Taxidermist-river otter?

[Wingman]

Has anybody seen an otter mounted? I have a nice, large male I caught last year that I'd like to get mounted, but I don't want some "shade-tree" taxidermist to do it. No worries, I have CITES tags and commercial trapper license, so it's legit.

Wingman

[go24]

Leland James, Sturgis, MS.

[RobertM]

I saw one mounted at the Museum of Natural Science the other day. I thought he was pretty cool.

[hawkeye]

I agree with go24, Leland James in Sturgis, MS. Wildlife Taxidermy is a national award winning business. You walk into that place and the next sound you hear is your jaw dropping and hitting the floor because of all the great looking mounts. I've had two ducks mounted there, and they do an awesome job, so realistic and lifelike. Pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

[timberjack]

Allow me to post my opinion on Leland James and "Wildlife Taxidermy". He is just down the road from me in Sturgis and I know him fairly well and am very familiar with his business. He has mounted one deer for me and numerous fish, deer, ducks, etc, for a close friend of mine. My friend has always been very satisfied and would give Leland an "A+". However, I was less than impressed with the one mount he did for me. It was in 1998 and it was a 150 class buck. He charged me $285 and kept it almost 9 months. When I picked it up there was a 4" cut in the cape about halfway down the neck and when I asked him about it he said, "I let my helper do that one and he accidentally cut a hole in it, sorry". He didn't offer to knock anything off the price or make any kind of reparations whatsoever.

Now, having said that I will also say that I think he is a decent person who wouldn't intentionally rip you off. I just think that he got too busy and let some kids help him get caught up and the quality of his work suffers as a result. If I ever took anything back to him (which I won't) I would request that he only do the work himself. Also there's a big difference in his competition pieces and the work that Joe Blow off the street gets. Good luck, just my 2 cents.

[hawkeye]

Well, I have to sympathize with you timberjack, I've had a bad experience with a goose getting mounted. I can't explain this cut in the deer's neck. There is no excuse for that. I was just coming from my own personal experiences as well as my uncle's experiences of work that he has done for us. I had a hybrid duck mounted there, and my uncle had a 195 class deer mounted there, both of which turned out to be a very good job. I also shot bow tournaments with him for several years, and know him to be a very good person. But, as sad as this may be, they probably do spend half the year working on just a few competition pieces.

[Duckstuffer]

I can't comment on the cut in the neck . Cause I can't see it. But as most of you know that is where the incision is made when skinning the head. There should be a cut there it should be very hard to detect after sewing. So im not sure if this is the cut you are talking about or not.
I am also an award winning taxidermist.i live in Vicksburg And can say yes competition mounts are done with a little more time and more expensive
Materials that a commercial mount would be.but there are taxidermist that go the extra mile. To come as close as possible to this without the cost factor.(myself included:) )
Here is some advise that may help you when looking for the right taxidermist.
If price does not have to be a factor, by all means ignore it. There are taxidermists who do sound quality work at the bottom of the price scale and there are taxidermists at the top of the price scale who do shady work. These are the exceptions but they do exist.
Don’t' just turn to the yellow pages and pick a taxidermist. Check all the taxidermists in your area. Ask for references, and visit their shops. Check out their work. Find out were you can see some of their work, it may be in a show room at their shop, Make sure you find out how recent the work was completed. More recently done work (1 to 2 years) can be a better indicator of what to expect than work done 3 or more years ago.
Find out if the taxidermist attends local, state or national conventions or subscribes to the various trade magazines. If a taxidermist attends conventions or read the trade magazines, they are keeping up with the latest methods and technological advances the industry has to offer. This will also show in their work.
Ask the taxidermist what his reference library is like. A good taxidermist has a staggering amount of reference photos and books on wildlife. The information available in a reference library can make the difference between a mount and a piece of wildlife art. Reference material can be anything from magazines such as "Outdoor Life", books that describe the biology, anatomy and habitat of a specific animal to photo's of inner mouth, nostrils, eyes and ears of live specimens from squirrels to bears.
Be prepared to leave a deposit. There are up front costs associated with preparing a specimen for mounting. Ask your taxidermist about a required deposit before you show up at his door.
And remember the outcome of any mount starts the sec you drop and animal proper field care is a must for a good mount.
Mike.
Morgan taxidermy
ps: just trying to help where i can not trying to drum up business i have a busy backlog as it is now.but if anyone needs some field care advise let me know and I’ll be glad to send it to ya!

[Wingman]

Thanks for the wisdom, guys.

Mike, tell me what I need to do with this otter. I caught him in a 280 conibear, so there are no holes. I took him out of the trap, wiped him down really good and dried his fur, then put him in the freezer whole. I have heard that an otter's tail will frostburn quickly due to the two strips of gristle down the sides of the bone.

I also have a nice, female red fox that I'd like to get mounted. Any tips on storing a fox in the freezer? As of now she is tucked into a cardboard box that 10 boxes of shotgun shells come in. Fur is brushed and dried, no blood.

Wingman

[Duckstuffer]

Wingman, sounds like you have an excellent otter on your hands. You did the right thing as far as getting him clean dry and into the freezer ASAP he will be fine there for a while. The freezer you have him in should not be a frost-free freezer as that will make him burn faster make sure you put him in a trash bag get as much air out as you can. Tie it up and he will store safe for quite awhile the tail will be fine.. also frezzer burn can be solved in most cases anyway. The taxidermist can rehydrate it if it needs to be. Do your fox the same way bag him good and all will be fine. Till you find a good taxidermist.

i have some great photos of some otter mounts if you need ideas on a pose.

Let me know if I can help
Mike..

[FnW man]

You guys are making me nervous now. Leland is doing a deer that was killed on Ms Outdoor's show, and we gotta pick it up on friday. He's had it since Muzzleloader season, so he's had plenty of time to get it right. Sure hope so.

[Duckstuffer]

F&Wman

I know of his work. i realy don't think you have anything to worry about
he does great work.

and he knows his stuff.

mike

[timberjack]

Yeah, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Most of his mounts are fantastic, he just didn't impress me with the one he did for me. I think everybody is allowed one boo-boo every now and then. Hell if we weren't I would have been done for long ago............

[gadwall2]

Duckstuffer, I would like to commend your comments and honesty. Praising a competitors work and not just trying to drum up business gives me a small glimpse of your character.

Sorry, but a commendation from me still won't get you a piece of gum in the real world.

[go24]

Don't worry F&W, I believe you went to the right place. However, speed ain't one of his qualities. The reason? Plenty of business!

[FARMDUX]

i got one mounted last year for 125, they are neat mounts. mine is standig up. he was also road kill.