Deer head question

I say do a couple to get a feel for it and then take a class.

 

Do a couple first. You will be able to retain more from a class if you already have the basics down. Get your hands dirty and give it a go.

 

Everybody learns differently. I learn better watching and doing, but not everyone deals with trial and error in a positive, constructive manner. All that said, I would recommend trying one or two on your own from the information you have already gleaned before you take some personal instruction. The personal attempts can help you better understand what you have learned already and later to apply more efficiently what you learn from the tutoring. You know yourself better than we do and at the end of the day you will need to decide what you think will help you the most. Good luck with it and whatever you decide make sure to have fun with it!

 

Fly the plane before training ,see how that turn's out for you. Take the class first you'll be glad you did.

 

This

Why try yourself first ... Make a bad mount that doesn't look good more then likely. Then take a class and learn to do it "right" when you planned to do this anyways. Just sayin, I took classes and never watched a DVD a guy in my fish class did then he decided maybe paying for professional advise was well worth the money. He wasted 2 fish before figuring it out. And fish are much cheaper then capes. Just how I look at it

 

I made the mistake of trying to mount one before I took any classes. Was so frustrating I almost dropped Taxidermy... I would not recommend trying it...

 

I believe you should try to mount one first...what have you got to lose??? Attempting it first will make you pay particular attention to the areas you had trouble with when you receive advanced instruction. All of us learn in different ways. Determination and patience will dictate how far you will go with taxidermy. I mounted dozens of creatures before I watched someone who knew what they were doing. I say go for it!!!

 

I'd def. mount a couple on your own first. Doing so, you'll probably find that parts of the process are more smooth than others, and still others will be a struggle. When you take a class you'll know what to really concentrate on/have an "ah-ha" moment & you can always ask the instructor to spend more time on those more challenging aspects as well. If you just start out with a class I think it is overwhelming & you really have no clue just how much you don't know....then try to mount one on yourself and think "damn I should've asked about this or that".

 

Absolutely mount one before class, and with rick's dvd's, you will not struggle as some above has cried about, the class will fine tune you then, instead of teach you with training wheels,,

 

You want to jump right into one NOW. You may find that you like the idea of doing taxidermy better than actually doing taxidermy. IT messy,dirty, time consuming, frustrating, red a$$ing, and rewarding.

I like the idea of rebuilding old cars, After giving it a try, PI$$ on that. I found it dirty, messy,time consuming,frustrating, red a$$ing, expensive, and not very rewarding.

 

I am in a similar boat. Right now, I am plunging into my first shoulder mount without any "formal" training; just using info that I have pored over online and a little bit of hands-on observation from a local taxidermist on turning ears. When all of the materials are in front of you and it's your game, and no one is staring over your shoulder, it is really something else. Go for it.