timberboss
New member
Need some help picking a "pose " for a lg male cat and Coyote would like to add them to my "man room" looking for som pics. Thanx. Mike
Coyote and bobcat mounts.
- Thread starter timberboss
- Start date
Mickthetaxidermist
New member
Timber,
Here's a couple of links to take you to taxidermy suppliers form pages. While this only represents one supplier, there are dozens of pose options.
Rather than limit yourself by picking a pose that someone else had done, you can bring your taxidermist a pic of a live cat or coyote that you happen to like,and let them work with that. You can find pics in books, magazines or just do a google image search on bobcat and coyote. Since cats and yotes are the 2 most frequently mounted predators, there's a tremendous variety and choices for poses. An experienced taxidermist can take a form that's close, cut it and repose it, into whatever custom position you want.
Cats:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/219/
Coyotes:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/212/
Here's a couple of links to take you to taxidermy suppliers form pages. While this only represents one supplier, there are dozens of pose options.
Rather than limit yourself by picking a pose that someone else had done, you can bring your taxidermist a pic of a live cat or coyote that you happen to like,and let them work with that. You can find pics in books, magazines or just do a google image search on bobcat and coyote. Since cats and yotes are the 2 most frequently mounted predators, there's a tremendous variety and choices for poses. An experienced taxidermist can take a form that's close, cut it and repose it, into whatever custom position you want.
Cats:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/219/
Coyotes:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/212/
A bit of advice, DONT PIC A VAN DYKES FORM. They are not usually anatomically correct and the heads on them are poor quality. Go with a mckenzie made by roger martin or jan van hosen and you will be happy when you get your mount back. Also dont go for the cheapest, look at the quality of work. I am a taxidermist and have mounted well over 400 bobcats so i should know what im talking about here. Good luck
Mickthetaxidermist
New member
Walt,
Personally, I agree. I've been a taxidermist for more than 30 years, 15 of them with my own full time studio.Typically the only time I selected VD forms is when a cliet brought in the catalog and pointed out exactly what they wanted in their catalog.
I left those links because vandykes site is much easier to negotiate and see pictures, than mckenzie,research, wasco and the others. The poses that VD shows are pretty representative of what's available, regardless of who sculpted the original mannikin.
Personally, I agree. I've been a taxidermist for more than 30 years, 15 of them with my own full time studio.Typically the only time I selected VD forms is when a cliet brought in the catalog and pointed out exactly what they wanted in their catalog.
I left those links because vandykes site is much easier to negotiate and see pictures, than mckenzie,research, wasco and the others. The poses that VD shows are pretty representative of what's available, regardless of who sculpted the original mannikin.
SteveB22250
New member
I buy my forms from vandykes but I like the Brain Harness line, I am getting ready to mount my big female that I shot this year, it will be on a rock coming down, the rock will hang on the wall the form that I am talking about has rocks built just for it. If you are taking it to someone to do it check thier cat mounts before desiding, most taxidermist seem to have trouble capturing the cat looks and facial expresions, these are key to a nice cat mount. coyotes I would use research manikins has alot of nice forms. I havent mounted any fulsize coyotes yet but if I get a nice big male I will have it howling, I like the pose. Sorry I dont have any pic yet but look at vandykes site they have tons of poses, or look up research manikins they also have nice forms and fast shipping.
Didnt mean anything toward you mick, i just dont like van dykes. I have ordered a couple forms from them when i first started mounting and when i got them i was like are they serious, lol. Just was trying to make him realize that you need to start with quality materials to end up with a quality mount and since hes not a taxidermist i wanted to let him know where to find the good forms. walt
Blsum
New member
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
The bad thing about body mounts is you get one size and how ever big or small your animal is doesnt matter. I just get rugs now. I had a coyote done that was monstrous. I had it mounted howling and its probably 1/2 its original size. I wanted to have a body mount on a Bob and decided a rug instead because of this. If you check forms they come in predetermined sizes but never accurate. For mounts I just stick to deer heads now. They cant screw the anterlers up...unless they have to split the skull to narrow the space between them, have seen and had that done as well.
stoney15
New member
Quote:
The bad thing about body mounts is you get one size and how ever big or small your animal is doesnt matter. I just get rugs now. I had a coyote done that was monstrous. I had it mounted howling and its probably 1/2 its original size. I wanted to have a body mount on a Bob and decided a rug instead because of this. If you check forms they come in predetermined sizes but never accurate. For mounts I just stick to deer heads now. They cant screw the anterlers up...unless they have to split the skull to narrow the space between them, have seen and had that done as well.
That just means you didn't choose the right taximan. Form alteration is a huge part of taxidermy.
