First and foremost, before starting a competition piece, I would recommend you find a good reference photo of the type of animal you plan to mount that really strikes you and piques your interest. As soon as I found this reference photo of a coyote scratching its side with such a look of pure satisfaction, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for this piece.

This coyote had been in the freezer for a few years; my dad had shot her one winter and I didn’t want to waste the hide as she had a very pretty coat. I didn’t save the carcass for casting, however, nor did I take any measurements, so I had to sculpt the form for this piece from scratch. Challenge accepted. I really enjoy challenging myself and this was a perfect opportunity. I had to think about my stitching and how I could minimize the seams that would be within reach for a judge, and decide how to skin this animal accordingly. Minus the relief cuts on the front legs, I was able to hide all my stitching by tubing-out the coyote from the back legs and having it sit on the seam.

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It can be really challenging to find a base that perfectly fits your animal, but is there ever really a perfect fit? There is with Contour Sheet! The revolutionary product from Scenes-n-Nature allows you to quickly and effortlessly create custom bases that perfectly fit any mount, eliminating floating feet for good.

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The Taxidermy Hall of Fame class of 2021 was inducted at the National Taxidermists Association awards banquet on July 24, 2021 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There were seven very worthy candidates nominated for the 2021 induction year, two as Historical Nominees and five as Contemporary Nominees.

They were: Historical Nominees for 2021

Herman H. ter Meer

Sinclair Clark

Contemporary Nominees for 2021

Terence Coffin-Grey

Harry Paulson

Stefan Savides

Rodney Schreurs

Jan Van Hoesen

On the following pages we offer a shortened version of the biographical sketches submitted for each elected member. Video presentations were presented at the induction ceremony for each of the four inductees. These videos can be viewed on the THOF website by going to “Inductees” on the home page and selecting “2021 Induction Ceremony.”

The THOF Board of Directors encourages you to visit taxidermyhalloffame.org and see, read, and find out more about the great pioneers and history of the taxidermy profession.

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Redheads go by many names, including red-headed ducks and red-headed pochards or diving ducks. This waterfowl is easily distinguished from other ducks by a male’s copper-colored head and bright blue bill. Ring-necked ducks look similar to redheads at a distance, but they have darker backs than redheads, with a white spur on their sides that redheads lack. Canvasbacks have similar color patterns, but they have distinct profiles, with long faces that slope unbroken from the top of their foreheads to the tips of their bills. Redheads have a more classic duck look, with a well-defined angle between their rounded heads and distinctive blue-gray bills.

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Taxidermy is something that everybody who gets involved in it will make mistakes. I’m not referring to the actual taxidermy process alone, but anything you do that is related to taxidermy. I’m going to touch on things where I have personally messed up, or things other people have told me about or showed me. Some of the foul-ups can be funny and some are not.

An example of this was the first few largemouth bass that I caught and mounted…

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