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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This story will give you insight into Wes Mote’s quest seeking a World Title for Whitetail Deer Heads. I should note early in this story that Wes captured the Second in World title for whitetail deer head at the 2019 World Show, and because of the pandemic, the next show was three years later in 2022 when he won the title of Best in World Whitetail Deer.  Wes and I had talked after the 2022 show and I asked him to send me his photos he offered as documentation of originality for the judges. After receiving them, I thought, “Wow, this would sure make for a very interesting article in the future!” Well, the future is now here. This interview with Wes was recorded this past May at the National Taxidermists Association convention and competition in Columbia, Missouri. Because Wes had previously won a Best in World with this whitetail, he was eligible to compete at the NTA for the Distinguished Taxidermist of the Year and won that award at the 2024 NTA. He made a few changes with the habitat in the composition of the piece.

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