If you can't get a ribon at a show should you be charging customers

Thank you Tim! I ran out of clay that day or I would have gotten more in there!!! You know, you are really good and getting all of that information from a picture taken 10 feet away with a spotlight shining right in the face of the deer. Maybe if the light wasn't so bright you could have seen the wrinkles in the front of the earbutts and the muscle connecting to the back of the pedicle. OR maybe if it was a early season cape and didn't have such long hair the 'detail' would be more evident for you. THIS IS COMMERCIAL WORK!! Go in your shop and take some pics of your commercial work and let's see what "level of quality" you are advertising!!!

I really don't understand why you would start all of this. I never, not once, singled you out or said anything directed at you but you seem to want to attack me out of the blue for something that I believe in and just expressed my opinion. Again, it's surprising that someone that is running a taxidermy competition would have the attitude that you have and make the statements that you have made unsolicited....

BTW everyone, could you imagine watching IRON CHEF and having George, antlerman and J Brown as guest taste testers!!!! NOW THAT IS FUNNY!!!!

 

It sounds like you've accomplished elevating it into a profession, so why do you care if others do it as a hobby? Hell, you're dumping $270 for a single dinner, and you make it sound as if that's a common occurrence, and then you complain about the guy down the street undercutting your prices??

Your entire point during this thread is that there should be some proficiency test to be a taxidermist because low-quality-cheap-work is bringing down the "industry" as a whole. Yet in almost all your posts you talk about money and being successful and wealthy....do you see the contradiction with that? It sure doesn't sound like anyone's work is bringing you down so I don't quite understand why you care.

Not everyone wants to build their shop into a large commercial business. The demographic you cater to is the high-dollar guys. The low quality shops that are doing deer heads for $300 aren't your competition. They're catering to an entirely different group of clients that really don't overlap with yours at all. If their quality was on par with yours then they would be your competition. I don't see how this would be a benefit for you or your business.

 

Yeah you would have three men from different parts of the country spittin the chit on the floor and head straight for Texas Roadhouse for an affordable steak and a tall cold domestic beer. I know George doesn't drink but the outcome is the same. We would all leave with a full belly and happy to be alive.

 

I AM THE TAXIDERMY GOD!!!!! I AM THE TAXIDERMY GOD!!!!MAKE SURE TO GO TO THE NEXT WORLD SHOW AND CHECK OUT MY AIR CHARGING ELEPHANT POSE WITH 5 LIONS ALL AIR BORNE!!! REMEMBER I AM THE WORLDS GREATEST............LOL

 

Harry, your stress level is too high. I just spent 3 days in the old hospital with my heart issues again. Blood pressure was running around 194 over 105 when I got to the hospital. After some new meds and every test they can run on a heart patient they released me and said to eliminate stress. So that is what I am doing. My mold building days are over. My chase for "the dream" as I will refer to is over. Not that my dreams were ever as lofty as yours as I live in a modular home, drive an old worn out suburban and eat hamburgers instead of steak, but I'm alive and happy. Anyway, it is of course just my opinion, but what if anything are you gonna take with you Harry? I haven't criticized your drive to reach the pentacle of your dreams. I have said, don't force your dreams on me. I'm happy with my little one man shop where I can spend sometime each day just doing what I enjoy doing. I do strive for perfection in my work. And yes I would be happy to post some pics and let you grade me. I never claimed to be The Lord of all things taxidermy, but excuse me for my perception, but does your chest hurt from all that pounding on yourself that you are doing in this thread? Talk about ego's. Good Lord Harry...do you ever listen to yourself? You know, the funny thing about it is I like you. I really do. But the pompas ass that you are being isn't the Harry that I know and respect. OK, so your deer head is not that bad, but the same is true about 50 thousand other taxidermists who don't have the same goals and dreams of you do. So you have a larger successful business that you have worked hard to attain. I'm proud of you Harry. You did well for yourself. I was talking to Ray Hatfield the other day and he said that all his work force was working on finish work this week because they had 350 mounts that needed finished to make room for 2 L/S elephants. WTF!!!! I can't comprehend that. 350 mounts mounted that need finished??? Are you kidding me? Yes, some of you have established yourself well, and I couldn't be happier for those of you who have that dream. I just don't share that same dream. I just want to work at my pace doing something that I enjoy doing and do not want the stress of working at, owning or being any part of something so stressful. But what you are suggesting is that we all have to be like you, and if we are not you want us gone. Sorry Harry, but yes, I get a little defensive when someone is trying to control my life and force me to do something I have no desire in doing. I don't want your shop. I want my shop. I'm happy with my garage shop. I'm happy working alone. I love my friends in this industry. I love the challenge of competition, though I have never won anything. But I'm excited for those who do. Harry, why is this becoming somewhat personal? I can answer that. It's simply because I do like you and if the Midwest Regional were to continue on, which it isn't, I wanted to bring you in as a judge and as an instructor. But Harry, could I sell you? My thoughts today are that I probably couldn't. Not because of your talents and successes.. those are notable for sure, but because of your pompas attitude. No-one is gonna want to pay to listen to you pound your chest. Yes, you are a red headed high strung American redneck, and I love you for being true to yourself, but Harry, we are not all you. Some of us need to pace ourselves in a slightly different gear. So I jumped your ass. Big deal. If I didn't think I could I wouldn't, but Harry, we know enough about each other to cut threw the bullchit. No-one is ever gonna control Harry Whitehead, that's for sure, but don't tell me I have to be like you, because that isn't gonna happen either. This certification thing is retarded. Harry, you may have been there at Rend Lake the year I brought something very similar to what you are proposing to the membership meeting there. I was convinced that it would be good for our industry. So, I have had thoughts along these same lines before, but I learned and have seen the errors of my thoughts. I'm just relating to you that I have looked at this very hard for very long and it's NOT a good idea even though I at one time thought it was.

