Taxidermy is something that everybody who gets involved in it will make mistakes. I’m not referring to the actual taxidermy process alone, but anything you do that is related to taxidermy. I’m going to touch on things where I have personally messed up, or things other people have told me about or showed me. Some of the foul-ups can be funny and some are not.

An example of this was the first few largemouth bass that I caught and mounted…

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The main difference between painting a skin-mounted fish and a replica or carving is the real fish skin has the natural markings to follow so you need to apply the colors lighter than with a replica. On a replica, you need to use good reference to create the markings as close to the real thing as possible. One trick I have used over the years is to use the skin from a real fish. I filet it off and dry it flat on a piece of cardboard. If you soak it in water with a handful of borax added, the markings usually don’t fade that much as the skin dries and gives you a great reference for reapplying the markings on a replica.

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12th Open European Taxidermy Championship • HungExpo • Budapest, Hungary 

Held in conjunction with One With Nature World of hunting and Nature World Exhibition, Sep. 25–Oct. 14, 2021

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I have lived my entire life in Louisiana, and regularly have alligators in our pond and on occasion in our back yard. In my state if you live near a river, creek, or for that matter, a large ditch, pond, or swamp of any size, you will sooner or later will see an alligator. In the southern half of Louisiana the possibility of encountering a gator increases five fold because of the low flat land and numerous bayous and cypress swamps. Living in a state populated with gators does not make one an expert on this reptile’s anatomical features, mannerisms of how they stand, walk, swim or lie in a relaxed position on mud or ground. In fact, most of those folks who encounter a gator keep their distance and remotely observe one of the most intriguing reptiles of North America.

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There are for animal mounts—a bobcat, a rainbow trout, a drake pintail, and a whitetail deer, all perfectly preserved to their natural state. One thing remains before sending these critters off to clients: adding a natural habitat. Realist rocks resembling their former stomping (or swimming) grounds would being these creatures back to life. This is where commercial taxidermists hit a crossroad: what type of rock bases to use? There are so many choices. Pre-made rock bases are detailed using colors, textures, and vegetation with multiple options available. They are ideal for when there is not enough time to build a base. Then there are also unfinished, pre-formed rocks that can be colored and finished with habitat. Rock panels, for example, are perfect for large mounts.

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