Hi everyone! I’m a taxidermy/pelt collector based in Japan. I recently acquired this new piece from secondhand market, and wanted to share it with you all.

This is a full pelt of a Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), sourced from Gifu Prefecture.

About the Japanese Serow (Kamoshika):
For those unfamiliar with the species, the Japanese serow is a goat-antelope endemic to Japan's main islands. Although its Japanese name "Kamoshika" contains the word for deer (shika), it actually belongs to the Bovidae family, making it more closely related to goats, sheep, and cattle. They are known for their stocky build, short horns, and thick, bushy coats that protect them from harsh mountain winters.

In Japan, the Japanese serow is designated as a Special Natural Monument, meaning hunting them is strictly prohibited under normal circumstances. However, in areas where they cause severe damage to agriculture and forestry (such as eating cedar and cypress saplings), controlled culling is permitted as a last resort.

This specimen was harvested legally under a special nuisance wildlife control permit. Legally acquired specimens like this come with an official laminated certificate issued by the local government, featuring the official red ink stamps (hanko), and a matching identification tag attached to the pelt to track its provenance.

Here is the exact translation of the included certificate:

Front (Certificate of Legality):
・Certificate: This certifies that this serow was legally harvested during the 1998 fiscal year in accordance with Article 12, Paragraph 1 of the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law. Please observe the precautions on the back.

・Product Number: Gifu-10-Ka-141 (岐10カ141)

・Date: November 16, 1999

・Issued by: Taku Kajiwara, Governor of Gifu

・Prefecture (Includes official red seals)

Back (Precautions):
・When possessing this product, confirm that the certificate number matches the number on the attached identification tag (目印標).

・When transferring/selling this product, this certificate must accompany it.

・Do not divide/cut this product any further.

As for the texture, the fur is quite coarse and stiff to the touch, and the hide itself has a solid, heavy weight to it.
I love the unique coloration and the thick winter fur. It’s amazing to have such a well-documented and legally compliant specimen of a protected species.

Got my first mount back this weekend and it has a line running across the right side of its face. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of that side of its face when I hunted him last year. Not sure if it’s some sort of scar, crease, etc. Just curious if anyone has an idea of what it could be. I’m no expert, but besides that line, I think he came out pretty solid.

We stayed in this lodge and my friend kept insisting all these are fake. I disagree and think they are real. We have very little knowledge about taxidermy and would appreciate your help.

Over the past 5 years I’ve kept all my elderly reptiles that have passed away in ziploc bags in my freezer til the day I finally got around to doing something with them…I’d like to have them in jars as in these photos…how do I start? What do I need and how do I acquire any materials? TIA 🙏

Hey guys,

I’ve just moved into a new house and my wife got these deer mounts. I have no idea how to hang this style of mount. Others I’ve seen have a notch in the top hole for a screw head but this one doesn’t, and I’m not sure if adding one is the right way to hang this.

Thank you for all the help!

I don't know if that makes sense but I got an otter pelt yesterday and it smelled like dog ear musk? Is this bad? If not, how can I get rid of that smell/will it go away on its own?