Which Is Easier For Beginners: Red Fox Or Bobcat?

Both can be difficult for many seasoned professionals but I would start with a fox, typically longer fur, and easier to replace. The eyes and face of either one tells the story, if done well.

 

Totally agree with doing a fox. Get plenty of references and study them with your mentor.
Cats are very hard to capture the cat look in the beginning of doing taxidermy and a lot of pros still find them very challenging.

 

Upon reading the title only I was going to say that gray foxes are very prone to epidermal slip (the hair falling out) but I see you have a red so…. Personally I would lean towards the fox as well. They’re less lithe than a cat, and imo have a little less animated faces, less nuanced. But also consider the pose. To me atleast, that matters a lot. There are several cat poses/forms that I would much rather do than some canine poses/forms and vice versa. For instance anything laying on its belly, or with an arched back is easier than something stretched out, belly exposed, or in motion. This is more of a deciding factor to me than species when it come to lifesize small mammals. But speak to your mentor. He may do many more cats than foxes, and be more comfortable. His advice, I think, if I were in your shoes, would be my deciding factor.

 

I rarely have slip on a bobcat, but often have slippage on foxes.

 

Does it have to be a fox or bobcat? What about doing a squirrel? They are easy to obtain and their skin is very tough. Just a thought!