how to make a turkey fan

How to Make a Turkey Fan Mount for Displaying Your Hunting Trophy

As a turkey hunter, you know the thrill of successfully bagging a nice tom. Now you may be wondering – how can I preserve this trophy in the form of a stylish turkey fan mount? Crafting a decorative fan yourself is totally doable with some basic tools and these key steps:

1. Harvest and Remove the Fan

• After humanely killing your turkey, locate its tailbone and carefully cut along it to remove the fan of tail feathers.
• Try to keep extra length on the feathers so they can be trimmed later if needed.
• Place the fan in a plastic bag and freeze it ASAP. Freezing kills parasites and prevents rotting.

1. Thaw and Clean the Fan

• Once thawed, remove all meat, fat, and the tailbone from the fan using sharp knives. Be meticulous!
• Clip away any unwanted feathers from the backside.
• Use scissors to separate quills, then scrub out all fat residues with a wire brush.

1. Shape and Preserve the Feathers

• Arrange feathers how you want them and pin in place with tacks/toothpicks.
• Generously coat the fan base with borax powder. This dries and preserves it.
• Let sit 1-4 weeks. Check periodically and remove any concerning spots.
• Wipe off excess borax afterward and repin feathers if needed.

1. Create a Mounting Base

• Mix auto body filler (Bondo) and apply over the feather bases to create a solid plaster seal.
• Allow to fully dry overnight. This gives a sturdy base to screw mount into wall.

1. Install Fan in Mounting Kit

• Buy a turkey fan mounting kit or plaque at a hunting store or make your own.
• Screw through the plaster base into the mounting kit or wall-mounted plaque.

1. Display Your Trophy!

• Hang proudly on the wall and reminisce about your successful hunt when you see it.

Additional Tips

• Save the beard and spurs too! Add them to the plaque or make a creative display,

• Damaged feathers? Repair with fly tying thread/floss and toothpick splints.

• Add engraved nameplates, firearm shells, photos etc to personalize the plaque

• Look for mounting kits with built-in spots to display spurs, beards and skulls.

• For a more polished look, opt for a premade quality wood mounting plaque.

• Stained wood plaques complement typical home decor the best. Stay simple.

• Arrange multiple years’ fans on one large plaque for a wall-filling trophy display.

With the right preparation and materials, DIY turkey fans make for wonderful mementos from your hunting outings. They require only basic skills yet create a beautiful and personal addition to your home decor. Not to mention you’ll impress your hunting buddies with your handcrafted trophy!

Follow these key steps – harvesting the fan, meticulously cleaning, preserving with borax powder, creating a mount base with Bondo, securing in a mounting kit, and proudly hanging on display. With a bit of time and effort, you’ll have a stunning turkey fan to commemorate your hunting success for years to come.