In Part 2 of a four-part series on quail I will provide information and photo reference on the Northern bobwhite quail. Last issue in Part 1 I gave a brief review of the 9 species of “New World Quail” found in North, Central, and South America. Like all species of animals, there are some recognized subspecies of each and there is debate that some species should be split. For our/my purposes I will present some reference photography over the next few issues of the 6 species of quail that are native and found in North America.

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I have been in many trophy rooms over the years and have seen many distorted hooves on ungulates. Those of you who have worked on ungulates know the frustrations and challenges to get the hooves cleaned out properly. If you have done your fair share of these, I’m sure you have noticed from time to time the pinkish and raw looking flesh you remove from the interior of the hooves, which means the tanning chemicals have never properly penetrated these areas, making them a dinner plate for bug infestation if you do not remove all this material.

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There was a saying I often heard as a child, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I don’t know about that, but I do know those sticks and stones can make or break a good mount. In this article I will go over some techniques for making realistic habitat parts such as rocks, grass, lichens, and dirt. At the risk of sounding redundant, good reference is imperative. I will build a small base that is strong, easy to clean, and atheistically pleasing to the eye,using all of the aforementioned parts. The rock I will be using was donated by my friends at Habitat Rock. Their rock products are some of the finest in the industry. Whether you mold and cast your own or purchase one, painting it to look real is the goal. Studying the flora to make an accurate habitat base is just one of the steps in creating a pleasing display.

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2024 National Champions: NTA 53rd Convention and Competition

May 2–4, 2024

Holiday Inn Convention Center

Columbia, Missouri

National Championships Division

National Championships Division

Birds 

Gold Ben LeNoble  Quail

Waterfowl

Gold Paul Burczycki  Canada Goose

Turkeys

Gold Jeremiah Brinson  Eastern Turkey

Warmwater Fish

Gold Ben LeNoble  Bowfin

Reproductions: Fish

Gold Blake Reiminger  Largemouth Bass

Medium Mammals

Gold Lance Van Dusen  Javelina

Silver  Nathan Kelsey  Bobcat

Bronze Eric Zajac  Otter

Craftsmanship is born out of pride, passion, and attention to detail. It is developed and refined over the course of one’s career. A large portion of taxidermists will never become taxidermy artists and even fewer will come to exhibit excellent craftsmanship. I suspect that if you have subscribed to Breakthrough magazine and have taken the time to read this article, that you aspire to do just that. Congratulations on taking the initiative. Craftsmanship takes time, effort, and patience. It requires the utmost knowledge of all aspects of taxidermy. For a skilled craftsman, good enough is never good enough. Most competitors at the higher levels understand anatomy and can recreate it well, but the craftsmanship and overall quality of the mount is the difference maker in the competition arena.

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