For the next couple issues we will bring you some bird reference and information on quail of the Americas with a strong focus on the North American species. According to the Quail Forever website, there are six native species of quail that are found in North America, and all of them benefit from the work of Quail Forever. Although these six species are similar in size, quail species throughout the United States differ greatly in their native habitat conditions.

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Before skinning a snake I find it necessary to measure it, carve a custom form, and mold the head. Keep the snake refrigerated when not needed for any of these processes. Skin and tan/cure the skin as soon as possible and freeze it. When all is prepared and ready and the time is right mount the snake. These are my processes, but there are many ways to mount a snake. You can buy a commercial form, make a death cast mold and cast a body mannikin, carve a form, use a commercial head, or mold the head yourself. You can even make a rubber mold for detailed casting and paint the artificial reproduction. It is your choice, but enjoy the process, and have fun doing it.

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WE ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY and beholden to announce that FSI, a major vendor of polyurethane foam to the taxidermy industry, has come forward as the title sponsor of the 2024 World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships®. Of course polyurethane foam is the principal component of the forms we mount on, use for alterations, building habitats, and numerous other projects we encounter in taxidermy. I would hate to think where we would be without ridged foam. Since the late 1950s and early 1960s when urethane foam was first introduced to the taxidermy shops and supply companies, the product itself has evolved and improved for our use. Much of this evolution was because of new government regulations by the EPA, but most recently it’s because of improvements for use in specific industries like taxidermy, providing a better product for taxidermists and taxidermy supply companies. Improved products and strong interest from the taxidermy supply industry was FSI’s major reason for making a substantial donation to the WTC, taxidermy’s largest gathering, competition, and trade show. It’s their way of continuing and developing  relations with both taxidermy suppliers and taxidermists using a high-performance product. They feel the FSI foam is a superior product to any other offered, being specifically formulated for the taxidermy industry by their chemists.

FSI started as a humble at-home operation in 1968, just like many of our taxidermy studios. From their home in Creve Coeur, Missouri, David Keske and his wife Karen launched FSI in 1972. FSI is now a major supplier of polyurethane systems, but what sets FSI apart is their unrivaled technical support. I visited their main office in St. Charles, Missouri, in February and was very impressed by their management staff, facility, and of utmost importance, their polyurethane foam product for taxidermy.

They will have a very visible presence at the 2024 World Shows and you will be able to meet their sales staff and see and learn more about their products. Their space will be available to visit throughout the show located in the main walkway leading to the trade show, competition, and registration. Visit their website for more information about FSI - https://fsi.co •

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In part three of this series of articles, I will resume our evaluation of the World Taxidermy Championship Scoresheet and continue our reference study and discussion of body anatomy and how they relate to the art of fish taxidermy. We begin by continuing our focus on body anatomy and correctness that we started in Part 2 of this series. Keep in mind that some areas of the scoresheet seem repetitive. While this may seem redundant, it should indicate the importance of these areas and the necessity to reproduce them correctly.

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Reference is always of high importance and we will be offering some of that in future issues. Part 2 in this issue will describe in detail the skinning process. Part 1, which started in issue #150, covered the molding of the head and measurements of the body needed if you decide to carve a custom body. Because of space needs and the length of this article, we had to move Part 2 ahead to this issue, but are now happy to present the skinning process in its full length without cutting some very detailed photos that Jason suppled us.

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