timberlandtaxi

I wouldn't take anything Dan Rinehart did as being correct, unless you want your noses end up looking like his. I want mine to look like that second reference picture.

The second pic of the live deer nose is an excellent example of a deer nose NOT being black. They are dark, and if you saw a mount w/ a grey nose that stood out it was obviously too light. Not only are they not jet black, if you look closely you will see they are lighter between the nodules (bumps) than the nodules themselves. Often they are more smooth on top than they are near the lip line, and as you can see in the pics, most of the time a whitetails nose is wet from the constant licking. These subtleties are what quality taxidermists are trying to replicate, but if you don't get it right, they can look bad-wrong!

I disagree, there is an endless number of things you can do with a hen mount.

What's wrong with fish? They are my favorite.

Here's a melanistic one I did.

I suppose Krowtann would probably be the easiest, but without a large tumbler your hide is going to dry hard. If you want a nice soft tan you will want to have it professionally done. JMO

Drill a hole in the cap, then use a screw or nail.

You really need to wait until you have the deer you are mounting in hand, that way you can take the needed measurements and order the appropriate manikin.

I disagree. Just because someone is doing a bunch of deer, doesn't mean they are doing them properly. If they look good to you then it is money well spent, but I would guess they would not look so good to a more scrutinizing eye. As someone that demands the best I wouldn't consider dry preserving a deer head. Sure it's quicker and cheaper, but you get what you pay for most of the time.

McKenzie Supply sells solid oak or walnut arrowhead panels.

I charge 450.00 for deer. Yes, turkeys are harder. Hazel Creek does do a nice job, but last I heard Cally was over 750.00. I could be wrong, but I belive that's close.

Yes there are guys that specalize in birds, and I would ship it to one of them. A couple of guys I would reccomend would be: Todd huffman http://www.birdmanstudios.com/Untitled-4.html Kail Shumaker PH# 573-696-0290. Shane Smith http://www.waterfowltaxidermy.com/ All of these guys are world class

200.00 is robbery for that. I thought maybe you had done that yourself. As for the lifesize prices: 300.00 each??? I'd find a different turkey taxidermist. I've yet to see a quality turkey done for 300.00. I charge 595.00 and I'm neither the most expensive, nor the best. Your guy has some whacked out prices.

2 in one shot isn't legal here in MO so you are right. These birds were actually a customer's.

Here's my idea of a double turkey, lol

I'm fond of pedestal mounts myself, but wall mounts can be more practical at times, expect to pay anywhere from 8-20 dollars per inch, depending on the studio.

I would want more info on the in-house tanning. bears are a little tricky to tan. If not de-greased properly you will run into big problems down the road. Also, make sure the hide will be tumbled in a tumbler to break down the leather and make it soft. Many taxidermists, myself included, don't use tumblers for in-house tans because mounted capes don't need to be soft, but rug work does so you will want them tumbled. If it were me I would prefer to have the bear commercially tanned, but that's not to say a good job can't be done in house. As for quality I would DEFINATELY want to see some rug work. Pay close attention to the eyes and inside the mouth. If it looks real they have done their job.

What you will do is prepare your tail the same way you have been, with the 2 main rows of feathers. I use bondo so that they are set and ready for step 2. Then you can cut some of the back feathers from the next few rows, and hot glue them to the bondo where you want them. Your turkey tail panel covers the quill ends and your set. As for removing all feathers and re-assembling, I have to do that from time to time with certain poses when I mount one. It can be done and really not that hard.

Re: Bury or Boil ? Go to a beauty supply store, or order from Cabelas online, 40 volume peroxide and Clairol basic white. Mix the two to a paste, apply, and wash off the next day.

Re: Bury or Boil ? I wouldn't boil it, just let it simmer. If you don't actually bring it to a boil the skull holds up better. Maceration also works well. (Rotting in a tub of water)

Re: Tanning A Deer Hide On Your Own Where do you apply for your Krowtan license?

Re: Process of tanning? To get a really soft tan its best to use a commercial tannery. Tanning Unlimited in Hermitage Missouri does a terrific job and is fairly reasonable price wise.

Re: Flocking Snow I've never used that type so can't help you there but I can tell you any snow needs to be in a glass case if you want it to last for years.

Re: Here\'s a pic of my Giant Canada mount!! I shot one of those a few years ago w/ an orange collar. The leg band was the same size as a snow goose band.

I just got finished with a black raccoon. Had white markings on face, but lacked any gray hair on the back or in tail. Bright sunlight makes some of the fur to appear brown, when accually it looks black.