|
Post by riverrat on Sept 27, 2007 8:18:10 GMT -5
Another blast from the past,
The question for today gets a little personal but I think it can be fun. Question For Today, Why did you select the field if taxidermy to peruse?
|
|
|
Post by circleh on Sept 28, 2007 1:50:40 GMT -5
Growing up my dad always had mounted animals in his den. I would always sit there and try to figure out how they did it. I was just amazed. When I asked my dad how it was done he had a general idea and then told me that it was to hard to do. So I just always enjoyed looking at mounts. When I finally learned how it was done I loved it. The main thing I think I like the most about it is the challenge of bring something back to life for someone.I always like hearing about there hunts and seeing the look on there faces when they see their trophy mounted for the first time. Especially the kids. Another great thing is I have my retirement job all lined up.
|
|
|
Post by riverrat on Sept 28, 2007 8:41:17 GMT -5
When I was in my early 20ies I took a pheasant to a taxidermist to have it mounted. It came back looking like crap, as someone else stated I knew I could do better than that. I started out with a home study course and started mounting my stuff and all my friends after that a seminar hear an their, then the last 3 years I worked for G.M. they had a tuition assistance program that I took advantage of, knowing I would want to follow this field full time after my retirement. Now I am enjoying retirement as well as having some extra cash for all me hunting and fishing trips
|
|
|
Post by ccb21 on Oct 2, 2007 5:54:46 GMT -5
I always wanted a job working with animals, and I've always been an artist. I went to art school but after I finished, I found out that there weren't a lot of careers in art in the small town where I live. I went back to school for horticulture and wildlife biology, but I couldn't afford to finish. One day I went to my dad-in-law's and saw some very old deer heads in his shed. I was like, wow those don't look very much like deer. I got to thinking about it, did some research and some math to see if it would be worth the investment, went to taxidermy school, and when I got home I started my business.
|
|
|
Post by whitetail8 on Oct 2, 2007 7:50:49 GMT -5
I wanted to be able to keep putting animals on the wall that I hunted and could not afford to keep going to my regular taxidermist so I decided to start a hobby to save money. I hunt some land that is over flowing with great bucks and new that I would keep bringing in trophies consistently. It was just economics for me at first. Then after starting taxidermy I found out how much I enjoyed doing it and I could not stop mounting any thing I could find. So much for saving money! As of this year My career as an electrician has not been very good. The residential market in the suburbs of Chicago has gone down the tubes and I have not worked very much. Now I am trying to start my own business out of necessity so I don't have to rely on the union to find me work. I have sunk quite a bit of money into equipment as to start a business and look forward to supplementing my income and retirement. Forums like this one was a great incentive to get started because it makes learning easier.
|
|
|
Post by fishhead on Feb 3, 2008 22:01:19 GMT -5
It just happened by acident. I tried skinning a walleye for my brother to mount and thought it wasn't to bad so I got the breakthrough Fish Manual and went from there.I ahve been doing this for a little over a year and I think I am doing a great job with not having any training. If it wasn't for other taxidermist on here and on the other taxi. website I would'nt be where I am today.Here is a picture of my last fish I just finished.
|
|
mrs
Spike
Posts: 52
|
Post by mrs on Feb 4, 2008 8:05:57 GMT -5
When I was a young, my daddy took me fishing a lot. Once in a while one of us caught a BIG fish. Daddy couldn't afford to have any fish mounted. I found the "vintage" Northwestern School of Taxidermy correspondence lessons advertised in the back of a Fur-Fish-Game magazine. I bought the set and learned from them.
|
|