Swan mount (before and after)

[Marshian]

I got this swan two years ago and was debating paying the significant price of having him mounted, so he lived in my chest freezer for two years. Last fall my brother shot a huge rooster and used a Great Falls taxidermist named Tim Carter who enjoys doing birds, and has great prices and quality. So outta the freezer he came and boy, am I glad I mounted him. Takes up a lot of space, but it looks awesome. I always smile when I walk by, as it was a real fun hunt- kayaked out onto an island on Freezeout Lake with two swan decoys I borrowed from Ratfink. A trio came over at about 30 yards and I took the whitest one of the bunch. With a thunderous splash, he dropped and now the rest is history.

 

[Festus]

Cool mount!

 

[sneakypete]

Very nice looking mount!

 

[duckhunt]

That is really cool. I would love to shoot a swan.

 

[Southern Elk]

Looks great. Unique mount for sure.

 

[glass eye]

Good looking mount, nicely done !
I shot one in 2012 and just last week I started picking at it, tons of fat, not looking forward to defatting it. I would like to do a flying mount but I don't have the room. I already have a Black Swan in a flying pose and a Tundra flying would be too much.

 

[Coyotes-R-Us]

Nice tundra.
We have taken a few Trumpeters and your right !!!
THERE TERMUNDUS in SIZE.

 

[skimerhorn]

Looks awesome! That's on my bucket list, maybe next year?

 

[Marshian]

Thanks for the compliments guys. For those of you who are interested but have not yet hunted them, it's pretty easy to get one in Montana. I'm not sure about non-residents, but as residents we have a drawing which seems to be about 50% success of getting a tag. That's the hardest part. This is my second swan, the first was a juvenile which we ate and I thought it sucked. If you hunt Freezeout, swan decoys are a huge advantage, and I'd canoe out there and get after them. Waiting on the dikes is boring.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

nice

good luck to all
the dog

 

[fishing4sanity]

Now that's a big bird and a cool looking mount! You did the right thing getting it mounted. A guy really can't have too much taxidermy, can he?

 

[Marshian]

Now that's a big bird and a cool looking mount! You did the right thing getting it mounted. A guy really can't have too much taxidermy, can he?

That's the truth! Two things I never regret; taking vacations and taxidermy. One is the source of many memories and the other is a tangible reminder of those memories. I have a half dozen mounts now, and many more to come I hope. And I remember all of those hunts well. Sometimes I just wal around my house admiring the memory of them even if they aren't even close to being a scored trophy. The memory of the effort and the scenery and the camaraderie are why I have many of the mounts that I do.

 

[7mm08mo]

Sweet!!

 

[1_pointer]

Great looking mount! Kudos for getting it done. I didn't on a species of bird and now I don't think they can be hunting anywhere any more. Big regret.

 

[noharleyyet]

Now there's something you don't see every day.

...wingspan?

 

[mplane72]

Looks really good to me. Talk about wall space...

 

[What Map]

Nice bird. I hope to get a permit this year. Didn't draw one last year.

 

[Marshian]

Now there's something you don't see every day.

...wingspan?

Just a bit over 5'6

 

[Jamen]

My second year of college me and the old man had gotten deer tags in a unit we never hunted before. Still had a swan tag since college took up most of my fall hunting time. Friday before opener of deer we tried to get my swan with no luck. Seen a good number of them but most sloughs were freezing up. Next morning we were headed to our deer spot and there was a flock standing on the ice.. So I got out the 10 gauge and snuck up to the slough.

Picked out the biggest one and shot it in the air and down it fell on the ice. Well now I had no idea how to get it, the guy we were staying with had a dog but the ice was about an inch or two and I didn't want his dog to risk its well being to get my swan so I grabbed my waders. Took the scoop shovel out of the pick up and broke the ice all the way out there put the bird on the shovel and slide it on the ice all the while being on my tippy toes so the ice water doesn't come rushing into my waders.

I regret not mounting it, biggest swan I have ever shot 82in wingspan and 54 inches from head to tail. Being a broke college student with no money or a place to hang it I didn't get it done. Now if I ever shoot one of that caliber again it will be going on the wall. I will have to look for a picture of it.

 

[Nameless Range]

Looks great.