Base for Hyena

[Buck N Duck]

I just finished mounting a hyena and need some ideas for the base. Last African I did I used ground English walnut shells and got some good results. If anyone has any picture that would be helpful.

Thanks in advance

John

[Wolfie101]

I think it would be cool to put a chewed-up bone somewhere on the base.

[Buck N Duck]

Great idea! I also did a bushbuck and have the left over skull once I cut the horns off. Will be a perfect addition. Had not even thought about doing that.
Thanks

[Gray Ghost Safaris]

I imagine by now your base is finished, but I would suggest you research where the Hyena came from if you haven't. All over Africa the ground and flora are different. Some areas you need a sand based soil (Kalahari), many other areas you would need a top soil of dark to light "dirt" while some have fine rock about the size of aquarium gravel. By replicating the ground and the flora of the area, your customers should be really pleased that you paid so much attention to detail. Trust me, 90% of the hunters pay little if no attention to the details of such things. Good luck with the base.

[Buck N Duck]

Gray Ghost,
Thanks for the tip. I actually asked the customer if he had any pictures and then used them as a guide. I wound up using the product called Geco Earth which is coconut shells. For the bones as suggested, I used the rest of a bushbuck skull I had cut the horns off of. When I get a chance I will try to post a picture. With the hyena having his fromt paw up, it appeared he was trying to dig up the skull. I am a stickler for details and fix thjings I know no one else wil even see or pay attention to. If I am satisfied I know my customer will be too. The customer came by on Wednesday to pick it up and that is always a nervous time. When he walked in and saw it, he went quiet. He looked it over and then said what a nice job I had done and how pleased he was. That made it all worth while. Then I gave him a box to open and it was the skull that I had bleached and did at no charge. He forgot about it completely as the shipment was delivered right to me. I have done many mounts for this guy and have built up enough trust. He is headed back to Africa in June with 4 other guys and promised me more business. If you have not done any African stuff before, it is a great learning experience. It is unlikely that customers will not have you do their mounts if you don't have the experience.

Thanks for all the help
John

[Travis de Villiers]

Hi John,

 I know the project is over and done with but for future reference let me add my 2 cents.....
firstly it is very rare that you come across walnut shells here just lying around, or coconut shells unless you are in the Mozambican/Tanzanian/Kenyen/you get my idea, area. Your best bet when dealing with African game is to find out where that animal was hunted, i.e, a kudu for instance hunted in the Limpopo area of South Africa will have lived in an ecosystem comprised of red soil, granite rock's/pebbles, acacia thorn shrubbery, scattered long grasses which may vary drastically, along with a few semi arid growing weeds and succulents. Now a kudu hunted in the Eastern Cape would have lived in thick tundra (which to my liking explains their smaller size and horns) comprised of a darker soil, shorter abundant grasses, and more of an evergreen feel to it... Tanzania and Kenya have vast grass lands and flat plains with acacia thorn trees. Zimbabwe has alot of mopane forest and rocky outcrops with a red soil and grey soil variation. What I am trying to get at here is you must do research on where the animal was hunted, not just country but area as well. There are well documented studies on plant life of the various regions online, but it leaves you (the artist) the recreate that with what you have to the best of your ability. I just wish some times that the client would notice the effort that goes into such work. I guess if he has nothing bad to say then something about the habitat has a subconscious remembrance of that particular scenario.

All the best and hope I was of some help, or better yet some reassurance!

Take care
Trav