Let’s say you try on a skin and it fits fine, but you realize the skin is very snug on the head and getting the tear ducts and eyes into place will be a real challenge.  And drumming seems inevitable.  What to do…

Well, you can help the fit dramatically in this situation by simply narrowing the head; it’s amazing how well a skin can fit with just the removal of 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch of material from between the eyes.  If you’ve been keeping track, this is number four in my series of six head alterations that I said I was convinced  you couldn’t live without (if you missed the first three, check them out under the “Taxidermy” category).

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This is number three in a series of six head alterations that I said I felt no taxidermist can live without.   I say this merely because in the world of everyday taxidermy you will, at some time, benefit dramatically by knowing how to accomplish these alterations.  It may not be an everyday thing, but there will come a time.  So this one is all about making a head wider than the original. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in the 70’s, I can remember one of the old-timers at Jonas Brothers telling me in no uncertain terms: “You must not let the skin be your master!”. He was of course, correct. But sometimes, the skin can’t co-operate, and a form alteration can make all the difference in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Whitetail deer vary dramatically from area to area, sub-specie to sub-specie, and even from deer to deer within any given region or sub-specie. Just as people come in all sizes and shapes, so do deer! This is a sculptor’s Read the rest of this entry »