So you want to take a pheasant to the taxidermist? Obviously you want the best looking mount possible; and to a large degree, the final product will be determined by how you take care of the bird before shipping it. Give your taxidermist a good specimen to work with, and he'll provide a better mount for your den or hunting club.

Todd Huffman of Trinidad, Col., has been a birds-only taxidermist for nearly three decades, and his mounts are beautiful. He's obviously a good source of info about how to handle birds in the field that you want to have mounted.

First and foremost, he says to never allow a dog retrieve to a bird that's a taxidermy candidate. Go get it yourself, because the dog's mouth almost always causes feather damage. Next, place the bird in a shady spot and allow it to cool down for an hour or more. It's important to allow body heat to escape. When the bird starts getting stiff, bend the head back under a wing. This is the best freezing position.

Now to freeze, place the bird in a plastic bag, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Then do the same thing again. You want two layers of plastic bag around the bird. What you don't want to do is to slide the bird into a piece of panty hose and freeze it with no other covering, since this allows body moisture to escape. You need to preserve that body moisture. Once the bird is frozen hard, put it in a box that's filled with wadded-up newspaper, seal the box up, and ship it overnight via FedEx or UPS.

Huffman says you should consult with your taxidermist when it comes to selecting poses and mounts. Most top taxidermists have photo galleries on their web sites. To look at Huffman's work, go to his web site: www.birdmanstudios.com.