Freeing Up Space At Home

Pack And Store Your Taxidermy Trophies To Make More Room

11 May 2018

Billie Gonzalez

If your taxidermy trophy collection has outgrown your home, you don't have to begin picking and choosing the ones that you'll keep, sell, or give away. Instead, you can store some of them in storage units until you're ready to trim down your collection or find more space in your home to display them. Here, you'll learn how to properly pack and store taxidermy trophies for long-term storage.

Package the Trophies

Typically, the first thing people run out and buy when they want to store things long-term is big plastic bins. When storing taxidermy trophies, this is the worst thing you could do. These trophies need to be stored inside a wooden crate. The wooden crate will allow the moisture trapped inside the trophies to escape while allowing some air to flow into the crate. If you were to store the trophies in plastic, air-tight bins, you would find them coated in mold and rotting after several months.

Wooden crates can be homemade, or you can inquire about purchasing them from your local taxidermist. Whether you build the crate or make your own, make sure to take a minute to run a bead of caulk along the cracks. This will prevent insects and rodents from squeezing into the crate and munching on your trophy.

Wall-mounted trophies will require a little prep work. Cut a sheet of wood so that you can mount the wall-mount to the wood. This will help to ensure that the trophy stays put while you're moving it around.

Free-standing trophies can be carefully placed in the crate and packed with dry straw or natural packing materials. Just don't use newspaper, or the ink will transfer onto the trophy.

Choose a Storage Facility

The storage facility that you choose must offer climate-controlled units. You don't want your collection exposed to high and low temperatures or moisture. A climate-controlled unit will maintain a steady temperature throughout the year and will prevent the hides from cracking and falling apart. Moisture will cause the hides to crack, shrink, warp, or swell.

Your collection is irreplaceable—whether you're the one that went out and snagged the animal yourself, or you inherited it or purchased it—it must be protected. If you take the time to pack and store the collection properly, you'll have it to enjoy whenever you're ready, and it'll be in the same condition it was the day you decided to store it.

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