Gunther Hansel, 70, a German angler, caught the largest Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglosus) yet known, and he set the world record for sea-angling an Atlantic halibut with a rod and reel. In the month of August, 2010, I received a telephone call which I will never forget, to ask if I would be the taxidermist for a 219-kg (482-pound) halibut. After I had agreed and put down the phone, I started regretting my decision as there were many problems which I had to solve before the halibut eventually was prepared and mounted.

This will be the last in our series of photo studies of North American grouse. In our first grouse study in Issue 123, we also had 2 pages of reference on sage-grouse and 4 pages on ruffed grouse. Additional photos of ruffed grouse start on page 70 of this issue.

GREATER SAGE-GROUSE (Centrocercus urophasianus) are the largest grouse in North America. They were known as simply sage grouse until the Gunnison sage-grouse was recognized as a separate species in 2000. Greater sage-grouse are a widely distributed but sparsely populated in many areas they inhabit. They are most abundant in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, with remnant populations in Washington, California, North Dakota, South Dakota in the United States, and Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.

Many a taxidermist has skin-mounted lane snappers as they are worthy of skin-mount status. The fish I am painting in this schedule is a reproduction. The same colors apply, but skin-mounts will have details to guide painters while with blanks/repros, we have to find our way. My fish in this schedule photo was 17 inches and is the only mold I have, probably because of their skin-mount ease and typical size. Either way you choose to mount one, the colors will be applied similarly so no worries. 

I've spent nearly thirty-five years of my life working in different studios across the country, and I’ve worked alongside many great people in the trade, from small studios to some of the largest. There is one common problem that seems to be universal in most shops: the taxidermist gets his clients’ deposits, complete the work, and then sit on the balance waiting for the clients to pick up their trophies.

I’ve seen it and have listened to many fellow taxidermists lament over the fact that they are always waiting for money. Why is this accepted as the norm?

     Presenting the WTC and WFCC is a photographic challenge. After every World Championships we consider the different options available to us in showing photos of the inspiring work of the competitors as well as events and camaraderie between those who had the opportunity to attend. Each show we have so many attendees come up to Kathy and me and our staff who say, “This is my first World Show and I will not miss another!” Others impassionately say, “I have attended every show since the one in Reno…” or one of the other World Show locations. Those comments are very meaningful to us, and we realize not everyone has the chance to see and attend this popular event which occurs only every two years.

     It is our desire after each show to present it with impact from a publisher’s prospective. We want to make it exciting for those who did attend as well as for those who did not. We can only do this with photography that shows the inspiring work, enthusiasm of the attendance, and grandeur of the event. It is time for us to tell you how we get this great photography of the World Championships and for us to give immense thanks for their time, dedication, and efforts.