Am thinking of attending a school and learn deer head mounting. Learning from a local taxidermist isn't an option in my area and my work will pay for most of the tuition costs. Can anyone give me their input on what schools to attend or not attend?
I have absolutely no experience and am just wanting to get started in taxidermy. I live in northeastern Indiana, so a school that would be close but still worth attending is what I'm looking for.
Thanks in advance for any input!
-Jameson
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....Would be to try to learn as much as you can, on your own, and then get some instruction. By making some mistakes you will learn more than you could ever hope to get out of any school, if you go without a little ecperience under you belt. Then get ahold of Bill Yox!
By starting out the right way, which you will do by going to a quality school, you will never learn the wrong way. You will be several years ahead of the guy trying to learn it on his own. Granted experience will make you better, but a start on the right foot is much better than trial and error. After you get out of school ,you will get experience and learn more and more. A one on one class with some of the top taxidermist out there then will really boost the quality of your work. There are several good schools now a days. Find one that offers enough time to really teach you the right way. A school that is suppossed to teach all the aspects of taxidermy in 10 or 12 weeks is probably not the school for you, if you are looking to make a career. You will need at least 6 months or more. And then there will still be awhole lot to learn.
But you will not have all the bad habits you would by trying to learn it on your own. Good luck.
In the fall of '04 I went to Rinehart's in Edgerton Wi. It was a week for the deer head course and to be honest it was one of the best times of my life. Dan has a really nice studio/work area set up and he has deals set with a few local motels for a person to stay at for a cheaper rate than normal. The website is learntaxidermy.com. Good luck!
You can't go to law school or med school until you graduate from college. Taxidermy schools are especially single tracked with teaching single methods. Read, watch tapes, work on the basic animals of bass, pheasant, and squirrel to get the feel. You may not even LIKE the work and to waste thousands of dollars for bright lights and clean tables will be something you'd regret forever. Schools are becoming popular to the 'gasoline ass' crowd who want it all and want it now. Schools won't give you talent and if you don't HAVE talent, all the money in the world won't make you a taxidermist.
Order you a few videos and get you a deer head or two from your local meat processor after deer season has opened, pick up a roadkill if it's legal, Anything for you to learn on, You can learn alot from trial and error, most of which have been posted on this web-site. If you are still wanting to go to a Taxi school you will be that much ahead in the game by practicing skinning, turning, fleshing etc. I ordered one of the kits from Rineharts around 5 years ago and got hooked quicker than smallie on a tube jig.
Someone interested in getting into taxidermy never had it so Good. Oh, I am not complaining, seeing this post just caused me to reflect. At how hard it was to get a handle on the craft when I started. I rarely take the time to seriously answer questions here anymore. Just got tired of being blasted for not coating every answer with sugar. But you guys have no idea how valuable the information the guys here offer. Guys like Bill Yox, Dave T, George, and even Cecil. as well as all the countless others who freely offer their talents.
Breakfast Boy, Practice on your own, come here and ask questions. one day you will be able to say you learned from ALL the worlds bests
Thanks fellas! Maybe I'll order a squirrel video and kit to begin with. : )
Fellas, I have another question quick. If I were to buy a video or manuals and a beginner kit, would I be better off trying a small animal (i.e. coon, squirrel, coyote, etc.) or a doe head? I should be able to get either one this year, since it's hunting season. Do you suggest one video/manual series over the other?
the best answer to that is to mount whatever you can get but if you can get all those critters a small lifesize will teach you alot. It will teach you about sewing and measuring and getting EVERY PIECE OF MEAT AND FAT off the hide. Yes including the fingers. Squirrels are what alot of taxidermists have learned on. You can use DP and just start learning technique. Coyotes aren't exactly a piece of cake and they stink, and doe heads are no easier than buckheads if you ask me! You don't even get to enjoy the antlers on a doe LOL. Rabbits are thin skinned and coons are greasy but they are big enough you can see what you are doing on their fingers. But you just need to get something done. Get some specimens under your belt. And here is one last quick piece of advice. Get a manual or video or whatever (preferably WASCO since they operate this site) and learn what you can. But once you get started FINISH, cause you WILL get frustrated and think its going to turn out terrible but you will surprise yourself! It is amazing how they shape up between half mounted and fully finished! GOOD LUCK! :-)
At our NTA convention in Sioux Falls, I invited Henry to make a few comments and to present his namesake award.
He remarked that the actual mounting of small animals has fallen dismally behind big game work simply because it is such a tedious process. When a person becomes good at it, he simply can't expect a squirrel to be priced equal to a deer though a good squirrel will take just as long.(Marcus Zimmerman at the World Show answered that eternal question almost instantly. When asked, "How much do you charge to mount a squirrel?" He, his brother, and Jason Snowberger said in unison, "$350".)