The bad thing about body mounts is you get one size and how ever big or small your animal is doesnt matter. I just get rugs now. I had a coyote done that was monstrous. I had it mounted howling and its probably 1/2 its original size. I wanted to have a body mount on a Bob and decided a rug instead because of this. If you check forms they come in predetermined sizes but never accurate. For mounts I just stick to deer heads now. They cant screw the anterlers up...unless they have to split the skull to narrow the space between them, have seen and had that done as well.
That just means you didn't choose the right taximan. Form alteration is a huge part of taxidermy.
SteveB22250
New member
Exactly stoney, Manikin alterations should be done if the taxidermist has a clue they pull it off real well, I usually start with a form too large and sand and shorten it until it fits nice takes alot of work but results are better I have never seen a animal get smaller than it was without loose fitting hide, if the hide is loose the work is not up to par, or another reason the animal may be smaller is it isnt your animal at all if your taxidermist sends it to a tannery it may have been switched with another this happens more than they would like to admit. I do all my own tanning and have never had a animal shrink on me.
Mickthetaxidermist
New member
"The bad thing about body mounts is you get one size and how ever big or small your animal is doesnt matter."
Dultimat,
15 or 20 years go, that would have been closer to the truth for taxidermists that lacked the experience to modify a mannikin.These days, for most species anyway, there's a tremendous variety of both sizes and poses available.Major alterations for size isn't neccessary quite as often as they used to be.Less experienced taxidermists sometimes have troubles properly sizing up a trophy, then selecting the proper sized mannikin, then if they ultimately get a form too large or too small,have a hard time dealing with it.
I hate to keep preaching "you get what you pay for" in every taxidermy thread that comes up on these boards, but when I see comments along the lines of "mounts with pushed in faces","eyes and ears that are wrong" or "taxidermists that have a tough time with predators", in my experience it's almost universally realted to a lower price being paid.
I'm not knocking taxidermists that are just learning, or fresh out of taxidermy school.Not everyone can, or wants to spend 7-8-900 on a cat or coyote mount, so having a range of prices and qualities available, serves everyone best.
If a quality taxidermist puts out a poor mount, it's more likely going to be related to a poorer quality specimen to begin with. Since most experienced taxidermists know that their reputation is attached to every mount that goes out their door, they look for potential problems when you're checking in your trophy, and would either turn down the job, or at least explain the possibility to the customer that what they've brought in will likely make for a less than perfect mount.
BTW, Phil Soucy is very well known in the taxidermy industry for his artistry with predators,especially cats.Call his studio and see if he'll mount your bobcat for $350 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Dultimat,
15 or 20 years go, that would have been closer to the truth for taxidermists that lacked the experience to modify a mannikin.These days, for most species anyway, there's a tremendous variety of both sizes and poses available.Major alterations for size isn't neccessary quite as often as they used to be.Less experienced taxidermists sometimes have troubles properly sizing up a trophy, then selecting the proper sized mannikin, then if they ultimately get a form too large or too small,have a hard time dealing with it.
I hate to keep preaching "you get what you pay for" in every taxidermy thread that comes up on these boards, but when I see comments along the lines of "mounts with pushed in faces","eyes and ears that are wrong" or "taxidermists that have a tough time with predators", in my experience it's almost universally realted to a lower price being paid.
I'm not knocking taxidermists that are just learning, or fresh out of taxidermy school.Not everyone can, or wants to spend 7-8-900 on a cat or coyote mount, so having a range of prices and qualities available, serves everyone best.
If a quality taxidermist puts out a poor mount, it's more likely going to be related to a poorer quality specimen to begin with. Since most experienced taxidermists know that their reputation is attached to every mount that goes out their door, they look for potential problems when you're checking in your trophy, and would either turn down the job, or at least explain the possibility to the customer that what they've brought in will likely make for a less than perfect mount.
BTW, Phil Soucy is very well known in the taxidermy industry for his artistry with predators,especially cats.Call his studio and see if he'll mount your bobcat for $350 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Mickthetaxidermist
New member
Rod,
That's a beautiful mount. That's exactly the type of work I'm refering to as well.When you're calling around to check prices, if you think you're getting the same mount for $300 as someone that charges three times as much, you're only kidding yourself.Used to amaze me the calls I'd get at my studio back in NY from guys that just dropped 4 grand into an elk or caribou hunt, then get their trophy home and want to shop for the lowest priced taxidermist they could find,lol. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
That's a beautiful mount. That's exactly the type of work I'm refering to as well.When you're calling around to check prices, if you think you're getting the same mount for $300 as someone that charges three times as much, you're only kidding yourself.Used to amaze me the calls I'd get at my studio back in NY from guys that just dropped 4 grand into an elk or caribou hunt, then get their trophy home and want to shop for the lowest priced taxidermist they could find,lol. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
cmiddleton
New member
i have a bobcat mount walking down a rock that hangs on the wall. i love it.
dang it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
dang it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif