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Picture of graybird
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I caught a really nice wahoo in August of 2006 and have been wanting to get a replica made ever since. For one of my Xmas presents, my wife said she would pay to have the replica made. I never took and measurements of the fish itself but I have the below photos. I measured the length of my glasses and from that estimated the length and depth of the fish, obviously I can't measure the girth.

Therefore, does anyone have any recommendations for a waho replica?

Below are the pictures I have of the fish. The pictures were taken several minutes after he was in the boat. I had to catch my breath after a 45 minute fight!! Notice how the colors of the stripes have already faded.





Here is a picture right after I pulled him out of the water. You'll notice the colors/stripes are still very prominent. I'd like to have the same stripes painted on the replica, if possible.



Thanks for the help!


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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I think King Sailfish Mounts does a lot of replicas. LINK

They have 15% off right now, but none of these are cheap anymore.


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Posts: 324 | Location: SE Wyoming | Registered: 27 January 2004Reply With Quote
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do a google search for fiberglass fish replica taxidermist and you will get lots of hits. most charge by the INCH and none are cheap. Lyon's and O'Haver in San DIEGO have lots of experience because of work gotten from people coming in on the long range fishing boats out of SD. with a good picture( which you have) their "mount" will look better than a skin mount and last a lot longer.


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Posts: 13601 | Location: Georgia | Registered: 28 October 2006Reply With Quote
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the guys at kingfish seem like stand up guys. i had my marlin done at Gray's taxidermy and will NEVER EVER recommend them to ANYONE! so, i say anyone but Gray's taxidermy.

edit... oh, and beautiful, great fish!


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Posts: 992 | Location: Spokane, WA | Registered: 19 July 2005Reply With Quote
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I would say Bob @ Saltwater Taxidermy in Houston, Texas www.saltwatertaxidermy.com


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Posts: 278 | Location: Corpus Christi, Texas , USA | Registered: 30 November 2006Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by 724wd:
the guys at kingfish seem like stand up guys. i had my marlin done at Gray's taxidermy and will NEVER EVER recommend them to ANYONE! so, i say anyone but Gray's taxidermy.

edit... oh, and beautiful, great fish!


Thanks!

I'ev been looking around on a few websites and came across a thread on a fishing forum and they really bashed Gray's. Said there were losts of hidden costs and the shipping costs for the completed mount was around half the cost of the mount itself.

Also heard some bad things about boat captains pressuring clients into getting their fish mounted by Gray's. Must be getting some kickbacks.


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Just MHO, but I think if you are able to find an individual to "copy" your fish, it is going to be very expensive. I have looked at thousands of fish mounts and most of them are not "real." The colors and patterns of the species that "light up" like your Wahoo are extremely difficult to copy, and probably only a few real artists are capable of it. Most I have seen also have too much color.


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Posts: 324 | Location: SE Wyoming | Registered: 27 January 2004Reply With Quote
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I agree. One of the things I've noticed when looking at some websites and their respective photo galleries is that a majority of the replicas have too much blue on the dorsal portion of the fish. You'll notice that the fish I caught has only a tint of blue on the dorsal portion with the majority of the color being dark.

Although cost is a concern. I'd rather pay a little extra to get a fish that looks similar to the one I caught and not something that looks like it should belong in a cartoon, if you understand my hesitations.


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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The bigger outfits that have all the molds from decades of mounts pretty much crank out their standard color scheme and colors. A custom paint job might get pretty pricey, although I have never priced one. I hold a Line Class record for a Saltwater species, and when I inquired about a replica (don't remember who) they wouldn't even discuss matching the markings/colors on my fish. The price for their standard replica mount, and the fact that it would also be a very fragile mount, kept me from getting one done.


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Posts: 324 | Location: SE Wyoming | Registered: 27 January 2004Reply With Quote
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Graybird, King Sailfish gets my vote, but there are a few other studio's that do excellent work around the Gulf of Mexico. Email anyone you narrow down and ask them to email you pics of their Wahoo mounts. Compare them and if you have any concerns, you are welcome to contact me. I have mounted many saltwater fish (replica and skin mounts) and would be glad to give you pointers if you need any. Expect to pay quite a bit extra for crating and shipping, so take that into consideration. Your better shops will know how to proceed with only the length measurement. I hope you were able to eat some of your Wahoo. They are excellent table fare. Nice 'hoo!


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Posts: 6825 | Location: Tennessee | Registered: 18 December 2006Reply With Quote
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Graybird, perhaps I missed it someplace, but where do YOU live. I'm on the East coast and we have many superior quality taxidermists who can repro your fish. Remember, they're going to use "blanks" from stock that come closest to the measurement you agree upon. The same holds true for "good" and "fair" talented taxidermists regardless of where you live. I don't know of ANY salt water fish taxidermist better than Mike Kirkhart at New Wave in Florida, but George Dante in New Jersey, Frank Kotula in PA, and Rick Krane in NH would be close. They are top end guys now, so you're going to pay a premium price for their quality. You can go to www.mcginnitymarineart.com and order one "customer ready" from stock, but I would caution you that this work is "commercial grade". That means it's done well, but none of the blushes, glimmers, and glitters you'll get from the premium guys like George Dante.

A WAG on your fish seems to be in the 45 to 48 inch category and the BEST price you're going to find should be no lower than $15 and inch plus crating and shipping. The good guys are probably in $25 to $30 an inch category making the cost of fish range from about $700 to $1400 plus S&H depending on the kind of work you're wanting.

Forget about the pictures you have. The colors, even if they are true, are of a dead fish at worst and a dying fish at best. Colors are always muted and they change constantly the more the fish is stressed. Any good taxidermist will have a paint schedule to match what your fish would have looked like the second you set the hook. You'll always be pleased with that result better.

BTW, Gray's is an incorrigible damned crook who bilks honest fishermen of their money. Boat captains who work with or for Grays should have their licenses revoked and strung up on a fish rail. They're even worse. They bilk you for the kickback Grays will charge you for and then sell your fish meat on the open market to make even more money. If I know ahead of time a boat captain is working with Grays, I refuse to use them and tell them why. If I show up on the dock and find that little engraved plate in the cabin, I tell the captain this will be my last trip with him and that I'll make damned sure I tell everyone I know not to use him as well.


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Posts: 827 | Location: Magnolia Delaware | Registered: 02 December 2006Reply With Quote
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I appreciate everyone's comments on potential taxidermists. I'm at the point now that I'd like to get a "short list" of say maybe a half dozen shops and then start making the phone calls, emails, etc.


LDK,

You are right that sucker was YUMMY!!! You should have seen the steaks on the grill when I was cooking them. Makes me wish I had more just talking about them.


George,

You're just a bit off on the estimate according to my rough calculations. Using my crude method of measuring my glasses and extrapolating that into the length of the fish I came to an estimate of about 58" in length and about 13" in depth, which I would guess a girth of somewhere between 24-28". I know the fish weighed over 50lbs because it bottomed out the only scale we had. I would guess the fish weighed somewhere between 60-70lbs.

I know this sucker is starting or is going to be expensive. I have been noticing that the costs will be somewhere between the $15-$22/inch. Gulp!! Kind of a hard pill to swallow. But if I decide to get it done, then I'd rather pay that extra bit of money for a quality mount that one off the self. I might just save my money and include it on my next safari deposit. Hell that is a trophy fee right there!

Thanks again for the comments!!


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Oh, I forgot I live in Colorado now, but I was living in Fort Lauderdale, FL when I caught this fish off of the Dry Tortugas west of Key West.


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Let's be brutally honest here. If it was ME, I'd contact George McGinnity and buy his repro. The great fish guys add a lot of bangles, but most of us don't figure the price is worth the product. If it was a King salmon or something spectacular, that might be different, but being frugal (which makes sense to me any day), I know that I'd love a good repro of my trophy even more if what I got was a quality representation and didn't cost me my mortgage payment.

Graybird, I just figured your glasses were 6 inches wide but then I screwed up the computations. The fish in the picture is 7.6 inches wide but I didn't run the comparison to what your GLASSES MEASURED. So I apologize for screwing that up. Look at George's prices and you'll see he's still within anyone's budget.


