Kathy and I have reached a sales agreement with a party we know personally and trust. We have no doubts they will continue the traditions of taxidermy’s leading publication and the world’s largest taxidermy trade show. In this agreement we will continue as producers of the magazine for one more year in order to work with the new owners with our production methods. We will also be advisors in producing the next World Taxidermy and Fish Carving Championships® which will likely be in April of 2027. The owners will continue with the same show format and rules that have been successful for 41 years, so you can now begin planning for that next big event.

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Several years ago a friend sent me a picture of a bedded whitetail deer scratching his back with his antlers. I thought this would make a great competition mount as it was different and very interesting. I kept this thought in mind for when the right opportunity ever came along.

I had a successful mule deer hunt in Colorado so I immediately decided this deer would be the mount I could use for the half life-sized mount scratching his back with his antlers. I decided I would use that composition for a mount at the next World Show in 2024. Using this mule deer would mean I would now compete in the World Title Master Division Gamehead category. The antlers were perfect (I thought at that time) and the deer was in very good condition with hardly any scars or ear tears and it was mine to keep. Later, after a major part of my original form was being sculpted, my decision about the deer’s attitude would change, which I will discuss later in this article.

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1. Welcome back to my 2 articles on molding and casting bison horns. If you did not read my first article on how to mold bison horns, you really should go back and pick up that issue (Spring Issue #157) as this process will help with many of your other casting projects.

TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW, visit www.breakthroughmagazine.com or call (985) 345-7266.

PICTURED: NTA 2025 N.A+NAT.CHAMPS Peoria, Illinois

54th Convention and Competition

Embassy Suites by Hilton • East Peoria Riverfront Hotel & Conference Center

August 4–16, 2025 • East Peoria, Illinois

2025 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS

Waterfowl      Gold    Alyssa Godwin - Green-winged Teal       

Turkeys          Gold    Cole Cruickshank - Eastern Wild Turkey

Warmwater Fish       Silver Cory Foth - Spotted Gar    

            Gold    Dan Helmer - Largemouth Bass   

Reptiles         Gold    Kent Allard - Prairie Rattlesnake  

Reproductions Other           Gold    Cory Foth - Woodhouse Toad      

Sm. LS Mammals     Silver              Abel Everage - Bobcat       

            Gold    Ashley Eve - Northern Koala         <

Back in 1978 I became friends with Paul Schwarz Jr., one of the founding members of the NTA, which started in Missouri. He and I first met at a National Taxidermists Association convention in 1976 and we served on the NTA board together for three years. His father Frank Schwarz started the family studio in 1878. The Schwarz Studio is the oldest taxidermy studio in the United States. In 1994 we published an article on this famous family and institution located in St. Louis, Missouri. The studio is now for sale. News of this sale came when we were contacted by St. Louis realtor David Wright back in August, so I went into our archives thinking that now would be a good time to run that article again from Issue 38, 31 years ago. History never changes with time and this story of the Schwarz family and their historic studio is one young and old generations should hear again. This 31-year-old article, with a few updates and new photos we have acquired, will follow this introduction.

TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW, visit www.breakthroughmagazine.com or call (985) 345-7266.