When hunters decide they want a preserved trophy of an alligator they have killed, there are many choices. Some of the popular choices are a cleaned and bleached skull, some have the skin tanned into patent leather for boots, etc., while others decide on a mounted head, a full-body mount, and or display the tanned skin as a rug. There are choices for rugs, and the type of rug a customer wants will be determined by how much room he has for displaying purposes, with costs being another factor.

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Ron Kelly suggested I research and write some information on this popular gamefish, so I went to Wikipedia and several other sites offering information. I was indeed surprised how complicated this information became because of the many species, their origins, distribution by man, and hybridization of the species. There are five species that appear as dominate species and sixteen that are recognized. All of this presented quite a task to explain.

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After pulling together Don Frank’s story about how Fishmaster started (see page 18),  I thought this was the perfect time to tell about a super fishing trip he was a part of. It all began at the 2022 World Fish Carving and Taxidermy Championships®. We added a Thursday night auction to supplement the Awards Fund for the 2022 show. We also announced some of the major award winners for the World Show competition. This auction brought in a whopping $22,000.00 to help offset the cost of award plaques ($7,000.00), gold-plated, silver, and bronze medallions ($4,000.00), ribbons ($3,000.00), and cash awards ($32,000.00), which totaled $46,000.00 in total show awards. There were many generous donors for the auction and generous purchasers to make this a very successful auction. We cannot forget the very generous vendors who offer cash award donations which we feature on a special ad page showing their generosity. These vendors and this auction made the World Shows not only an ultimate achievement, but also a financial rewarding achievement for the competitors.

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From the first day I tried my hand at taxidermy, I was hooked for the rest of my life. I was 11 years old and the night before I had read my first lesson, Booklet Number 1, of the correspondence course from the Northwestern School of Taxidermy in Omaha, Nebraska. To be honest, I studied the procedure drawings more than the text. I still remember this first attempt at mounting a bird; I had no idea what I was doing, but I liked it and that made me want more. I was having fun!

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The third part of our series on alligators will feature the procedures Houma, Louisiana, taxidermist Carl Tregre uses for finishing an alligator head. Part 2 featured David Spiess’s professional process for cleaning and curing a gator head. Carl and David, who both own successful studios, have combined their knowledge and experience for years, helping each other find the best way to handle America’s largest reptile.

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