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Posts: 827 | Location: Magnolia Delaware | Registered: 02 December 2006Reply With Quote
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George,

No problem with the measurements. Believe me I scratched my head a few times when comng up with them. Then I gave the picture to my technician and luckily she came up with the same numbers I did. Besides, I'm a little guy and pictures do not always tell the whole story.

Thanks for the suggestion of using George. I'll be sure and put him on the short list.

Thanks again,


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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George is giving you good advice. I would do what he is telling you.
 
Posts: 10433 | Location: Texas... time to secede!! | Registered: 12 February 2004Reply With Quote
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Well, I got my trophy replica back last week. I ended up using King Sailfish Mounts out of Pompano Beach, FL.

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the crating and work put into the crate to ensure the fish arrived as without incident.



And here is the fish out of the crate.



Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Graybird, I'm sorry, but that's a horrible paint job. I know it's akin to saying you have an "ugly baby", but there's absolutely no blending of paint done there. I'm going to make sure those guys aren't on my list of recommended wholesalers.


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Posts: 827 | Location: Magnolia Delaware | Registered: 02 December 2006Reply With Quote
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I'll second that one, I'll bet the guy that airbrushed that can paint a Wicked Motorcycle Tank.
Just an opinion, but if your happy that's all that matters I guess.
 
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Sorry, I'm having a difficult time with those last two comments! I discerned on posting all afternoon and felt I really needed to.

Graybird posted pictures of his repo because he is pleased to have it completed, I don't think he was asking for a critique. As far as 'ugly babies' go, I've seen plenty but would never tell the parents so. Just as I have seen fault with some mounts on this site, but I feel this isn't a site to be critiqing other taxidermists work...this is a catagory to share the fruits of our labor and show off our trophies of some memorable hunts! This isn't a taxidermy competition! There are other (primarily) taxidermist only sites that do plenty of critiqing when asked for and not asked for. My mother taught me 'if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all'. I do not think the paint job warrants those harsh comments.

We have sent out our share of fish to be reproduced and no two fish ever come back the same, and they have been sent to one of the best in the Industry.

Below you will see I found a few wahoo repos and no two are alike. Also if you look at Graybirds fresh caught wahoo, his paint job is pretty darn close.(regardless of how long his wahoo had been dead in the reference pic.)

Graybird, be proud to display your wahoo and enjoy reliving the catch each time you look at it.

Kind Regards,
Mary








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Posts: 904 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Registered: 12 April 2007Reply With Quote
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I agree with you Mary.


Graybird,

Nice mount.It looks far better then the others posted.


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Posts: 278 | Location: Corpus Christi, Texas , USA | Registered: 30 November 2006Reply With Quote
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Thanks for the comments Mary and J P.

I see it this way. Could the mount have been blended a little better, yes. Could it be worse, yes. Does it bother me hanging in my office everytime I look at it, Nope not the least!

I was going to say something earlier but decided to keep quite. I think the first picture in the crate really doesn't do the fish justice. I mearly put it in there commending the crating work. I've seen much worse. Besides, I was standing right on top of the crate when the picture was taken.

Now that the fish is on the wall, it looks so much different. You can stand back and say, 'Damn that is a hugh fish!'

Besides, when I look at that fish I think about the following:

We were on the second day of a 3 day fishing trip. I'd been up all night long helping to fill one and half of another big white cooler full of fish, mainly yellow snapper and mutton snapper. I was beat to say the least.

Some of my fishing buddies had just woke up and was ready to go (they couldn't handle the all night fishing!) but the fishing had really slacked off. One of my spastic friends was raving about how he was going to catch a tuna on a flat line, which he proptly set up and casted, and moved over to the other side of the boat. The rig consisted of a spinning reel, 25 lb mono line, a 50 lb mono leader (not steel), a 6 or 8 circle hook (don't rememeber which one) and a dead sardine.

Well, I had had enough and it was time for Graybird to get some shut eye. I had just brought in my deep rigged pole and stated to the guys, "I'm headed in for some sleep. Wake me if the fishing improves."

I had just stuck my pole in the holding rack when the flat line started singing!

I grabbed the pole and told my buddy to get over here and get after his tuna. Just so happened he was messing with another small mutton and told me to go ahead and reel him in, which later became the understatement of the year.

