Just starting- help me

HuntFishfreak · 06-29-2006, 01:49 PM

How should I get started. My 2nd cousin is a taxidermist and I love going to his shop. I don't expect to do a deer a bear or anything like that probably squirels or something small. any material websites and instructual videos would be great. thanks.

rgswildlife · 06-29-2006, 02:28 PM

go to www.taxidermy.net there is a world of info there.

Rich

nctaxi · 06-29-2006, 04:05 PM

IF you're friends with your 2nd cousin, go and visit. You have a great opp. because alot of people think they'll like taxidermy, but when the blood, guts and fur fly, they really don't think it's for them. Go check him out and talk to him, he may let you help around the shop. A squirrel is the best thing to start with, IMHO, because they are plentiful and a pain in the rump. If you can mount a squirrel and get it to look good, you are about home free. I started with a squirrel and wouldn't change it. When you skin one to it's second knuckle joint, you know that you can skin anything. And when it turns out well, you know you can mount anything. These are just my opinions but.... Hope it helps

livbucks · 06-29-2006, 07:28 PM

I'll second that on the squirrel skinning. I quit hunting squirrels because they are the hardest thing to skin. By the time I was done, the amount of meat just wasn't worth it all. They are some tough little buggers! You could skin 50 square feet of deer hide in less time than 50 square inches of squirrel.

nctaxi · 06-29-2006, 07:42 PM

Livbucks - if you keep agreein with me, I'll have to let you join my fan club.

livbucks · 06-29-2006, 08:50 PM

Now, we don't want that, do we?
Tell me it's not nice to be validated on a daily basis.
Some guys don't know when they've got it good.

nctaxi · 06-30-2006, 06:31 AM

I like this site more and more

. Livbucks - I'll be up in PA this weekend. Is there anywhere you'd like for me to throw out garbage so you knowI was there? I normally throw out deer carcasses but Pa is so full of them, you'd never know where I was at.

livbucks · 06-30-2006, 06:58 AM

Hey now! We have a few still breathing. They say we decimated the herd but there is no shortage of roadkills, that's for sure. TIP-Most people put the bones and scraps out for the garbage man. My deer butcher works out of his house and puts tons of boxes of bones and legs/heads out to the curb. It is a real sight to see.

nctaxi · 06-30-2006, 12:12 PM

I may hunt Washington County this year. Probably next, but maybe this year. Believe me I know there's no shortage, last visit we stopped counting at 150 deer standing on the side of the road eating grass. I think they gave ol' Alt the bad deal, he was doing what everyone wanted, bigger numbers then bigger bucks. I never really heard what was finally the straw but he seemed to have been railroaded. I have a family friend that says he sees monster bucks around his house.

livbucks · 06-30-2006, 12:52 PM

Well, to be fair, the herd is down in the northern tier and South Central areas. The numbers were way higher years ago than the DPSM estimates that were widely accepted as truth. Now the DPSM numbers are more accurate but folks don't believe them because they saw so many under the old (wrong) estimates. Washington County has some of the highest numbers, including big bucks, of any county in PA. You should fare well to hunt there. Am I agreeing with you again? I appologize. I don't wish to over do it.