Tails n Tines taxidermy

So I finished the prep and tan on the last of the deer capes today and final fleshed the first 2 that Brandon and I will put up tomorrow. I have enjoyed doing deer for the last 30 years but to be honest I'm going to be happy when they're all done. My hands just can't take it anymore. I've met some great people over the years I've done deer and that will be the part I miss the most. Hope you all have a great weekend and I'll be posting deer as they go up.

Update time. I have all birds caught up with exception of 1 and I've visited with the client and I'm sure I'll be putting this bird up shortly. I have the 2 birds ready for state show and spent last couple days switching gears to get deer done. Brandon and Travis will be here this evening and we'll get the deer rolling. If everything goes as planned we will have all the deer up by the end of next month and fingers crossed most will be back with clients. I will be working on fish the days we're not doing deer and I'm going to have those done before spring turkey season in Apr. Got a lot to get done but it's manageable. I'll be posting the deer as we get them going. Hope you all have a great day and it's time for me to get back to work!

Well after 7hrs this Canada is finally up. This goose just reaffirmed my decision to no longer do them commercially. I have one more to complete for a client and I will be thrilled when it's done! Just can't charge enough for the hours I have in them. This bird has over 30hrs in it and I've still got grooming to do over next several days. Hope you all had a great day and it's time for me to get tomorrows bird ready to roll.

Well vacation is over and time to get back to work. This Canada is one I hope to take to state show. Looks like it'll go together nice. We'll see. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good start to the week!

He's on a base and looks pretty good. Getting some odds and ends done before heading south for snow goose hunt. I won't be doing any business until after the 10th. Hope you all have a great weekend no doubt a few buddies and myself will!

So did some prep work on geese today and another pour of water splashes. See how these turn out. While doing this I decided that this will be the last year I do fish. I will accept fish until Sept 1st when hunting seasons start opening back up. I have enjoyed doing them over years and I appreciate everyone who has allowed me to do them. With the number of birds I'm taking in I just don't have the time to do both and also enjoy being retired. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

First attempt at splashes went ok but they're a little to clear. Gonn make a couple more test pores with different additives to see if I can come up with the effect I'm looking for.

A lot of mixed emotions with this guy. I had hoped to use this shovler drake as one of my state comp pieces. Unfortunately due to my heavy handedness I almost tore the head completely off! Causing enough damage he won't work for competition. On the other hand I learned some major repair work and I'm pretty pleased with how he came together. He really needs to be seen 360°. Probably one of the most underappreciated ducks there is but it's not often you see a drake this colored out around Iowa. Enjoy your weekend!

Smallmouth mounted, lots of fin repair to do on this one. Working on water/splash scenes and the prep work for one of the competition pieces is complete. Pouring resin for splash effects this afternoon. TGIF!

Second Northern is up and drying. This girl suffered an injury that took half her tail and client wanted it left that way. Tomorrow I'll be working on one of my competition projects and getting things rounded up for next round of fish. I will mount 2 more fish in next couple days then get back to the birds. I have a total of 12 fish to get done. 3 of which are way past due and 2 Canada geese that are also overdue. Going to be putting in some long hours to get caught up then I'm going to make some announcements about the direction I'm going with future work. I promise I will get caught up and I will make it right with the clients who have waited so long! Hope you all enjoy your upcoming weekend!!

That's a wrap for today. Get the second one up tomorrow. Hope you all had a great day!

Taking a lunch break then mounting Northern on bottom. Will mount top one tomorrow. 10 days before I leave with friends to hunt snow geese! Lots to get done before we go.

So the finish area is full for a very short time. All the pheasants will go home today and mallards will be gone shortly. Time for the next round. Hope you had a great weekend!