First off the fish almost spooled me twice. Not to mention, the rig wasn't equiped for a fish like this. I would have been better suited for a 6 lb bass than the moster on the other end.

After going under and over all of my buddies lines a couple of times, and realizing the size of this fish, they decided it was time to reel in their lines and let me have the entire boat to work the fish. We thought maybe it was a big dolphin because we could see something with a greenish tint down below. This turned out to be a clump of sea weed collected while fighting the fish that weighed probably 10-15 additional pounds.

I will never forget when I first saw the fish. He was under the boat and we still didn't know what it was. It was like something off the Discovery Channel when showing shark episodes. Here came this giant tiger striped fish just sort of pulling on the line with a steady tug, like a giant shark circling/surveying a bait deciding to take a bite or not.

Our captain was asleep from the all night cooler filling. We woke him and he helped to gaf and pull the fish in the boat.

The captain looked at me and said, "You didn't have a steel leader."

I replied, "Guess not. I just grabbed the pole."

His response, "You have got the be the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever met."

With a little flex from me, my reply was, "Shoot son that is just skill."

The next thing I knew I was chugging a Bud Light and asking for another. The captain got his camera and I couldn't even lift the thing for the first picture. I had to have a friend help me get him up. I was spent! There was absolutely nothing left in the tank! If you look at the picture with me holding the fish you'll notice I'm not really holding the fish, I've got my right arm wedged into my side and propped up.

Oh and by the way, the reel drag was ruined. The fish completely stripped the guts out of the reel. We threw it away when we hit the dock. I offered to pay for the reel but my buddy said it was all worth it and money and reel well spent.

So, ask me if I care about a replica fish that could have used a little more blending. I couldn't give a rat's ass!!! Look at the picture with me holding the fish, there is a pretty defined line of dark blue towards the dorsal portion of the fish, much similar to the replica. Besides it looks great on the wall and a memory I'll cherish as long as I live, and I don't know of many people can say they took a 60-70 lb wahoo on 25 lb test mono line without a steel leader and a
little ole $0.10 frozen sardine with a spinning reel in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

Cheers,


Graybird

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning."
 
Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Mary and John,

thumb


Jerry Huffaker
State, National and World Champion Taxidermist



 
Posts: 2017 | Registered: 27 February 2002Reply With Quote
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OK, I love this type conversation. Graybird came on here with his fish and ASKED for help in getting a reproduction. Several of us gave him options. He made his own choice and ended up with an ugly baby. If he's happy, then I'm happy for him, but I'm not the type person who, after having been solicited for help is going to blow roses up someone's butt. I'm just not "nice enough" I suppose, but it goes with the territory. I grew up in a era when bad taxidermy work was the norm and that era is thankfully dead and gone.

Since Graybird came to the TAXIDERMY portion of the forum, then I'm assuming he'd know he was going to deal directly with TAXIDERMISTS.

Too often, MUCH TOO OFTEN, unknowing and unwitting anglers are taken advantage of by having their ego's stoked with excitement of the moment. A good taxidermists is going to try and set that individual back on track and give him or her some sense of realistic expectations. The first thing I see is that fancy crate which automatically set the customer back a bundle as it had to go by freight. Many wholesalers box these "torpedo" fish up in heavy cardboard and ship FedEx or UPS at a much cheaper rate (I'm not sure Graybird's fish would have met the measurement standards, however.) We offered him wholesalers who were close enough for him to drive in some cases as that "packing and shipping" can end up costing as much as the fish itself.

JP, I'm not like Jerry and I don't post pictures of all my work. I've done a few wahoo over the years but then I got smart and found a wholesaler who's much better at fiberglass work than I am and I get him to do my work. If you'd like to see his work, I'll send you his address.

Having said all that, I have a question for you "nice" people. Is there some point in time you're honest with your customers and people who ask you for advice or do you just make them feel better and move on?


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Posts: 827 | Location: Magnolia Delaware | Registered: 02 December 2006Reply With Quote
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George, I really like most of what you say, but every so often you come out with something so far out it amazes me. This guy asked for a recommendation here on AR. Maybe he asked for a recommendation from someone else and went with theirs. It almost seems that you are offended he didn't take yours.

