# Need advise from a Taxidermist



## LeftemLeakin (Feb 19, 2007)

I personally like McKenzie forms, Full sneak offset shoulders look good. Here is a link. - 1/3 of the way down the page
http://www.mckenziesp.com/meder.asp

I don't know what to say about the 1 on 1 talk with the guy though... If he does it for his main job like you say surely he wouldn't let a crappy mount out the door. :dontknow:


----------



## buckncm (Nov 22, 2008)

Thanks for the link. It seems as though I learned alot from it. Evidently I spelled "Meader" wrong it is "Meder" and it was part of your McKenzie link. Looks as though Meder and McKenzie have some sort of link between them. The full sneak mount he's doing is with and off-set shoulder Meder form which is somehow associated with McKenzie. Also from your link I get that Meder forms are noted for having very maticulous and detailed eye sockets. Sounds great to me. Thanks again.


----------



## BigDoggDarren (Oct 10, 2008)

I did taxidermy for a while and have seen alot of bad work. I got a black bear this year and am nervous about what i am getting back. the guy i took it has been doing it about 10 years and has won some awards. his deer heads started out kind of shakey but have gotten much better. he hasnt done many bear so i am a little concerned.

the thing i learned from talking to ther taxidermist and seeing there work is that most do 2 types of work. commercial and competition. i would explain to him your concern and that they may be a once in a lifetime trophy. ask him if he would take the extra time to give it that added touch that most dont do on commercial work. it may cost you more money and take longer to get back but there is a better chance you will get what you want. 

shops always display their awards and there best work, but word of mouth is the best way to learn about a taxidermist - always get a referal list and call some of his other clients...... hope i helped you out


----------



## bsk72512 (Dec 12, 2005)

The best I have used to date is a Joe Coombs Classic. By far the best detailed and symetrical. All features are in relation to each other. They are very easy to alter and regain symetry.


----------



## reptileran (Dec 25, 2008)

I have used the meder forms,they are some of the best forms in my opinion.They have nice full neck and shoulders,great for large northern deer.The mckenzie full sneak forms by dennis behn are nice also.Van ***** best forms i would say are the jody green forms,but they do not have a full sneak.


----------



## turkeytom (May 8, 2003)

buckncm said:


> I'm an artist and perfectionist and very picky. I definately know the difference between a good mount and a great mount. I shot a 160" this year and my regular taxidermist retired so I took it to someone different. I checked his work out first everything I've seen of his looks awsome, however there's always a chance.......well you know what I mean, and if it can happen it will happen to me. I'm pretty much sitting on pins and needles wondering what I'm gonna get back. That brings me to a question to any taxidermist out there. I don't think he's started my head yet. I am dying to pay him another visit (give him a little bit more $ towards the final price, which will give me a reason to be there) and have a 1 on 1 with him and explain to him that I am expecting a museum quality mount. Does anyone out there think that would be a good idea, or should I just let him do his thing and hope for the best. When I met him, he was very quiet didn't talk much and didn't seem like it was a big deal. Seems like a real nice guy though. He doesn't do taxidermy as a sideline, it's his main job. He's charging almost $400 which is a good thing, meaning that's on the high end in my area so I'm not paying for a cheap mount. I wanted a full sneak and he told me that "Meader" make the best sneak forms so thats what he's gonna use. Anyone have any oppinion about that form. I'm clueless, the last time I had a good enough buck to mount about the only form availible was "VanDyke". I'm a flippin nervous wreck!!!!!!!


