How to Get a Duck or Goose Home for Mounting From an Out-of-State Hunt

A lot of the best birds we hear about come from trips. You drive twelve hours or catch a flight, hunt a few days with a guide or your buddies, and on the last morning a drake you've wanted for years drops into the spread. Now you've got a problem nobody talks about: how do you get that bird home and to your taxidermist in good shape? If you're trying to figure out how to transport a duck for taxidermy, or a goose, this is the whole trip, start to finish.

Decide on Your Mount Bird in the Field

The biggest mistake on a hunting trip happens in the first hour. Birds come back to the lodge or camp, somebody starts cleaning, and your mount bird ends up breasted out with the rest before you ever said a word.

So make the call in the field. When you pick up the bird you want mounted, set it aside, tell everybody, and keep it off the cleaning table. Keep it whole. Don't breast it, don't gut it, don't pluck it. Leave the bird alone.

From there, the field care is the same as it would be at home. We wrote out every step for preserving a duck for mounting and preserving a goose for mounting, so start there.

How to Transport a Duck for Taxidermy Legally

Here's the federal rule in plain words. A migratory game bird has to keep its head or one fully feathered wing attached while you're transporting it, until it gets to your home or to a migratory bird preservation facility. Your taxidermist counts as one of those. A motel, hotel, or hunting club does not count as your home.

The good news for a mount bird is that you're already covered. A whole bird has its head and both wings, so it meets that rule without you doing anything extra. The same rule applies to the birds you're eating, so keep a wing or head on those too until they're home.

Possession limits also apply on the way home, and they vary. Before you leave, check your flyway and the state regulations for where you're hunting, so you know what you're allowed to have with you.

Leaving Your Bird at the Lodge or With a Buddy

Sometimes you can't take the bird with you. Maybe the lodge offers to freeze it, maybe an outfitter is holding it, or maybe your buddy is driving home and you're flying. That's fine, but there's a rule for it.

When you leave a migratory bird with someone else for processing, storage, or taxidermy, it has to be tagged with your information. That's what the federal migratory bird tag in our kits is for. The card says it straight: "Fill out the federal migratory bird tag with the pencil provided, then place it inside the bag." Do that before the bird leaves your hands.

Driving Home With a Frozen Duck or Goose

If you're driving, you've got the easiest version of this. Get the bird bagged and frozen at the lodge or camp before you leave. Make sure you have your bird packaged right as we've laid out and follow our directions.

When it's time to go, put the mount bird in its own cooler, separate from the meat birds. That way it doesn't get mixed in with the birds you're eating.

Once you're home, get it back in the freezer and get it to your taxidermist when you can. If you're wondering what happens after drop off, we wrote about how long it can take to get a duck or goose mounted.

Flying Home With Ducks for Taxidermy

Flying is where guys get nervous, and that's fair. If you're thinking about dry ice, here's what the TSA says about it: "The FAA limits you to 5.5 pounds of dry ice that is properly packaged (the package is vented) and marked. Airline approval is required."

That last part is the one that matters. Your airline decides. Call them before the trip, tell them you're flying home with a frozen bird for the taxidermist, and ask exactly how they want it packed and checked. Don't go off what worked for your buddy last season.

If anything is mailed or shipped by a common carrier instead, the package has to be marked on the outside with the shipper's and receiver's names and the number of birds by species.

Hunting in Canada or Abroad

Bringing a bird back into the U.S. from another country is its own set of rules. Check with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before the trip so you know what you need.

Common Questions

Can I leave my duck at the hunting lodge?

Yes. If you leave it with the lodge, an outfitter, or a buddy for storage or taxidermy, it needs to be tagged with your information. The federal migratory bird tag in the kit is made for exactly that.

Can I fly with a frozen duck?

You can, but call your airline first. If you're using dry ice, the FAA limit is 5.5 pounds, properly packaged, vented, and marked, and the airline has to approve it.

Does a hotel count as my home for transport rules?

No. A motel, hotel, or hunting club is not your personal home, so keep the head or a fully feathered wing on every bird until it's really home or at your taxidermist. A whole mount bird already meets that.

Pack the Kit Before You Pack the Truck

If you're heading out on a trip this fall, throw a kit in your bag before you leave. The Duck Preservation Kit ($24.99) covers one duck. For geese, grab the Large Bird Preservation Kit ($29.99), which also works for cranes and turkeys. If you're going on a big trip and might come home with more than one bird worth mounting, the Quad Duck Preservation Pack ($79.99) gives you four duck kits.

This is why we started Tagged and Bagged. Our preservation kits don't replace your taxidermist. They keep your bird mount-ready for them. Good luck out there.