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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
One of our own, David Keith's Client and Friend Marc, his leopard from Zimbabwe. I hate those cardboard Zim skins. This ones face was scared bad, he was quite the fighter, his forehead was trashed with scars between the eyes. Those repairs came out quite nice. The base was painted after the pics, I apologize for that. Dennis      Producing the Highest Quality Custom Wildlife Mounts with less than 90 Working Day Delivery. Visit our Studio Online at: The Artistry of Wildlife "2009 World Champions" "Best in World Combined Artists" World Taxidermy Championships " 2010 Michigan State Champion" Email: info@artistryofwildlife.com  | ||
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Stunning pose, looking like dinner might be right below. Simply beautiful! | |||
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Awesome job Dennis...ALMOST as nice as mine!! | |||
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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
Thanks Frank Glad you like yours ! DENNIS  | ||
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That is a beautiful mount....nicely done !!! | |||
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Look at a picture of a (live) big Leopard and you will see those "wrinkles". They are actually skin folds. Often younger cats don't have them...yet. A top notch taxidermist like Dennis knows enough about anatomy to add them, since the mount pictured is a big older cat. | |||
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By the way look at the proportions of that cat...he did a perfect job. Dennis did my Leopard and it came out perfect...I am not posting here as a 'buddy"...I'm just a satisfied client. I never met the man. | |||
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My taxidermist didn't do as well.....He said something was missing...  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Pretty nice stack of weenies on this Leopards neck isn't there?  Jerry Huffaker State, National and World Champion Taxidermist Huffaker Taxidermy Studio huftax@sbcglobal.net http://huffakertaxidermy.com/ | |||
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I agree with Dennis 100% regarding the condition of the skin. The old saying you can't make silk out of a sows ear is very true. We have a Zimbabwe leopard skin in our shop right now that I've seen better stretch out of a semi truck tire. The fact is you do the best you can with the cards you are dealt. There is always more to the story and Dennis just shared, as they say, the rest of the story... He was dealing with a sows ear and it looks a lot more like silk than most can do... Just my 2 cents... | |||
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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
Thanks Jerry, Your to Funny..... I couldn't find one real quick And Dan, Thanks for the kind words. Both you guys know what it's like to work with those things. DENNIS | ||
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Thanks for the response,dogcatcher223, it's always good to have differing opinions on a taxidermy piece. All true artwork will have people who love it and people who hate it. Jerry Huffaker State, National and World Champion Taxidermist Huffaker Taxidermy Studio huftax@sbcglobal.net http://huffakertaxidermy.com/ | |||
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Can we see an example of your work on a leopard? | |||
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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
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I have often heard the judge of a good taxidermists is work on cats... So how about posting a mountain lion,bobcat? | |||
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This is true, and they can take extra time and effort to make them right ... but it can be done. I've even had those rubbery, memory laden hides give in to me after a while, and not an overly long while either. Just knowing some simple "old fashioned" museum tricks, can turn skins like this into a workable hide, even in this "modern" age! You just have to know what you're doing. Not taking them in is not the answer. Learning how to deal with them is. John. Improving the Quality and Status of Taxidermy Since 1970. | |||
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Hello Dogcatcher, I am NOT a taxidermist just a hunter. Please post some pictures of the Leopards that you have mounted...I would love to see your work and maybe the taxidermists here can learn something from you. Take Care, Frank | |||
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[QUOTE] Originally posted by dogcatcher223: I won't touch African game. Pain in the ass to mount. [QUOTE] __________________________________________ dogcatcher223, These two sentences speak volumes. African skins can be (for the most part) a different beast. The Taxidermy Artist working with them must be: Experienced Have specimen knowledge Be a proficient troubleshooter and Have patience These qualities set the professional apart from the amateur. If you don't work with African skins, you simply cannot understand. Kind regards, Mary Taxidermist/Rugmaker | |||
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Hell, I was there....Mark's cat was a toad. He didn't get to take one bite before Mark nailed him on the bait. 17" skull; 167 pounds of ACTUAL weight, no BS or rusty farm scales. That Tom had lots of loose skin on him and was in excellent condition. Had been in a few fights judging from the scars on his head. Some large cats do show folds in their neck area, some do not, especially young or lean Toms. dogcatcher223, you won't learn everything about African game in a book, you should know that being that you are a Taxidermist. LDK Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Toads are awesome! Nice mount. ~Ann   | |||
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The underlaying issues with most African hides start with the outfit they were shot with..Dennis says that the skin was in horrible shape from Zim.. I would not blame Dennis at all. He did what he could with what he was shipped. I blame the piss poor handling squarely on the hunting outfit. They should (and do) know how to handle capes.. especially if they are selling high priced cat hunts.. Fresh FINE salt worked in AFTER the cat has been skinned, fleshed, turned, worked over to get the fat cells out, and soaked in a quick brine/antibacterial bath.. Then dried in a cool and DRY shady area. But the problem is that they'll cut corners if they can.. Using season old reused (often NUMEROUS times) salt that's too course, etc.. Untrained staff who truly do not have any business skinning one's high dollar trophies. Bad equipment, .ie crap knives, sharpeners.. A crap African cape tests my patience..and a crap cat makes it 1000X worse.. Everytime I go, I make damned sure all is squared away with aspect of the hunt.. I've seen my own stuff come back wrecked one time too many.. A fresh batch of salt and a competent skinner are to be expected at a bare minimum when paying for these hunts. | |||
