouse and ruffed grouse as well.

Collector,

Can I ask who does your taxidermy? - It really is very good indeed.

Can I also ask who does the preparation and how/what they do?

@A.Dahlgren
That looks like an awesome hunt....thanks for pics, really enjoyed them.

@D99
Some rogue biologists have gone out of control and declared many sub-species of Spruce grouse into full species with real funky names....they always amuse me

@shakari
I use quite a bunch of different people for taxidermy. Some specialize in waterfowl, some upland birds, some large birds in general.

Prep How/What:
Ok so let me walk you through the steps and couple of do's and do nots that I follow. They may sound strange to you but they have worked for me so I follow these rules religiously.

A great mount starts in the field, of course first thing is minimal damage to the bird. Make sure you do not blow the bird to pieces or shoot with a tight choke or shoot it way too close to the end of the barrel. 35 yards with a 12 gauge shotgun using IC choke with shot size (4 to 7.5) will hopefully not tear your bird up. Ok so the bird is down, if you want to mount it....do not use a dog for retrieving. Go get the bird yourself. No matter how gentle the dog is...the mouth pressure, teeth, saliva, are going to effect the bird. So go get the bird yourself.

Then do not grab the bird by the neck or the beak. Always pick it up by the legs. If the bird is still alive you want to dispatch it as quickly as possible and without damaging any of the feathers. Never twist the neck, that will destroy the skin around the neck and bird will not look natural no matter how good your taxidermist is. Small birds you can hold in your hands and squeeze gently and that dispatches them quickly. Big ones (goose size) you can dispatch by laying them on the ground and then gently applying pressure with your knee to the backbone.

OK so the bird has gone to la-la land. If it was a waterfowl I try to get the water/ice/snow out of the feathers as much as possible. Try to wipe the blood out of feathers as much as possible.

Do not immediately put the bird in a bag of any sorts....let the body heat escape. If you put the bird in a bag right away there will be condensation. Usually I tuck the head under one of the wings and let them lay for about half hour.

If you have a freezer available at the lodge/camp then ideally you want to put the bird in a ziplock, get all the air out, then freeze the bird over night. A good freeze of two to three days and the bird can travel in a sealed cooler for 3 days. Yes it will thaw out but there will be no slippage. You come home put the birds in the freezer over night again and send the birds overnight to your taxidermist. Do not ship on Thursday or Friday...as a rule I always ship on Monday....next day delivery to my taxidermist. If the birds are coming from overseas then the process is different and you better get yourself a broker who can take possession of your cooler upon landing and keep them in a freezer until all paperwork is complete. Then he will ship them out to a port of entry approved taxidermist. If you got the birds in Canada or Mexico then you can bring them with you as long as you are willing to do the US Fish & Wildlife paperwork yourself. Ok so the frozen birds are in the hands of your capable taxidermist your job is done and his job begins.

Now say you are in a place where freezing is not an option. Say you are in the middle of hot steaming jungle or a spike camp out in the African bush. Well that can be bit of an issue.

People who can afford it (not throwing names around but the owner of a famous hunting & fishing merchandise store...name starts with "C" and ends with an apostrophe S....usually takes a skilled bird taxidermist with him so he can skin and prep the birds out in the bush. I usually do all the skinning myself in the field...so when everyone is sitting by the boma having a cold one I am upto my elbows doing skinning and salting of birds. Salt is one item that one can easily arrange for no matter where you are in the world. So I arrange for it ahead of time.

Body of a bird is usually not a problem but the wings and the skull (eyes, brains) need a bit of skill to handle. So once the bird is free of as much meat, fat, sinew, I salt it heavily and then store in a cool place. This technique will prevent slippage for couple of days without refrigeration in hot climate. If you are in colder climates then usually it is not an issue. So hot 80 plus degrees areas with no refrigeration are the ones that I worry about the most.

Skin prep for birds is very different from skin prep of mammals...but if you know what/how to do it you can bring back some beautiful birds that can greatly enhance the look and feel of your trophy room. Recently I posted pics of the mounts of the Ocellated Turkey and Great Curassow that I hunted in very very hot conditions (100 plus deg temperature) and no refrigeration....the mounts turned out all right because handling in the field was done properly.

Hope this helps

Collector,

I've gotta say, I'm impressed as hell that you know all that and do it all yourself..... you're the first non professional (as in PH or taxidermist) I've ever come across that has the knowledge, ability and willingness to do it.

The only thing I would do differently to your description is I'd lay the skinned/salted bird out on a smallish/suitably sized piece of light plywood or other board and keep it like that even for transportation. Also if it's a very greasy skin possibly a gentle wipe down (on the inside) with diluted prepsol 10 minutes or so before salting.

I reckon dealing with bird trophies (at least here in Africa) is one of the most neglected (and difficult) parts of the business.

Your trophy pictures show just how much of a difference it makes if the preparation is done properly.

Thanks shakari,

The more fancy chemicals (like Formaline) can also be used on collection hunts when refrigeration is not an option. I am glad you approved of the methods

Im a big fan of bird shooting since my childhood and i would love to hunt these perhaps some day...

@juanpozzi,

Alaska is the state to visit, you can easily pick one or two ptarmigan species on a single trip with a good guide.