Question For George

I'm not George, but for magazines check out Breakthrough and Taxidermy Today. You could also check up on the Minnesota Taxidermy Guild for more info about the field.

 

Monty, though Katie's advise is certainly valid, I'm really not sure a neophyte can get any information from those magazines. Breakthrough, though no one will dare say this, it really geared towards the true artisan taxidermist. Even after 60 years, sometimes I have to reread things a half a dozen times to know where they came from and where they're going. In layman's parlance, it's for people who are anal about taxidermy. Taxidermy Today simply has a long row to hoe IN MY OPINION. The articles tend to give basic steps and personal approaches to mounts, but again, you'll have to be familiar with the terminology.

Many will think I'm crazy (I likely am) but if you want to learn what taxidermy is all about from the ground up, I still suggest you start where many of us did before the internet sensation: J.W. Elwoods Northwestern School of Taxidermy. It's long defunct, but you can still find the booklets on the internet. This is truly basic information. Name brand items are no longer available, but the process and the products are still available. You will never find any source with more basic and simple instructions.

Now obviously, that's intended for learning basics only. We no longer use coat hangers and cotton batting (though we do have suitable substitutes). Manikins have taken much of the artistry away from today's work, but learning how to measure and match are still very basic requirements.

Then call up a couple suppliers and request a catalog. I learned much of what I know from the Van Dykes catalogs looking for descriptions on how a product was used. There's a wealth of information to be found in catalogs.

After that, YouTube can be your friend and many of the suppliers offer free videos as well.