Woods to the wall ... in 3 days!

[Biggs]

Hey Great stuff here Kevin, But in most cases...

"You get what you pay for"

Bottom line: Do the research on the taxidermist. Look at his mounts closely, Ask what tan he uses, ask turnaround time, ask for pictures, ask for references of other clients...

You put countless hours and money into getting that trophy, Why not put a few more hours into researching and making sure it looks awesome hanging on the wall so you can see it and remember everyday.

[Smart]

Oh ... Jason ... look at the picture that pops up in the banner.
It's a buck, with his mouth open ... Casey took it.
That picture shows the pinkish color WELL!

Would you agree the outer nose, nostrils, and gumline on Les Tompkins doe w/ yearling pic are darker than the "dudley esque" deer you show in post 42?


(Dudley is a term use for a yellow lab with pink gumlines, eyes rims and nose.)

[Ayla]

I think there must be something inherently harder in capturing the look of a predator. Oh, you see a deer mount here or there that's not the greatest, but rarely just bad. However, you see a lot of cats, coyotes, wolves, etc. that seem to be just not right at all (especially cats) - and for me I don't know what that is; never took the time to analyze it. It's one of those "you know it when you see it" things. When they get it right though, it's awesome.

In looking at their website, I think these guys probably do a really good job - http://www.jleshhunt.com/index.html

Would love to hear some critiques of their work (I have no connection to them) but they are close by and I would consider using them next time.

[Texastaxi]

Would you agree the outer nose, nostrils, and gumline on Les Tompkins doe w/ yearling pic are darker than the "dudley esque" deer you show in post 42?


(Dudley is a term use for a yellow lab with pink gumlines, eyes rims and nose.)

Absolutely. So, just comparing those two pictures, you can see that just like your Dudley dog (thanks for explaining that term by the way), a deer's nose can be many different colors. Unless you take your taxidermist live pictures of your deer, he/she will interpret the colors as they see fit.

Ayla, the Leshs do top quality work. One thing to be aware of, though ... they offer two different levels of work. The first one is a commercial mount. It's priced right in line with everyone else in the area. The second one is what they describe as a "competition" mount and you will pay significantly more for that one. All the mounts on their website are most likely the latter of the two.

[Ayla]

Ayla, the Leshs do top quality work. One thing to be aware of, though ... they offer two different levels of work. The first one is a commercial mount. It's priced right in line with everyone else in the area. The second one is what they describe as a "competition" mount and you will pay significantly more for that one. All the mounts on their website are most likely the latter of the two.

Thanks - I guess I knew in my heart that would be the case. I certainly expected the "exotics" would receive greater care, and that a run of the mill common whitetail might not command the same care and detail, that's why I didn't try them this time. However, I was shocked to see how busy our good old B&B guys were and the huge number of exotics they are now doing.

[Jp.]

Sweet post!!!! at a good time for me.
I sent a pm to ya Kevin. I didnt want to hijack this thread.

[predatorsniper]

Great job, Kevin! The guy can't even turn the ears to the edge. Must take too much time!

predatorsniper

[poppy1]

Thank you Texastaxi and all the THBs that had input. Education is good!

[Traumamedic]

Thanx for the education!! Learning a lot off this site.

[Ron]

I take my animals to a guy who has many awards and he does great work. I tried some birds at a Taxi here and he made a snow goose look like barn yard hen. Paid him, took it home and put it in the trash. Hard lesson learned
Now even my birds go to someone who is tried and true.
Great post Kevin.

[BO-N-ARO]

If y'all really want to get a good lesson in GREAT taxidermy you must attend your State Taxidermy Associations convention competition room. And if you really want to learn the details, ease up listen to conversation between the judge and the taxidermist when they talk about the score sheet!!
You just would not believe the detail and the amount of work that goes into a First Place score or a Best of Show piece.
Great post!

[mev002]

i have seen a LOT of bad cat mounts before, seems like some people just dont get cats to well, i seen a guys work on deer mounts, and it looks amazing, but his cats look like garbage. i would wait a good long time for an outstanding mount and pay what is needed any rather than go with a cheap fast mount for sure.
great post

[Hot4huntin]

Great post, Kevin!

[low_tec]

Great thread Kevin

[Russ]

This was a great post. Don't know how I missed it the first time but TTT for any one else that missed it.