Been a while since I posted anything so figured it was time. Completed birds are coming along and finished wall is starting to fill up. Couple more habitat/bases to finish to complete several more birds that are finished. I have a very special Canada goose coming up and will also be starting deer soon. There's also a couple of fish that need to be finished and several in the freezer to be mounted so I've got plenty to keep me busy! Everyone stay safe if you're in these storm zones! Hope you all have a blessed day.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I took several calls and messages this weekend about birds and missed a couple. I'll be reaching out to you in next day or two to make arrangements to drop them off. Thank you all for another amazing year. Even with the poor hunting conditions I've got plenty of work to keep me busy. With that I'm closing my books for birds until next fall. I'll look at my prices and have everything updated before next season starts. Thank you all again for an amazing year. I hope you all have a happy and prosperous year!

Wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Hope you all have an amazing day.

Been a while since I posted anything so figure it was time for an update. These 3 will be ready to go home and I have a few more waiting for habitat/bases. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Something a lot different. Goose with an attitude. Hard to get good pictures of this one.

LONG POST WARNING!
Good morning. I haven't posted in a few days so figured it was time. First to my clients that are waiting on deer. As you all know this time of year can be very hectic with the holidays and trying to get a schedule that works for all 3 of us. We will be getting together about the middle of January to get the deer rolling. I have 10 deer that need to be done but I also have limited room to put them up so I'm trying to figure out how to get them done in two groups. I'm also trying to figure out exactly what I will take to the state and world show. State show is in March so I will need to have whatever I'm taking mounted by Feb. and the world show is in August so I need to have those pieces done by July. I still have a lot of planning and mock up to do for these and I'm trying to figure out best use of my time to do clients projects while completing these. Competing in these shows is important to me because judges will note those areas I need to improve on which will help me give you a better mount. Another crossroad I'm at is that my Federal license expires in 2 years and I'm debating wether or not I'm going to renew it. If I decide I'm not going to renew my license it means that the 2024 season will be the last year I take in waterfowl. With a 12 month turnaround this would allow me to have everything done before my license expires in 2025. I've got several things to consider before I decide exactly what I'm going to do and I will update everyone as soon as I make that decision. I hope you all have a great day and I'll be posting more soon.

So one of the things I see a lot of is missing/damaged wing and tail feathers. Open both wings and tail completely to inspect feathers and make sure they're all there. This isn't as important on a standing bird but it's very important for flying! You pay a fair amount of money to have these birds done so make sure it's a good specimen. Some of these can be repaired or replaced depending on area but it's always better to start with a good bird. Hope you all had a great weekend!

A lot going on today. Getting pheasant tails set, next pheasant cleaned and dry, skinning some of the big birds to make room in freezer for several birds that are coming. I also want to let everyone know my books are closed for 2023. I won't be taking any new clients birds at this time. If we've talked and I've committed to doing your birds I will accept those until the end of this month. I want to thank you all for an amazing year! I'll be making some posts later about what to look for when you're deciding on a bird to mount. Hope you all have an awesome day!!

5 of the pheasants skinned today. The one in the center is another very unique bird. The blueish grey on the back and a 29" tail feather makes this one a definite trophy bird!

Skinning some pheasants today to make room in freezers and came across a couple that have damage that keeps them from being mountable. I understand what a thrill it is to have your dog make his first retrieve but unless you've worked with them to be soft mouth, very seldom do they make good specimens to mount. Also if the bird isn't dead, don't ring its neck. This will result in feathers breaking loose and causing bare spots. Over the next couple weeks as I skin birds I'll be posting what you can watch for and do to see to it you get the best mount I'm capable of putting out. How you take care of your bird in the field has more to do with the final mount than anything I do with it.

Long post warning. I'm almost caught up with birds and we'll start working through deer shortly. I'm trying to decide what I'm going to compete with at the Iowa show in March and I've also decided I will put something together for the world show this year in August. I figure what better way to improve my skills than to be judged by the best taxidermist in the world! The great part is it's being held less then an hr away. I have several ideas for each that I will start working through. I'm looking forward to this opportunity!

Short break before final posing this mallard. With Iowa shotgun deer season opener this weekend I wanted to wish everyone good luck and remind everyone I am not taking deer this year. Stay safe and enjoy your time afield!

One of my favorite phases of the processes. Drying a bird after everything it's put through and seeing the beauty come back is very satisfying. Love a big greenhead!