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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Four years  ago a good friend and client, Davey Hughes, asked me if I wanted to mount a life-size moose for him. Davey partly owns Swazi Apparel, an outdoor and hunting clothing brand where everything is made in a factory here in New Zealand. He told me that he was about to go on a moose hunt in the Yukon and had the idea of having a life-size moose mount in his shop at his Swazi Apparel factory. The idea was that a moose mount would be a great draw-card for people driving past to call into the shop. I was keen to take on the project and we talked over a few ideas and how I wanted it skinned, etc. Once I received the cape and lay it out on the floor to rehydrate, I first started to realize just what a big job I had taken on! I had mounted lifesize grizzly bears, fallow and sika deer, and a lion, etc., but this was just huge, and I knew that although the basic principles apply for any mount when it comes to alterations, antler setting, and eye placement, etc., the logistics of mounting such a big animal had to be thought through.

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THE HIGHEST AWARD AN ENTRY CAN receive is Judges’ Choice Best of Show. Breakthrough is honoring this top achievement with the Breakthrough Award for Judges’ Choice Best of Show. Each winner receives a handsome plaque and a gift certificate from Breakthrough worth $50 in subscription renewals and merchandise. This is our way of thanking and perhaps giving additional motivation for the many artists of our profession. Here are the remaining winners from 2019.

PART 1, PREVIOUS ISSUE

• National Associations
• NTA       Clint Rickey
• New Zealand      Louise Pearson
• Australia      Ben Carillo
• Canada Georgie Elekes
• State/regional Associations
• Alabama      Ryan Searce
• Arizona Terry Johnson
• California     Seth Lane
• Colorado      Doug Barnes
• Florida   Mike Mizelle
• Illinois   Bruce Owens
• Indiana  Chip Wendt
• Kansas  Cory Foth
• Kentucky      Butch Irwin
• &