What did you get mounted this year?

Scott

Mounted this mallard yesterday. Click-boom! 

Decided to put another one in thefreezer. It's the biggest black duck I've ever seen or killed and I kill a good amount of black ducks every year. So figured why not add him to the collection.

One pics of that birds belly.

Suspended, 

Thank you I did look at those 2 same pics. Also found a couple others that could work. I definitely agree it needs to be a flying mount. 

Tr,

That's a beauty!.  I would definitely mount it also.  IMO should be some type of flying pose to show off all the uniqueness.  A couple of poses that could work below....

Got this guy today it was a nice Thanksgiving treat. He will look good on the wall. Just got figure out how I want him. He's got alot of white in him to show off even half of his belly is white.

SuspendedMusky great stuff I love that golden eye on the rock I really like the lone feather lol. Yes good waterfowl taxidermist are hard to come by in Wisconsin. The guy I go doesnt do it full time anymore but he still takes in a good amount. It does take a bit longer to them back from him because he owns his own company. And also does work some work for cabelas and lodges. But his birds are top notch. 

Thanks for that feedback Pete.

Tr carper,

In support of your comment regarding quality of great "in state" taxidermists and the Birdman, below are a couple of pics.  The one is a goldeneye I had mounted by a master waterfowl taxidermist from the Fox valley about 10 years ago (also have a very nice redhead and canvasback mounted by same guy).  He has since retired.  When my son shot a mature goldeneye a few years ago and wanted it mounted, I had not yet located another master WI taxidermist, so I sent his to the Birdman.  2nd pic is of my son's goldeneye.  On close inspection, both birds are extremely well done.

In 85, that was a good mount. We have come a long way since then. Manikins, artificial heads, acrylic eyes, casted eye rings, all easily purchased, and a far greater piece of work. Those feet aren't horrible for being almost 35 years old. I'd bet it was glycerin and formaldehyde, and there are people using it to this day, and many still using it for competitions, because the feet look very fleshy (which they are), because the glycerin acts as an emollient and the formaldehyde a preservative. 

Pete,

I do believe most people, once they see those differences and are educated, understand what to look for and want that higher quality. 

I have a couple of photos below (taken today....lighting and angle are not the best) of the oldest mount I have at my home.  It is a wood duck from northern WI that I killed in 1985.  It was a "best of show" award recipient back then.  I keep it cleaned as best I can.  While a decent mount for its time, it was not mounted utilizing techniques you would use today.  This mount does not have a cast head and bill, eye lid liners, and definitely the legs and feet were not injected to stop shrinkage (can see that in one of the pics).

Musky, those things he does extra, are the things that take time, and set people apart. Once the customer gets educated, perhaps they can then learn to appreciate those things they once looked past? 

Feet are something I take great pride in. Shrunken feet or incorrectly painted feet ruin a mount. I have plenty that are turds, and I've been purging my collection because of it. Like in the past 3 years, I have tossed 100 mounts, and I'll toss more lol. Here are some recent feet injected and painted. Yes, I remove them for a better result. Some feet you'll never see, and in this teal trifecta, they are actually hidden up under the tail, but I still want them to be correct. Masters Blend is an injectable polymer that plumps them, and makes them solid. Here is a green-winged teal, cinnamon teal, and a pair of shoveler feet, injected, posed, and painted. 

Awesome pose pics Pete.  The last "in-state" master waterfowl taxidermist I went to took some time to explain (and demonstrate to me) how he did eyes and eye lids, injected the heads with compound (to allow correct head feather positioning - especially on buffs, hooded mergs, etc), and how he injected duck legs/feet to eliminate the shrinkage look/factor.  Great stuff and very technical. 

Tr carper.  You are absolutely correct that there are waterfowl taxidermists in WI just as good as Birdman Studios.  I had 2 master waterfowl taxidermists that I went to in WI.  The 1st one (western WI) elected to stop mounting waterfowl and concentrated on big game animals, including full body African diorama type stuff (big $$).  The 2nd one I went to (in Fox Valley), eventually retired from taxidermy.  It is hard to tell the overall quality differences between the 3 taxidermists.  I have one other duck mount that was done at a studio that specializes in fish skin mounts (one of the nation's best in that category).  While that duck mount is ok, there is a very noticeable difference between its quality/anatomical correctness and the mounts I have from the 3 master waterfowl taxidermists.

Well thanks Musky! That's one hell of a compliment! 

The other thing I like to do, is mount birds in those not so standard poses. It teaches you more about the anatomy of birds, and makes those standard mounts easier. This mallard for example needs balance, as well as neck anatomy to pull it off correctly. A tough mount to do honestly. These sort of shots are what I am always looking for when I am seeking help. A mounted bird doesn't say much, but dissected, you can see what goes on on the inside. After learning how to wrap my own neck, and working with annealed wire that has no memory, you can start to pull off those things that aren't quite as easy with galvanized wire, and foam necking. Necks in my opinion are where most bad bird taxidermy is derived from. 

Pete and suspendedmusky well said. I only take my birds to one guy. Made the mistake of trying to save some money and took a redhead and a sandhill crane to a different guy. I crane looks ok the redhead well let's just say that mount stays hidden. Never again will I do that. But like pete said you get what you pay for. The guy I go charges the same as birdman studios. And I can't see a difference between the two on mounts of the same bird, same background, and same pose. My cousin and each have the same bird done the same way one by birdman and one by my guy. We put them side by side and we couldn't tell anything different. Keep them pics coming pete.

Pete,

I will say that I have noticed a steady transition in the quality of your mounts over the years (based on all of the mount pics you have posted).  I am one who is very particular and takes birds to only master waterfowl taxidermists....and I can see those type of qualities in your mounts.  That being said, based on your recent mount pics, I would be proud to have those in my home.   I know that there are little mistakes that only you know about and the average guy would not see.  

Keep posting pics, I enjoy seeing them.