How To Safely Store Your Taxidermy Mount Collection For The Long-Term

Are you reluctantly trying to find a way to remove some, or all of the taxidermy trophies from your home? There are lots of reasons that hunters remove mounts from their homes – it could be due to someone becoming uncomfortable around them, like a son or daughter, or maybe you're blending two families and need to make room – whatever the reason, if you pack and store the collection properly, it will remain in the same condition no matter how long it sits in storage. Here, you'll find a few tips to help you prepare and put your taxidermy trophy collection in storage.

Pack the Collection

What will make all of the difference in how well the mounts hold up over the next several months or years is how you pack it up. At first, you might think that the best way to protect these pieces is by putting them in plastic storage bins – but that's actually the worst thing you can do for them.

You see, as the mounts are placed around your house, they absorb small amounts of moisture over the years. That moisture remains trapped inside each piece – if you store the mounts in plastic bins, the moisture will have nowhere to go and it will begin to cause mold growth, rot, and deterioration of the mount.

So, the best thing for you to use to store the mounts in is wooden crates. You can make these using spare lumber, or you can talk with your local taxidermist about obtaining crates he no longer uses or if he has any available to purchase.

Note: If you decide to make your own crates, make sure that you use silicone caulk to seal the cracks – you don't want insects getting inside.

As you pack the crates, use dry straw or packing materials to hold the pieces in place. You don't want them shifting around. If you have wall-mount trophies, you can secure them to the side of the crate and fill the gaps with packing material – this will ensure they don't shuffle around.

Choose a Storage Unit

The storage unit that you lease must be climate controlled. If these trophies are exposed to high or low temperatures and high humidity, they will become damaged quickly.

Lease a climate controlled storage unit and then, store the crates up off of the ground. You can use wooden pallets on the floor of the storage units to promote air flow and keep the moisture in the concrete from seeping up into the crate.

You can protect the trophies while they're being stored – this way, if things change, you always have them to bring back home.