buckncm,Ill give you my take on your questions.If you loked at his comercial work and you are satisfied with it,then that is what you should get back.A lot of it depends on what you know about taxidermy
,and what kind of work he does.Your idea of a good mount and someone elses may be different.Here are some things to look for.Can you look up into the nose and see the septum?Is the coloring right?There should be a blend of colors.You would have to look at some pics to see what they are.does the nose have texture?Can you see a white band on the corner of the eye?it should be hardly noticeable.Can you see the scalara band ?Are the eyes on the right angle acording to the species of animal?Eye sockets are just a reference to start by.The molds arent always perfect,so when the form is poured it may not be perfect,so they may have to be adjusted.Look at the eye lids,are they nice and natural looking?Look at the shape of the eye.The eye opening and the eye lids may vary acording to the attatude that you want.An aleart deer will have a different shaped eye than a sneak mount or a deer hooking his antlers on a branch?Is the lip line where it is supose to be,with a slight space between the lip and the nose??Does the bottom lip show in the front the way it should?Are the ears located in the right position on the head?Are the antlers in the right position?Measurements usually are taken from the nose to the tip of the antler and other measurements as well,to make sure that they are put back in the right position.Look at the ear buts,are they right?they may differ acording to the position of the ears.Look into the ear canal,is it correct?Is there the right amount of detail in the mount,in different places like the back of the neck,throat,jaw lines,brisket area,shoulder area,behind the ear buts,acording to the position of the ear?can you see the vanes that run from under the eyes and fork and go down twards the nose?Can you see into the orbital gland opening?
I think that is enough to think about.Your taxidermist may or may not do all these things to his mounts.You will have to look at his mounts and talk to him about these things.If you want extra things done,like form alterations,you will probably pay more to have them done.Habitats will also cost more.Good Luck.


----------



## proskinnertts (Mar 8, 2005)

Meder forms are just plain ugly. There are many full sneaks out there, if I was mounting my own personal deer on a full sneak it would probably go on a Joe Coombs, which arent perfect but better than anything Mckenzie has to offer.


----------



## rigginuts (Dec 27, 2008)

Nothing wrong with wanting a nice job. But remember nothing is perfect. Don't be an a-hole. Be realistic. If you saw the guys work and you were pleased your mount should be acceptable.

Good luck.


----------



## buckncm (Nov 22, 2008)

rigginuts said:


> Nothing wrong with wanting a nice job. But remember nothing is perfect. Don't be an a-hole. Be realistic. If you saw the guys work and you were pleased your mount should be acceptable.
> 
> Good luck.


Naaahhhh I won't be an a-hole about it I'm sure everything will be fine...lol. I'm a perfectionist however I am realistic. If my mount turns out as well as everything I've seen of his then I'll be satisfied. I checked his work that was done for a couple of buddies of mine as well as his show room and everything looked awsome. I'm sure I'm making way more of this than I should be. I just wanted some advise from you guys and I appreciate it. A long time I had a good friend that was a taxidermist mount my first head because at that time I really didn't know any other taxidermists in the area. I looked at his work and it looked fine and I figured since we were real good friends he would take some extra time to do my mount. When I got it back it looked like a dolphin with a rack with plugged nose holes and the eyes looked like the typical 1960's outlined with a black eyeliner pencil....lol. And that was in 1992.

Turkeytom I checked vertually everything you listed and everything looked very good. Nose had texture on everything I've seen. Eyelids are very detailed as well as the tearducts. Hair in the ears is fluffy and neat not matted and crunchy. Tips of ears were all slightly round not pointed like alot of poor mounts I see....etc...etc...I know I'm making too much of this. Thanks for your input. I think that I'm going to take a course this summer and start myself.


----------



## turkeytom (May 8, 2003)

If you have done those things,yo should be happy with the mount.
Thats what I was saying in the first sentance of my first post.You have seen his work,and so you will be the judge.


----------



## bsk72512 (Dec 12, 2005)

I think you have to put into perspective the difference between Comercial Taxidermy and Competitive Taxidermy.

Most competition work has many more hours of prep and measurement involved. You are trying to get votes from judges with the least amount of nock downs. The mounts are choosen with care to assure little or no natural imperfections.

Comercial taxidermy should get you a very clean balanced job but a bit less detail. If you want extras you will have to pay for them. Also remember it also depends on condition of the mount when the taxidermist recieves it.

Time is money, and you must justify the amount of time spent on each mount or your out of business.


----------



## archeryshooter (Apr 11, 2004)

rigginuts said:


> Nothing wrong with wanting a nice job. But remember nothing is perfect. Don't be an a-hole. Be realistic. If you saw the guys work and you were pleased your mount should be acceptable.
> 
> Good luck.


ya hit it on the head


----------

