MAMMAL TAXIDERMY: "A 3-and-a-half-day-long Super-Seminar in a foreign land"

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FEATURED THIS ISSUE:

GREEN-WINGED TEAL

EURASIAN TEAL

BLUE-WINGED TEAL

CINNAMON TEAL

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FOLLOWING THE 2017 WORLD FISH CARVING CHAMPIONSHIPS,
a committee was established to evaluate all aspects of the WFCC and make recommendations to the show organizer and chairman Larry Blomquist. Entries numbers had dropped over the past few show where many of the categories (40 total) of the various levels had no entries or only one entry. Entries with no competition against them were winning ribbons by default. This committee was asked to submit a revised structure of the categories under the various divisions to better represent the changes the competition has seen over the past four WFCC shows. It was never the intentions of this competition to give ribbons in an uncontested way so it was time to reevaluate the entry process. The purpose of the WFCC competition is just that, to compete against other carvings and to determine which is the best.
The chairman asked the committee to determine a way by which most, if not all, entries would have competition within each established division and/or category. The committee came up with a rule that will be recognized as the Three and Three Rule. This rule means that when possible there should be at least six entries (three entries that receive ribbons and at least three that remain) that fit the criteria and intent of that division or category in order to establish a competitive group. Example: if there are not enough entries (six) to fill one of the listed categories, two or more of the categories may be combined, establishing a combined or general category in that division. The judges will make the final decision in combining categories as they will have the option of allowing five or even four entries to compete for ribbons if they feel they have very strong entries in all categories. The exceptions to the Three and Three Rule will be if a Level that has fewer than six entries, then those entries will compete against each other. An example is, If there were only five total entries in the Novice Level, the three Divisions of that Level would be combined and all entries in that Level would compete against each other. Also, this rule will not be in effect for the Youth Level. It was also decided to eliminate establishing classes in any of the levels unless entries numbers increase. (At the past two WFCC there was no need to establish classes even under less restrictive rules.) It was recommended that the rules and regulations be condensed into a format that would be easy to read and understand. All the rules and regulations are basically the same as before, but in a more concise and orderly way. Note: A WFCC competition committee has been established to rule on anything not addressed in these rules and regulations. This committee will consist of Larry Blomquist, Ken Edwards, and the two fish carving judges selected for each show. The only exception to the Three and Three Rule will be if a level has fewer than six entries, then those entries will compete against each other. An example is, if there were only five total entries under Decorative Miniature Division, the Freshwater and Saltwater categories would be combined and compete against each other.

Eighteen years ago I visited Cally Morris at his business then in Kirksville, Missouri, and he told me, “I am going to show you and your readers every step I know about and use for mounting turkeys.” In 1997 Cally was the first to win a Best in World Bird with an eastern wild turkey and at that time there was only one world title for birds, not four as we have today. This article series became one of the most popular we ever published and today some of those issues are sold out.

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