Can anyone learn just from booklets and hands-on????????

Sure you can ask any taxidermist over 60. We all learned from books and trial and error and it took us at least 20 years to get good enough to know we were bad for 20 years. Best way to get 20 years ahead is to get some schooling with someone good enough to teach you some of the basics, then join your state association and attend the seminars given at their conventions and competitions. Otherwise get ready to be bad for 20 years. Good luck....JL

 

AMEN!!! JL, you are totally correct. I started out with a set of $10.00 lessonbooks a long time age. I look at them now and wonder why I did not give up from the start.

 

Also try a few videos they really help.Also make your first mount a Squirrel climbing up with left or right turn. Just buy the kit from WASCO (cheapest full kit you'll find) its like 16.95. Then find you a good video on mounting them I suggest serious sportsmans-mounting a fox squirrel.

 

I'm mostly learned taxidermy through magazines and booklets! I can't say that I'm good one,but sure you can learn if you are enogh interested about learning. There's a lot of helpy material about taxidermy, get all what you think is important to you and start doing taxidermy! It's the DOING what teaches you most! And remember that first ones are rarely so good looking what you wish them to be!

 

I believe you can learn from hands on work if someone will teach you, or give you the time to learn. I learned a lot from a local taxidermist that I worked with for two years. And did a great job on my first ever deer. Then when I graduated from high school I went to John Rinehart Taxidermy school. I am doing great now. Just pay close attention to how things are done and take a lot of notes, and watch many videos.

 

Yes, You can learn from books. Start simple and grow from there. The book I started with was by Leon Pray, It is tittled "Taxidermy". Macmillian Publishing Co. Copyright 1943.
Best illistrations ever. Simple. Then teach yourself to grow into the modern ways of taxidermy, but never forget the basics of the past.

 

Sure you can learn through books, the info out there now is awesome and I am still learning from it. There is still a lot of learning through experience and trial and error required. Like JL said, it took me 20 years before I thought I was halfway decent. Hands on training could cut a lot of time off that I think.

 

Books, videos and trial and error is pretty much how i learned. It might take a little longer to get to were you want to be, but you will probably try a lot of different things instead of on persons way. I am very happy where I am in my 16th year doing taxidermy, I have won a best of catagory at our state competition. My advise would be to go to your state competitions, even if you don't take anything and go to the seminars and listen to the judges on critiques on other mounts.

 

That's how I started. Books, videos, and lot's of trial and error. And now we have the taxidermy.net. Thanks Ken

 

I also learned by booklets and video's, and still am for the most part. I have seen it written here several times. When you stop learning is when you fall behind in this industry. I have learned alot from the Breakthrough Magazines and other books as well. But if you can find a taxidermist that lives near you that does good work then his hands on knowledge will help more than the books in my opinion. But finding one sometimes, as I have learned is difficult. But then again you have this site that Ken keeps up and running with taxidermists from all walks of life. If you do not get an answere from here on a question that you have or about a technique that you are thinking about trying then you probably will have to figure it out on you own. This site has a ton of info and if it is not in the new forums, by all means look through the old ones. There are several lifetimes of info in here, just keep looking and learning. Most will help anyway they can, just do not get pushy about it, and listen to what they say and not how it is said. Some can come across a little ruff around the edges but they can still teach you things. I am still a beginner in my opinion, and there is not a day that goes by that I do not learn something from this site. One key is to keep a positive attitude and do not give up. If you really want to do taxidermy for a hobby or a living then I feel that you need to keep connected to this site. That is just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth. Good luck! ;D JLM