DFW Taxidermy Advice

[Bobby17L]

I am looking for some advice on a good taxidermist in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to work on a bobcat that Ive shot and had in the freezer for a couple of months. I am a fan of the action type shots (grabbing for a quail, creeping down a rock, etc.) but I also am pretty picky about the way the head looks. If anyone knows of a good one in the area please let me know.
Muchas Gracias!!!

[buzzcut]

Hard to beat Alpine Taxidermy in south Fort Worth(at the shooting range).He does excellent work.Go by and look at his showroom and judge for yourself.

[Danw]

wildlife FX in Celina, it would be a drive but check out his web site.

[BO-N-ARO]

Here are a couple I have done

I am in Dallas and would be happy to talk to you about your cat.

[Atfulldraw]

I really like the first one - probably one of the best bobcat heads I've seen

[Chance Love]

Well, I'm not in Dallas but getting a cat here would be no problem. Check out lovetaxidermy.net.

[eradicator]

Alpine does great work. I've had several mounts done there(deer, birds, etc.). Haven't had a cat done, but seen several there. However, Bon's cat looks pretty good too.

[Chance Love]

Ok, here are a few...

[Grayson]

wildlife FX in Celina, it would be a drive but check out his web site.

He does excellent work, but unfortunately he is very unreliable in terms of communication and contact with his clients (and former clients, like myself). I can't stand to deal with professionals in a service-based industry who can't (or simply won't) communicate effectively with their clients. I would proceed with caution.

On the other hand, I have some work placed with Bo-n-aro that I hope to get back soon. I visited with him at his home/shop, and had the opportunity to view several of his mounts. He does excellent work, and I look forward to seeing what he can do with the ducks and turkey he has from me right now.

[Atfulldraw]

It's interesting to see the differences in the two quail-getter poses above.

One has tail up and ears down - the other is just the opposite, tail down and ears up.

I've never seen a bobcat get a bird, so which one more accurately represents what normally happens in nature??

BTW - I like both of them, just is interesting to see the different interpretations.

[qzilla]

Alpine mounts all of my stuff. I have always been happy. I have a cat mounted laying on a log and I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

The mounts shown here also look very good. I personally do not like the cats chasing birds or with their mouths open. I have watched hundreds of them and to me a bobcat is a very graceful, quiet, slow moving animal. Sort of a like a big house cat. I know they kill tons of stuff and can be very aggressive but, when I had mine mounted I chose a slightly more relaxed pose.

[Chance Love]

It's interesting to see the differences in the two quail-getter poses above.

One has tail up and ears down - the other is just the opposite, tail down and ears up.

I've never seen a bobcat get a bird, so which one more accurately represents what normally happens in nature??

BTW - I like both of them, just is interesting to see the different interpretations.

I don't think either mount is more accurate than the other, just different. I got to looking at the one I posted, and his ears are actually rotated back, not "up". You could even position the ears forward, like in the other pics and it would still be correct. There is a lot of leeway here. Same goes for the tail, can be up or down or whatever. They do a lot of different things when they are in "action".


Q-Zilla,
I am not a big fan of open-mouth cats either. I really like a more relaxed look as well. But, sometimes the customer must get what the customer wants.

[jpbruni]

A1 Sportsman Taxidermy - Don Ivey
103 W. Main St. Mesquite, TX 75149

Great work. Have sent MANY people his way.

J.P.

[Danw]

He does excellent work, but unfortunately he is very unreliable in terms of communication and contact with his clients (and former clients, like myself). I can't stand to deal with professionals in a service-based industry who can't (or simply won't) communicate effectively with their clients. I would proceed with caution.

On the other hand, I have some work placed with Bo-n-aro that I hope to get back soon. I visited with him at his home/shop, and had the opportunity to view several of his mounts. He does excellent work, and I look forward to seeing what he can do with the ducks and turkey he has from me right now.

Sorry to hear that. Can you pm me with specifics. Since I'm hunting a new area this year I'm on the search for a new taxidermist. He is on the "short List."

[Jaspro]

I dropped by Chance's today on my way back to DFW. He has some excellent looking work in his shop. I don't think you could go wrong with him. It took me 2 3/4 hours from his house to my parents house in South Arlington so distance shouldn't be to big an issue.

But if your looking for someone up here I would recommend http://www.wild-creations.com/. He used to be in front of Lee's processing in Rendon but has moved and is now working from his house. He is still somewhere in that neighborhood but I am unsure as to where.