 

Why don't y'all just whip your dicks out on the table and see who's is biggest? For the record, my commercial work sucks worse than my competition work does, Harry's earbutts look perfect in the eyes of nearly every client on the planet, but wouldn't fare so well in the eyes of any judge or a taxidermist from IL, and I've never had $300 sushi (I prefer my fish deep fried). I don't pay attention to the guy down the street, usually if there is a problem with a business the person to look at is in the mirror. The statement that you should be able to pull a ribbon with your commercial work is silly only because most shows I go to EVERYONE gets a ribbon. Red ribbons in the Pro division are a good example of quality commercial work, and most of you bitching about not competing because you can't eat ribbons would have no problem pulling a red, or blue so your argument becomes moot. Texas Roadhouse is okay, but Longhorn is better. McDonalds sucks no matter how cheap it is, and I have crap to do so that's all for now.

 

Take my 5 day mini course and I will Guarantee you a Red or Better in the Pro and Masters level!!!!! Lifesize or Game heads.$2800.00 also included some great fishing and hunting!

 

Cole, I'm not positive, but I'm almost sure there was one or two people you didn't insult with that post. LOL

Harry, Harry, Harry. You can't play the victim while you're throwing hand grenades. I'm a cook. I don't go to places for cuisine, I go to places that will FEED ME. I didn't get this fat by accident. Now stop validating what I've said to everyone except yourself.

Smitty, that's a crock. I know a guy who took Sandy and Ralph Garland's full course at Piedmont years ago. Ralph refused to pass him but he claimed on his advertising that he'd "graduated" Piedmont. (Ralph told me he had a one-eyed pitbull with more talent than this guy. After seeing the guy's work, I'm sure Ralph insulted his pitbull.) If I've said this once, I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it once more: Regardless of what you pay or what you spend: YOU CANNOT TEACH TALENT.

 

Ah yes, but I insulted myself first so that gave me free reign.

 

Little off the topic George,Just to give you heads up I made it through the 3rd phase of Red Tape in secureing a grant for the National History Museum of Taxidermy Based in Rochester Mn.....We are almost there....6 years in the making....

 

I completely agree with George, you can't teach talent. Taxidermists without one artistic bone in their body put out work that doesn't look very good as a whole. Their brains aren't wired to read reference. There is a guy like that in my home town. He gets 300 heads a year and has a 20 month TAT. Has for over 20 years now, good for him.

 

Smitty just curious as to how you can guarantee blue ribbons in the masters to someone that pays you to teach them, when the stuff you brought to the last MN state show had red ribbons on the few things that I saw that had your name on them . I may have missed somthing with a blue but if you are recieving reds in the profesional division that is a long way from a masters blue.

 

You might want to do a little more digging on what I have acomplished over 25 years before you dig yourself in a hole.Bottom Line if you want to place 2nd or better and have the money and time I will get you there.I have won at all levels.We werent even planning on doing the Mn show.It was a last minute thing.Timing of the year was bad for us.The quality of the pieces I had I knew had no chance to place in the Masters.Those tans were done in Africa and were in very poor shape.One of those hides came to me in 4 pieces. I also knew 5or 6 mounts that were coming in were already prejudged in the World Show.I was happy to walk away with 2nd. in the Pro.I was more interested in what the judge had to say. For me when I started out I went to every show I could afford to.When the politics came in to play in 96 I had enoughI had been in roughly 40 shows by this time.I started back up in 2002 and will contiue to do a few shows.I really wished the shows would get Sponsors that could award huge cash prizes,cars,etc...Then you would see some guys really come back out of wood work.For most or some of us that have done Taxidermy for over 20+++ years Fulltime, Ribbons dont pay the bills.I know what it takes to play textbook taxidermy.If one wants,desires to compete and win 2nds or better either in the Masters or Pro, I WILL GET YOU THERE!!To play you have to pay if this is the path you so desire.Bottom line when you choose Taxidermy as a Pro for full time occupation Ribbons dont pay the bills.

 

It's SOOO tough not to post on this thread..... :
I have more self control that I ever knew I had... ;D

 

LOL, here I thought he was joking when he guaranteed masters red. Guess he was being serious...does that come with a money back guarantee?

 

Thanks Cole..I don't have to post now.

 

That's what I'm here for.

 

BINGO!!!You nailed it

 

Did you purposely use "your" instead of "you're" in your signature as a joke?

 

LOL , I knew it was worng but WTH

;D