In reality, you need to follow Griz's advice. You need to know the anatomy of a squirrel just as well as you do a deer. A deer may actually be easier to mount than a squirrel, so learn them all.
George,
I just completed a taxidermy school, and while I know that I am not yet a proven taxidermist, it sure gave me a better start than I could have hoped for by starting on my own. I learned from such respected master taxidermists as Mike Ross, Danny Owens, Manny Chavez, and Shawn Dawson. I know that that school was the best way to spend my money. After all, who are you to tell people how to spend their money?
Your comment: "Schools are becoming popular to the 'gasoline ass' crowd who want it all and want it now. Schools won't give you talent and if you don't HAVE talent, all the money in the world won't make you a taxidermist." bothers me because I don't think you really "get" why people would want to go to a school. It's the personal one-on-one instruction that you can't get from a book or video. If I had a question or didn't undurstand something, the insructor was right there to help. If anyone has questions about the school I went to, E mail me at cowgrl571@hotmail.com.
*understand
I agree with Allison...... I teach and one of the first Questions I ask my students is (Do you have any art talent and what to expect if not)......I learned the hard way so I can relate to the value of a good teacher and I cover all the different ways to do each step and teach my prefered method.......What you stated doesnt make since at all.....wheer do you come up with that crap LOL......TD
Want to buy a chevy? I agree with you 100%. Tell people to teach our art right. No use letting animals out there cross eyed, and stuff because of shadows on a video.
SHINE YEAH!
When you ask a question here, it's expected that the responses will be an OPINION. My opinion is that "schools" are like the black jack tables in Vegas. Sure, SOME people win, but it's always the house that comes out ahead. Taxidermy was being done by cave men. I'm assuming they passed the trade down through apprenticeships and such. I, too, teach. I've taught many and I never made a cent off of it. Each "student" was told that I would teach him or her the way I did it and not the ONLY way. You can grouse all you'd like, but I'm POSITIVE that without some modicum of talent, one can't be taught taxidermy any more than they can be taught flat painting or piano for that matter.
Since you seem to have had your fuse lit, let me continue. Five years ago I sat in on a turkey mounting seminar by Cally Morris. Cally emphasized that he "NEVER" used any glues or adhesive on his birds and that the wing incisions needed to be sewn completely up. This past year, Cally did the same seminar. Shockingly, he told the listeners that it they didn't use silicone caulk on the back and on the neck, their birds wouldn't look nearly as good. As for sewing, guess what. Nobody sews the underwings anymore, THEY STAPLE THEM. You "schooling" is going to be an exact duplicate of that. Methods change so drastically, often overnight, that you can't imagine what you WILL learn that you'll never pay a penny for. When the first "graduate" of a school (everyone does graduate don't they? Ever hear of anyone failing?) wins a world championship and then tells everyone that the only training they ever received was in that school, then maybe I'll be swayed. But then again, I'll probably be dead by then.
BTW, I don't have anything personal to say to you. I also post an email and if you had something to say to me personally, you could have done the same thing. I just want to insure the field is level before some poor guy invests his mortgage payment in some "school" thinking it will make him a "master taxidermist".
George,,,,,seems to me your way off the point here.......It,s a matter of getting past Three or four or maybe even more years of agrrevation/frustration that I know I went Thru......There are people out there mounting deer ,who dont have an ounce of talent(the ones we call Haxidermists)....Talent has nothin to do wth it .....and in my oppinion the money is worth it just to get past the hell u go thru learning the hard way......And I know of many ways to skin a cat....I just use the method that works best for me.........Well anyways ...I say Lessons are worth the money with a good teacher......Thats my oppinion.....and I,m stickin to it lol
And what makes you think Joe Schmoe is a good teacher. Remember, I used a REAL word, taxidermist. There are certainly wannabes and I'd guarantee you, you've taught some of them and you "graduated" them. If you haven't you will. And it's pretty cavalier to think that you're saving anyone 4 or 5 years. They could have done that just by coming here and listening to what the archives have in them, but no one does that. Not even your "graduates". You haven't learned yourself yet that taxidermist ARE taxidermists because of their love of independence and their eagerness to re-create living things. Whether or not they actually see the same things our eyes do doesn't mean it's either good or bad taxidermy. Picasso is called an "artist" and Barbra Streisund is called "lovely". Damned if my definitions even match those, so I don't suspect we'll ever agree on the importance of the service you provide to the real world. Even the Romans had a phrase for it: Caveat emptor.