George:
quote:
people who ask you for advice


That is the problem here, he never asked for your criticism of his mount. He asked for a recommendation on a taxidermist, but not for you to critique the fish and tell him he has an "ugly baby".
 
Posts: 789 | Location: Utah, USA | Registered: 14 January 2005Reply With Quote
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I think this forum should be open for criticism. George may have been a little rough on the guy but I believe criticism will continue the forward advance of quality within our industry. I do some fish but there are many taxidermists much better than myself at painting saltwater fish. There are some small things I would have done differently but for a commercial fish mount It doesn't look that bad and your average client should be happy with it.

George, keep the comments coming.

Graybird, congrats and I hope this is the first of many great fish to come.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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Hello George,

Yes, Graybird did come onto this site ASKING for input on reproductions, received several suggestions, made a decision and posted his end result trophy. He did not ASK for critiques on the work.

'Since Graybird came to the TAXIDERMY portion of the forum, then I'm assuming he'd know he was going to deal directly with TAXIDERMISTS.' said George...

...The reason I personally enjoy AR is it is not oversaturated with opinionated taxidermists. There are other sites for that! I have always found the few taxidermists who frequent this site to be respectful of their colleagues and helpfull to the hunters.

'I have a question for you "nice" people. Is there some point in time you're honest with your customers and people who ask you for advice or do you just make them feel better and move on?' said George...

... I'll take this one is directed at me. First off, thank you for the compliment. As my mother had her saying, I also had mine for my children when they were younger, "Nice people are nice to know." Anyways...Being a wholesaler for the taxidermy industry I see hundreds of pieces of work from taxidermists across the nation, with all levels of craftmanship, on a yearly basis. Never once have I made deragatory comments to them regarding their quality of work - that's not what they pay me for. With that being said, when ASKED for advice, I am very honest with critiques and give sound advice (usually using reference pictures) on how they can improve what they have questioned.


Smarterthanu,

I disagree with you wholeheartedly! I think, on this sites (taxidermy catagory), criticism should ONLY be given when asked for.

While you are correct that critiques will advance OUR industry, this is not OUR site. We have a taxidermy site and I would hate to see this great site get polluted with the negative banter that OUR site is so notorious for.

I myself enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the comraderie, seeing other taxidermists work, the incredible trophy rooms, great hunting stories, etc., etc., this site has to offer !

Kind Regards,
Mary


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Posts: 904 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Registered: 12 April 2007Reply With Quote
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Mrs. Krueger, I must disagree with you completely. If you are not a taxidermist or trying to promote or criticize another taxidermist then the wonderful photos of your trophies belong in the "Trophy Room" forums located higher on the page. This "Taxidermy" forum should be used in the promotion of quality taxidermy work and promotion of decent business practices within our industry, or especially aiding non-taxidermists with taxidermy questions, as people did for graybird. If people just want to get stroked on how wonderful thier mount is that they just had delivered then take it to the "Trophy Room" forum and they will get just that. On this Forum be willing to take the good with the bad, and let the people decide for themselves what they look for in quality.
Look, your husband is a great taxidermist. If he is human, like the rest of us, he has done some mounts he wasn't proud of. Even on his awarded mounts there are technical things he could have done to improve those. I have even been judged buy your husband. Some things he told me were correct and some things he told me I disagree with. But no matter what he told me in competition I never believed he wanted nothing more than honesty and improvement in my proficiancy. People need to learn how to handle constructive criticism. If you can't learn that, nor how to deal with that, forward progress within the industry is in danger of becoming stagnat.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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Smarterthanu,

Sorry, I am not the only member that is just not getting your point! Just because the heading of this catagory is "Taxidermy' does not imply that it is to be the personal playground for taxidermists to uninvitedly critique their peers or non-taxidermists trophys! I understood this catagory to be for non-taxidermists to ask questions from 'professionals' and view the fine work by the many who post on this site. Many have voiced how it is helpful in planning for their after the hunt mounting decisions.(Jerry's poll validates this statement) This is not a site for egotistical taxidermists rantings, like I stated there is such a site for that behavior.

