Pheasant Demonstrated.

Techniques will apply to any upland bird...

(click photo to enlarge)

Home, Skinning, Salting, Fleshing, Washing, Tanning, Shaving, Mounting, Finishing, Base/Habitat

Birds, GameHeads, Life-Sized,  Fish

AntlerPlaques, TurkeyPlaques

Supply Links, Graduate Web-Sites, Job Opportunities

Taxidermy Reporting Forms, Antler Scoring Sheets, Scoring Instructions

Federal Duck Labels, Miscellaneous

Put on gloves.  You-know-who didn't wear them the whole time he skinned this bird, but he meant to.

Part the feathers down the middle to find the convenient bald line that birds are born with. 

Make your incision along this line, from breastbone to vent.  Cut with blade side up to part the feathers and minimize feather damage.

Work your fingers down alongside the breast meat on both sides, loosening skin from bird.

Work the drumstick up through the incision.  Slice through meat to drumstick to expose joint.  Separate at joint. 

Same on the other side.

 Skin down around back and sides, past the pelvis.

Grasp tail firmly and bend slightly away from body to expose vertebrae.  Clip vertebra to release tail, being careful to not cut through skin directly on other side.

 Flip bird up on its shoulders and skin down toward neck from tail area.  This back section holds the skin close to the bird.  Skin carefully, and toward the bird, to avoid cutting holes.

 Slice down through breast meat to expose joint.  Cut the joint of the wing away from carcass.

Same on other side.

Skin away from carcass toward head, turning neck skin inside-out.

 Locate the back of the skull with your finger. Carefully snip neck loose from skin as close to skull as possible without clipping skin.

Measure neck along top side.  Record measurement for neck-making reference.

Clean meat off drumsticks.

Clean meat off wing bone.

Clean out the oil glands at the base of the tail.