Just a few months back I had a client who told me his exciting fish-catching story as we negotiated the plan for doing his mount. He expressed that excitement of his trophy marlin and how it jumped and thrashed while close to the boat at the end of the battle. He went on to tell me about the mouth and gills and all these observation details as they revived the beast while it swam alongside the slow-moving boat. It was during that conversation that I knew I could create for him a special mount and sealed the deal, negotiating the job if I altered my casting. I have a mold that was a perfect size and length but the mouth was only slightly open and the gills were closed. I wanted to do the mount to bring back to life the details he remembered of the wide open mouth and gills, so alterations on that cast were the only solution.

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When it comes to pay day there may be some items you may have to ship. Some, you may be able to ship while others times you will have to personally deliver or hire out to have delivered. My next article will cover loading and securing mounts for delivery in a personal trailer or preparing them for delivery for hire service. There are several things to to be aware of and keep in mind when shipping; one is restrictions. Every shipping company may have different weight restrictions, size restrictions, and oversize restrictions that will increase the cost of shipping that you will need to pass on to your client. Another thing to consider is restrictions on types of wood are allowed for crate building if shipping outside the United States.

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I am sure that I am no different than most hunters in the fact that I learned the basics of still-hunting, stalking, and early hunting instincts while hunting squirrels. My uncle “Swede” was my teacher soon after he and my dad bought me a single-barrel 410 when I was 6 or 7 years old. They taught me safety first, then how to hold and shoot that trusted shotgun. I remember like yesterday the day I shot my first gray squirrel with that first gun—which I still have.

I learned quickly that it was a gun for gray squirrels and not fox squirrels, which were bigger and would climb the tallest pine trees if they spotted you first. Eventually, fox squirrels became my favorite game to hunt by my early teens using a new 16-gauge shotgun I was given for Christmas.

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From 2017 to 2019, an impressive presentation in the Berlin Museum of Natural History informed visitors about the current situation of one of the most endangered bird groups in the world.

On 500 square meters the unique exhibition showed all 19 macaw species for the first time in the world. Besides more than 45 new specimens of the 17 recent species, the exhibition also showed the two extinct species Cuban macaw (Ara tricolor) and glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) from the museum’s historical collections. All new specimens originate from captive breeding and had been collected over years of contact with various breeders and zoos, including two exhibits of one of the rarest parrots in the world - the Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii).

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Please allow me to begin by saying that I personally have made the majority of these mistakes and poor judgments that will be discussed in this article. The points made herein do not come from a point of condescension, but from a point of self-reflection. The opinions here are mine and I think they are something that should help others, the realization of each certainly helped me. In general, I feel the taxidermy industry has developed the stigma of being a part-time or hobby industry. Even some professionals who have long been employed in taxidermy strongly believe we cannot earn higher wages. The two major root causes are the lack of professionalism and the amount of time in which we are “clocked out.” First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room, pun intended. Professionalism is possibly our industry’s biggest weakness and that, coupled with actual hours spent producing a tangible product, are factors affecting our pay scale. The sections below will visit different factors affecting a typical studio; I will discuss our shortcomings and some solutions.

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