Oh...we don't need to bring my husband into this! I am accomplished and made a well known name for my self in this industry 10 years before I met him!(He actually was somewhat unknown back then.) I don't need to ride on his coat tails to validate my own opinions. As far as judging goes, it is only one persons opinion and obviously the judges take on their positions to aid in improving the competitiors skills. No one said judges are exempt from improvement and I have sat with many a judge in seminars at various conventions.

Point being, this site is not a taxidermy competition room. I have read the comments by many of the taxidermists on this site and they are not looking for the type of atmosphere you are advocating. I feel many agree with me, if someone is asking for a critique then please feel free to comment otherwise keep it to yourself. The taxidermists I have noticed here, have done the show thing and now are busy with their large volume of clientele who are very pleased with their quality of work. I don't see many of the true older taxidermy icons competing, they have proven themselves and are now taking care of business in their studios.

I feel unsolicited comments should be kept to ones self. It is not 'constructive' criticism to cruely belittle someones trophy. Graybird is not a taxidermist, tell me how these words helped him and furthured the progress in our industry?

As I have stated there are sites where everyone on there is looking for critiques and helpful knowledge for the improvement in their taxidermy work, this is not such a site. Feel free to head over to those sites and critique away!

Kind regards,
Mary


Taxidermist/Rugmaker
 
Posts: 904 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Registered: 12 April 2007Reply With Quote
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The "Trophy Room" area of AR is relatively new. Many people, for many years, have used the Taxidermy Forum to ask questions about taxidermy. Many have displayed their work here. Many have shown us the results of their taxidermy experience. And others have asked, specifically, for critique of their mounts.

I registered here on AR in 1999 or so. Since then the proliferation of actual taxidermists posting in this Forum has increased over the past couple years. That is a great thing, but I personally feel we should keep our negative critiques to ourselves, unless it is asked of us to critique.

And I do hope George sticks around, as he brings some great "salt" to the table.
 
Posts: 789 | Location: Utah, USA | Registered: 14 January 2005Reply With Quote
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MC after reading what I'd written, I have to agree with you that it did sound as if I was ticked he didn't choose the guy. I sincerely apologize if tha'ts the impression others got. I don't get any kickbacks from the guy and when the person deals with him direct, even my name is not associated with the sale.

Mary, you ARE a nice person and a lovely individual who carries your smile in your heart everywhere. You know nothing you say will effect my feelings about you or Chris or the quality of work you guys produce. But my mother taught me that even though honesty may hurt a bit, the truth will last forever. If I had lied in my appraisal, I would hope someone calls me to task for it.


RETIRED Taxidermist
 
Posts: 827 | Location: Magnolia Delaware | Registered: 02 December 2006Reply With Quote
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Mrs. Krueger,

If it is your soul goal just to talk trash and not read what I wrote above you have succeeded. Your assumptions of criticism as a low grade of egotistical rantings shows that your professionalism is slipping.

Second, I will use any person that I have had dealings with as an example when I please! I have never dealt with you on a face to face basis, so to use you as an example would have been unprofesional and innacurate of me. Would you like me to use you as examples when I have never even met you?

Third, if you would kindly slow down and read my post before spitting forth melodrama you would find that I agreed that there are several purposes of this forum and most of which I agreed with you.

Lastly, graybird might find Mr. Roofe's post informational and he might strike forth private dialogue with Mr. Roofe to discuss the criticism further and in turn make different decisions in the future for his trophies. Or he might disagree with Mr. Roofe and nothing happens. Furthermore someone else might read the thread and want to talk to Mr. Roofe about the finer points of fish taxidermy. Don't make uneducated assumptions about how much criticism can help the industry until you verge unto omniscience.

Last I would like to state that I retain no bias to Mr. Roofe, graybird, the taxidermist graybird used, or Mrs. Krueger. I hope that all find hapiness and help on the forum when needed here.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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George,

You know my feelings are mutual towards you! The part where our debating on a particular subject does not change my feelings towards you NOT the 'you ARE a nice person and a lovely individual who carries your smile in your heart everywhere'...LOL! The world would be a boring place if everyone agreed on all issues. (I am right on this one though... Wink)

You've voiced your opinion as I have mine.
Time to quit horse


Smarterthanu... bewildered Roll Eyes...who's getting dramatic here???

