# Here's how you do a Turkey Fan mount. Help for everyone



## gunner7848

I found this on a website and is close to how I do my fan mount I use epoxy to to seal everything up. I use tacks not duck tape because I feel it will rip the feathers. I also use a wire wheel that I bought for my drill to help get all the meat and fat off, after spending time cutting off as much meat and fat as I can. Remember to rub the borax in and I repeat a few time. As I was told remember to get as much meat and fat off and make sure it is dried out and seal it up. This is because there are bugs that will get in to there and could cause damage to others mounts. I have not had a problem but I also keep these fan mounts outside. This process takes me a few days but other have different ways to do these and hope to get more helpful hints from others. Remember to take your time and do everything right. This is a reference I found on a website to help people. If you don't feel like you can do it take it to a taxidermist don't ruin a memory or if you live close to me I offer to give you a hand.

*Make a Wild Turkey Tail Fan Mount - in one afternoon* 
*by Fred Lutger* 

The trophies on a gobbler are the tail, the spurs and the beard. You can make an attractive mount for them yourself, it's easy and you can do it in one afternoon. 
[SIZE=-1]*You will need the following:* 2 tubes of 5-minute 2-stage epoxy, one box of 20 Mule Team Borax, a sharp knife, one roll of Duct tape (duct tape does not stick to turkey feathers), and a flat surface to work on.[/SIZE] 

*[SIZE=+1]Tail Fan:[/SIZE]* 
[SIZE=-1]Grab the turkey's tail where it joins the body. Feel for the round knob that is the meat portion that holds the tail feathers. Grip the knob firmly and cut off the tail feathers close to the body. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]*1.* Lay the tail on a flat surface and scrape away all the meat with a knife. Be careful not to cut between the feathers. [/SIZE]
*[SIZE=-1]Click on any picture below for a larger, easier to see, picture.[/SIZE]* 
 
[SIZE=-1]*2.* You need one box of 20 Mule Team Borax. It preserves the skin and keeps insects from getting into the tail later on. Dump lots of Borax on the base of the tail and rub it vigoursly on the tail base, both front and back. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=-1]*3.* Spread the feathers out evenly (on your flat surface). Use duct tape to hold the fan feathers in place.[/SIZE] 
 
[SIZE=-1]*4.* Mix together the two parts of a tube of 5-minute 2-stage epoxy and coat the base of the tail where the meat was removed. Wait 30 minutes.[/SIZE] 
 
[SIZE=-1]*5.* After waiting at least 30 minutes, turn the fan over and epoxy the base on the other side. (Leave the duct tape in place.)[/SIZE] 
 
[SIZE=-1]*6.* Wait another 30 minutes and remove the duct tape and you're done with the gobbler's Fan.[/SIZE] 
*[SIZE=+1]Beard:[/SIZE]* 
[SIZE=-1]Remove the beard by holding it where it is attached to the body and cut it off with your knife. Rub the base of the gobbler's beard in the Borax.[/SIZE] 
 
*[SIZE=+1]Spurs:[/SIZE]* 
[SIZE=-1]Cut the turkeys legs off at the first joint. They do not have to be preserved.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]You are ready to make your tail mount display. [/SIZE]








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## gunner7848

Hunted turkeys for three years and lucky to have a great spot 1st on the left, 2nd in the middle and the one I just did on the right. Very easy to do I did all of these myself.


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## melvvin

Cool they look good.


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## dlbaldwin01

Awesome hopefully I get a bird to try this out on. Thanks for posting.


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## atp500

They look good!! I have 1 question---how much time between steps 2 and 4?
Thanks 
Ken


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## HunterHawk

besides using duct tape i have used strips of cardboard and pinned them across too..... of course u have to have something you can pin them too... you can use other thick pieces of cardboard to lay it flat then strips of cardboard to pin it down... .. 

cool thread... thanks for taking the time to post this... wish i would have done this to my 1st couple of birds over the years


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## gunner7848

atp500 said:


> They look good!! I have 1 question---how much time between steps 2 and 4?
> Thanks
> Ken


I take the borax and do it a few times throughout the day then leave it over night. I use 5 min epoxy do one side then the other make sure you get between the feathers where the meat and fat was. Make sure the whole area is sealed up before mounting


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## bigrackmack

I use t-pins for mine and a piece of cardboard ....not so sure about the tape....here is last years...Its a euro mount also......I use a hot glue gun and it works fine.....Mack


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## bigrackmack

Gunner, what are you doing with you legs and spurs?........Mack


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## GoneFishin

My buddy did my bird with a similar process but he used Bondo instead of epoxy. Only took him about 3 hrs from start to finish. Mount was ready for the wall. Here's the the mount of the bird I shot on Wed. the 24th


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## gunner7848

bigrackmack said:


> Gunner, what are you doing with you legs and spurs?........Mack


I don't care for the feet look style I remove the spurs and epoxy them on the board. Here's a close look of the one I just did of mine


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## FireDoc66

Good guide, thanks for posting!


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## Dahmer

Nice write up gunner. Here's the one I did!


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## cedarlkDJ

Like bigmackrack I pin mine to a thick piece of cardboard and let it dry for awhile.
Here's one I did a couple years ago for a good friends' son who got his first bird his first year of hunting them......I think he was 14 at the time. I cut the spurs off and mounted them on the bottom. (sorry about the blurred background but, I just hung it on the porch wall with my hat collection for a quick pic before he took it...he needed it fast for his sons b-day!)


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## Fur-minator

Here is one I mounted for my dad.

 

Here are a couple of mine.


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## koz bow

Another way that I use and like even better than mounting on the boards and is very simple, is to cape the bird starting at the back of the neck, follow down the sides, cutting the skin as you go and "filleting" the skin back. If you feel along the sides of their neck all the way down their sides, you will see there is almost a line of skin you can follow. Like they were designed to have this done.

When you get the to the tail, cut off the cape with the tail bone and fan.

Then I cut off any chunks of meat, and liberally rub skin and tail area with Borax Mule Team soap. This will cure it.

Lay the entire fan skin down, onto a ceiling tile and pin it in place with stick pins, onto the ceiling tile or piece of foam board, and let it dry. Usually takes a week or so.

You can then hang it on the wall either fan up, or fan down and the entire cape, include neck, back and fan show.

I will try to post pictures here, but it is an awesome way of doing it and that is how I do all my birds now and for others.


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## gunner7848

ttt


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## deepwoods

How long do you let the Borax sit on it. I was under the impression that it was a week or so. Am I way off base?


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