Refund!

Bowfish, those are so awful I wouldn't mind owning one for a laugh.

I think I'd go with the top one, the Dracula Lynx, or maybe the fox that looks like it's smoking a ******.

My son is having a halloween party this fall. Perfect!!! Except for maybe the fox that looks like it's smoking a ******. Momma wouldn't approve.  ;D

Since the advent of fiberglass replicas, true taxidermists who are capable of doing skin mounts

have been in a steady decline, where master taxidermists have become a dying breed.

In my teens, I've dabbled in mammalian taxidermy, fish heads mounts & hide tanning (w/ sulphuric acid)

This much I can tell you, whether it's fish reproductions or the real deal,

your ability to "paint" back the colors is what separates the men from the boys.

Roger

you are correct Roger. But not only do you have to pant, if you do a skin mount you also have to prepare the skin correctly and then you have to mount it in a natural pose. Those are both difficult things to do. Most guys who do skin mounts fail at one of those 3 key aspects. Whith a replica it is mostly the painting.

Both methods can be done well. both can also look bad like the mounts I posted. It just bothers me when I read the adds and they say stuff like 20+ years presional experience! and then you see their work looks like a first attempt.

you are correct Roger. But not only do you have to pant, if you do a skin mount you also have to prepare the skin correctly and then you have to mount it in a natural pose. Those are both difficult things to do.

No two ways about it, taxidermy is an art form, a gift that only a few possess.

Matt, that reminds me of a fellow here in Florida, who thinks of himself as a taxidermist.

His mannikin work is atrocious, and hanging on his wall is a terribly mishapen skin-mounted pike.

After approaching the mount I said: "This fish is far from home, there's no pike out here".

Well, his face lit up with pride, and he told me that very few people know what kind of fish that is.

I thought to myself, jeez if it looked anything like a pike, maybe more people would recognize it : :-/

Roger

I've said it a million times before, but their work is so amazing, http://www.advancedtaxidermy.com/ is the best taxidermy i have ever seen.

i met a guy and he has a 5+ smallie on his wall with pike teeth - wouldn't you file those off???

fourbizz I looked through their gallery pics and they are indeed incredible. That is what taxidermy should look like.

Fourbizz, those are amazing!  Thanks for the link.  I like mount of the rainbow trout laying of the rocks the best.  That's one of the coolest mounts I've ever seen.  Gotta love those diorama mounts in the coffee tables, too.  Those have always been particularly impressive to me.

http://www.advancedtaxidermy.com/gallery/fish-gallery.html

On a way to a lake that 4bizz and I fish there is a casino that we often visit for some cheap grub.  On the walls of this casino are THE worst trout mounts I have ever seen in person.  The bodies are often lumpy and are not symetrical whatsoever.  The best part is that the company who took credit for these labeled some of them as "Topaz Tazidermy".  Not trying to bash this company, as maybe this is their "oops" mounts, but I sure wouldn't put my name on these mounts and I sure as heck would fire the person incharge of spelling. 

I'm going up there in the next month.  I'll take pics...

On a way to a lake that 4bizz and I fish there is a casino that we often visit for some cheap grub. On the walls of this casino are THE worst trout mounts I have ever seen in person. The bodies are often lumpy and are not symetrical whatsoever. The best part is that the company who took credit for these labeled some of them as "Topaz Tazidermy". Not trying to bash this company, as maybe this is their "oops" mounts, but I sure wouldn't put my name on these mounts and I sure as heck would fire the person incharge of spelling.

I'm going up there in the next month. I'll take pics...

That's really funny.

Your story reminds me of a taxidermist in New Jersey who painted fish like an 8-year old

with his first set of oil paints. Looking over this man's fish mounts without laughing out loud

was a true test of strength. Proving that beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

he actually said, "NOBODY paints a fish like me!". Well, I suppose he was right,

nobody does paint a fish like him, nor would anybody want to :-[ :

Roger

Now THIS is bad taxidermy.......

http://www.123mycodes.com/myspacefunnystuff/img/3368.jpg

Now THIS is bad taxidermy.......

http://www.123mycodes.com/myspacefunnystuff/img/3368.jpg

Its a crappie largemouth perch -crappie in the way it was done

LOL, x2 thats what I thought

Little late on this, but this is the worst mount I have ever seen in person.  This company had more mounts hanging on the wall, but this one makes me laugh every time.  Pay special attention to the company name...