Coyote Taxidermy Tutorial page 2

Figure 14a) roughset the eyes with clay – I get it looking so so and then finish the setting after tucking eyelids – slide your tucking tool under clay all around to give the skin somewhere to go

Figure 14) we will now do the clay work to recreate the muscles around the eye by pulling the skin back – in this picture the skin of cape looks really filthy – this coyote died from a head shot and the skin is ‘bruised’ with blood so it looks dirty – not to worry – I learned this way of setting eyes

(after skin on) from a Jan Van Hoesen video – this is the best way I have found to keep eyework intact

Figure13) take a ball of clay slightly smaller than a golf ball and slide it under the skin and place at base of ear –this will recreate the muscles at base of ear - this needs to fit tightly at base of ear – the two clay areas

(clay in form and clay at ear base) will bond and make the ears stable

Figure 12a) get him up on the mounting stand so you can finish up

Figure 12) find your mounting hole and open it up – if you wait until later sometimes you can’t find it – do it now

Figure 11) tuck skin into place on back of form – some people use leather or felt in place of the spray rock – most of the time I don’t do anything – you cant see the back of the form (on small forms) - well its tucked – lets keep going

Figure 10a) put glue on the form to hold skin in place – remember this is the last time you will be able to do anything on the back 2/3 of form

Figure 10) pull hide around the form and cut off so that it is even with slot on back – strictly trial and error – if you cut off too much you are out of luck

Figure 9) Fill the ear holes we drilled with clay b4 slipping hide on for the last time

Figure 8a) test fit the cape and mannikin – looks great (less filling)