Regards,
Mary


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Posts: 904 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Registered: 12 April 2007Reply With Quote
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Mrs. Krueger,

Please do not confuse truthfulness with melodrama. Maybe I was confused when I saw your excessive use of exclamation points and I believed you were expressing aggressive viewpoints. Maybe I am confused about your instruction of what I can or can not discuss when addressing you, which may I point out is the entire reason we are having this discussion amongst the posters. You think you should decide what other people should write on the forum, just as you think you should decide if I am allowed to type anything about Chris Krueger, negative or positive. I think you would do better if you can constructively disagree with the posters on the forum through text, and not decide whether they should be allowed to post thier criticism at all.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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Smarterthanu,

This will be the last post from me regarding this topic, please PM me if you feel the need to continue on. I need to clarify to you any other AR members that I, in no way whatsoever am
angry or responding aggressivly. I guess I inadvertently got carried away with my exclamation marks,(reminds me of a Seinfeld episode) but it certainly wasn't intended for the purpose of conveying aggressiveness or anger. I am truely sorry if I confused you or anyone else with them.

I am merely debating not dictating, there is a big difference. I am sorry if you or anyone else misunderstood that. I would have no right or authority to dictate how you or anyone else on this forum should behave or talk to me or anyone else. I certainly would never in my wildest dreams think 'I should decide what people should write on this forum'. In the rules of debating I simply was voicing my opinion and defending it. In a debate there is no intent to personally assualt or hurt one's feelings. Sorry if you thought I was being personal with you, for I surely wasn't.

I was not dictating what you can or cannot say about my husband, I was merely separating myself from him in a discussion he was not involved in.

I am not a moderator nor claim to be one, so I really don't know where you came up with the statement that I should 'not decide whether they (AR members) should be allowed to post thier criticism at all.' That is completely out of context from the incident I was refering to. I think I stated critiques should be given when asked for. Once again, this is only my opinion.

Please do not assume I do not know the difference between 'truthfulness and melodrama' for I am the parent of two teenage daughters! (Not bad...I only used one exclamation mark on this post...not aggressivly I might add)

Sorry you took this thread so personally and missed the context of my remarks due to that.

Kind Regards,
Mary


Taxidermist/Rugmaker
 
Posts: 904 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Registered: 12 April 2007Reply With Quote
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graybird, you liked your fish and that is all that mattered. george and dumberthanu seem to think that this is www.taxidermy.net and not a hunter website. hunters and taxidermists post their pictures for the enjoyment of others, not to have them criticized for competition or reviewed for the "advancement" of the profession. thank God, most taxidermist are like Mary and realize that. if i wanted criticism, i would call my ex-wife!


Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend…
To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP
 
Posts: 13601 | Location: Georgia | Registered: 28 October 2006Reply With Quote
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George,

I'm happy you know your limits.

I know how to use Google, I went to his site and I do not see a photo of a Wahoo. Because there's not one.


Safari Taxidermy by:John Baker
www.safaritaxidermy.com
 
Posts: 278 | Location: Corpus Christi, Texas , USA | Registered: 30 November 2006Reply With Quote
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one more thing...Anyone who has taken a photo of a fish will know, it will not do it justice.


Safari Taxidermy by:John Baker
www.safaritaxidermy.com
 
Posts: 278 | Location: Corpus Christi, Texas , USA | Registered: 30 November 2006Reply With Quote
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Jdollar,

maybe the purpose of the taxidermy forum is to suck ass to people you like, and shit talk about people you don't like. Good thing your self-righteous post set us all straight. Maybe you should have listened to your ex-wife, she may have been trying to help you.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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Mrs. Krueger,

This is my business, and I very rarely take anything personaly. I just want people to speak freely here with both praise and criticism. I have taken criticism here when I did not ask for it. I have no problem with that as long as people try and keep it professional. When the day comes that I post a picture of one of my endeavors here I want you and all else on the forums to feel free to criticize. We may not see eye to eye, but that is a blessing.
 
Posts: 2826 | Location: Houston | Registered: 01 May 2007Reply With Quote
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