For me starting out going to a school was the best option after, ordering videos and deciding it would be money well spent. I do think it ONLY provides a foundation that you should build on though. I no longer use the same techniques that I learned at the school I went to, for several reasons and that was only 1 year ago. One is I have learned some on this site that has helped me to achieve better results. I also did a workshop with Cecil Baird and that helped my fish tremendously, even though I don't do everything he taught me. Then there was the WTC and my state show I went to, where I learned even more tips to add to my arsenal to improve those little areas. I think that somehow I was blessed with just enough talent that I will one day be able to put together some damn good mounts but they wont come without hard work and my fight to get things perfect. You on the other hand may not have to put much effort into producing great work.
I don't think that anyone here could argue with this next statement and what I think that George's point is. You MAY be a real good taxidermist once you come out of school but you will not get to the top or remain there very long without continuing your education somewhat or someway, be it news press, seminars or workshops. No matter if you are a 'gasoline ass' or what, you can't expect the videos, schools or the manuals to be a end all means to becoming a taxidermist. Its just one or all may help get You to where you want to be faster and if you want to pay for it, then go for it.
Only you can decide if the money is worth what you will get or will not get out of it. Good luck in you decision.
That,s the ticket right there.....you can look at all the pictures and read all the methods and even go to the seminars.....but none of it will make any since to a newb until they understand the basics of the art.......It is a continueing learning proccess and the talent you harness will take you as far as it allows......I know how hard it is to get started from experiance and I beleive that makes me a good teacher (been there done that).......I don,t know about some of the Scools out there and some may not be so good ....in that aspect .....maybe you are right........It,s a simple matter we are discussing and it doesnt need a long paragraph to explain......
I have to say without any knowledge in taxidermy when I went to school I think it was a bad idea. After school I was not comfortable mounting anything. I went to school for fish, deer, and reptiles. Needless to say I thought school did me more harm than good. I started going to seminars at the state and World shows and reading more on this site, books and magazines like Breakthrough. Luckily another taxidermist here in Illinois by the name of Dan Ksycki also let me come down to his shop and he showed me different tricks and things that you should know about anatomy on animals. It was after all of that and practice on some friends stuff and my own that everything started coming together. If you don't keep learning in this industry you might as well stop now. There was a guy from southern Illinois that contacted me on the phone and asked if I would teach him things. He lived 2-3 hours away and I told him he could come up here and watch and learn as much as he wanted. He too was debating on going to school. Needless to say I talked him out of it because he was able to learn the basics from me. Now I have talked him into joining the state association and he is going to the seminars. You can already see a huge difference in his work. SO basically what it comes down to is schools can be good and they can be bad. I think it depends on each person and the quality of the school they attend. Some day hopefully I will be able to make it out east and take some one on one classes with Bill Yox for competition whitetails. Keep on learning or find yourself eons behind. Good Luck. Dan Hudzik
Well, I certainly didn't mean to start an argument on here! LOL! Everyone has their opinion and I appreciate all of the input. The various opinions definitely has me re-thinking how I will begin learning. Thanks to everyone!
I am still thinking of going to a school to learn the basics, but only because my place of employment will pay for it. Before I go though, I may mount a squirrel or coon with a kit and some videos. And of course, I'm sure I'll be on these forums quite a bit asking questions and learning from all of you.
Thanks again for the input guys and gals! Looking forward to more discussions! : )
LOL....Which ever route u take good luck to u!
I have read all of the comments and I think everyone had several interesting points. Since I am personally involved with running a long time successful taxidermy school, I thought I would say a few words. Take them or leave them.
Yes there are problems with some taxidermy schools. Many people can create great mounts in their own studios, but have a hard time actually teaching someone else to so the same.
As for the comments regarding talent, I think anyone can be taught to create awesome mounts. Prior artistic talent is somewhat helpful, but is not secessary if you are properly taught. It takes dedication, drive and the willingness TO BE taught.
If you have a good teacher you will actually "learn to see" the anatomy, colors and nuances of each animal. There are many schools out there who teach a "paint by number","from a kit" type of taxidermy". This can be ok used in your shop if you want to make all mounts of the same species look the same and if you never have a customer bring in a problem or if you never have a customer bring in something that needs to be restored. If you understand how to do the techniques to make your customer's animal look like it did when HE or SHE brought it out of the woods, then you will be more successful. As for Videos and such, It sounds like a great idea, but what happens when you are in the middle of your video mount in a critical area where there is no going back, and find there is a major difference or problem in your mount as opposed to the one being mounted in perfect situations on a video by a professional. What do you do then? Who do you call? We receive calls from frustrated people all the time, who have gotten themselves into a sad situation with these types of problems. It is really sad when someone who had such high hopes of making a beautiful mount, end up with something they are ashamed of. Usually it is with a problem they could have easily handled with proper training in the first place. Can you really learn how to fix an airplane or even cut hair really well with the newest techniques or without proper training? It is really hard to learn taxidermy that way also!