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Scottyboy, I supervised the skinning, brining and salting. There were no corners cut at Ticky's: I assure you. My Leopard and trophies were there at the same time. Maybe the 11 months they stayed at Maple Freight/Taxidermy Enterprises played a role? They rejected Ticky's "dip & pack." Told him "No way can you ship both hunters trophies in one crate (my instructions) and "We" must "redo" the "Disinfecting." Ticky handled each piece to my perfect satisfaction and only charged $350 each for our trophies (dip/pack). TE/Maple was later rebuked by John Meehan/Fauna & Flora, as we CAN ship multiple hunters trophies in one crate. TE popped our ass for $1,000 (me) and $1,200 (Mark) each. I spent 17 years as a professional Taxidermist and served as VP of the TN Taxidermist Assoc. Big deal, not really, but I have extensive experience with African game and trophy prep. Dennis was handed skins that were "re-dipped" and then held captive in a Zim warehouse for 11 months. Cheers, David Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Just what I thought... | |||
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Dave, fair enough.. I was hoping you would chime in.. I know you have alot of prior taxi experience.. I was also hoping that Ticky and his crew were not to blame.. Seems it was the RE-pack and dip is the culprit along with the extended wait. My apologies to you and Ticky. My intention was not to run your's or Ticky's name through the muck.. It's the atrocious way our (hunters) hard earned and expensive trophies can be, and are, handled by those in Africa...pisses me off to no end! | |||
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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
Drew, your personal vendetta against me has splilled over from Taxidermy.net I see. LOL 4000fps, you deleted every post on that site that you ever made, Kinda funny but expected. And I don't need Phil's link, We know each other personally. | ||
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That explains it, thanks Dennis Jerry Huffaker State, National and World Champion Taxidermist Huffaker Taxidermy Studio huftax@sbcglobal.net http://huffakertaxidermy.com/ | |||
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Might as well keep this one going. Since 4-5 taxidermists have posted on this thread, let's hear what it is that you prefer. Would you rather when you post your pics, everyone give you the obligatory back pat, or would you rather hear what consumers and others in the industry think of your work? In my opinion (as a consumer) it would be in everyones best interest to accept constructive criticism, learn better techniques from your "competitors", learn what the customers do and don't like, and have the opportunity to correct any misconceptions by both in an open fashion. But instead this type of correction always seems to turn into finger pointing and a general write off of someone elses observations (some of which are very valid). | |||
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| <The Artistry of Wildlife> |
They know what it's like to work with those type of hides and undertsand perfection is impossible under those cicumstances. That's something you can't seem to grasp. This post will be deleted today. I won't be posting anymore pics here as I did it for the enjoyent of the client to see his cat on here, not for some pat on the back from my peers, or to listen to people are not aware of the circustances and who are not taxiderimts mouth off and stay hidden behind there computer screens. Farewell all, I've enjoyed being with my fellow taxidermists on here. I hope Drew and 505 give you some nice pictures of their work to look at in the future on this thread. | ||
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Well, I guess that answers that question.  | |||
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On another forum I hang out in there's an area for custom made knives. It doesn't matter what kind of crap knife someone shows off everyone always says how nice it is even if it's obviously not nice. Far better to give an honest opinion and perhaps the poster can learn from other peoples opinions.... or not as he see fit. Getting all bent out of shape over someones opinion speaks volumes about a person. | |||
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Every piece of Taxidermy will have lovers, haters and everything in between. Never hurts to have differing opinions, from experts and from the lay persons. Ultimately the only opinion that really matters is the man who writes the check and hangs it on his wall. Jerry Huffaker State, National and World Champion Taxidermist Huffaker Taxidermy Studio huftax@sbcglobal.net http://huffakertaxidermy.com/ | |||
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Jerry, I respectfully would like to take that to the next level. I think what really matters is the satisfaction of the man or woman who writes the check. I have had my share of Taxi horror picture shows. I wrote the clown(s) one check. What I really appreciate about this forum is the chance to compare services from all over. Let people chime in, and then sift through all the chaff. That is exactly how I sent my last 3 mounts to Wildlife Gallery. I saw some pics of a leopard they did a while back. Told myself is I ever had the opportunity to shoot a tom, they would do the work. Well, its in my home, and it is spectacular! All craftsmen are not created equal. And even though my skin was almost toxic, I will never have to make an excuse for my cat. Thank you WG, and to those other select few taxidermists who get it. "You only gotta do one thing well to make it in this world" - J Joplin | |||
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sorry, just thought that was worth re-posting. | |||
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"the FACT is, there is no reference showing a cat with sausages in its neck. Look at Soucy's work, and you will see what an anatomically correct cat looks like." Really? I guess these are what...tube worms under his neck?  Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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so drew, is it normal for you to stalk people on the net, there seems to be quite a history between you and dennis. i have enjoyed dennis pictures and his work emensly and it seems that your stupid remarks and sad envy of his sucess and level of expertice has run him of from this site. would you please follow him out the door and dont let it hit you on your way out, as your demeanor is lacking a lot in regard to attitude between competitors 505 gibbs: pissing gasoline on the bushfire is about as grown up as the asian tread you participated in, if you like this kind of interaction would you mind going to the political forum, please. best peter | |||
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Actually Peter, I only made an observation and it was my honest interpretation of this "situation". I then "seconded" what someone else said as I agreed with it. Which gets to your post, maybe the people who need to leave these forums are those that are too thin skinned to participate. In my original post on this thread I asked a question, it was not rhetorical, I wanted an answer. Instead, all I get is Dennis crying that he is taking his ball and going home and you telling me I should leave, and I am the one with the problem? Look in the mirror Peter, what you will see looking back at you is a child.  | |||
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505 i feel sorry for that kid in the mirror, he has way to many wrinkles and scars, who did that to him ?  mate it is not about being thin skinned, at least i dont think so but over the last few months stupid fights have exploded all over the forums, with remarks that truly belong in the PF, i am just getting a bit sick of the school boy BS in places, where i think we could easyly be without it. best peter | |||
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