Looking for the best taxidermist on my predators from Africa!

[Catchaser]

Attached are my pictures from a fantastic trip last week in Africa. Looking for the best taxidermists to do the Caracal, Serval, Water Mongoose and Ardwolf in the United States. The problem I am running into most taxidermists have done only a hand full of these guys if any at all. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Nice buff!

I know of a great predator taxidermist in Indiana, but I don’t know if they have done African game. I’ll ask a friend who knows them, and see if I can get any info.

Good luck finding a taxidermist for your little predators.

 

[Catchaser]

Thanks

 

[JES Adventures]

Animal Artistry does excellent work and I was particularly impressed with their Aardwolf mount as SCI a few years back.

 

[buck wild]

Great taxidermist, do great mounts regardless of the specie. The general taxidermy principles are the same across most mammals. It's the available reference material for rarer animals and good available forms to begin with that can affect even great taxidermist.
As for who is the best- that has been beat like a . Get up you old mule, it's time to discuss best taxidermist again

 

[chashardy]

Conroe Taxidermy near Houston does great work on any kind of animal.

 

[gizmo]

What I can tell you is that we would love to help you with your taxidermy needs. The vast majority of our business is in safari work and we provide excellent service and quality. I will be glad to provide both pictures and references. Please hollar as I would be glad to visit with you and give you a quote. We have many many clients here on AH that we do all of their taxidermy from their safaris and I am sure they would be glad to visit with you.

 

[outwestidaho]

Pick some one very carefully !!!! Some predators can come back from Africa in very poor shape. I would only use someone who has a lot of experience with these animals.
I would also try and find a taxidermist that has been there and shot these species first hand.
Congrats on what looks like a fantastic hunt !

 

[Sarg]

Fantastic job on getting those smaller guys, congrats to you & you outfitter/PH, been after a Serval for years & only seen one Water Mongoose .

Did you dog them or night shoot ?

Can you take the Ardwolf to the USA with out trouble ?

You are right, hardly see these mounted correctly, Cats & Bears seem to be badly mounted alot !!

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Great taxidermist, do great mounts regardless of the specie. The general taxidermy principles are the same across most mammals. It's the available reference material for rarer animals and good available forms to begin with that can affect even great taxidermist.
As for who is the best- that has been beat like a . Get up you old mule, it's time to discuss best taxidermist again

What Buck said. I'm a fish guy so I'm not vying for anything. But even with fish, the best work is done using the best available forms/blanks and relying heavily on photos of the actual fish in conjunction with really, really good reference photos, IMHO. And it doesn't matter how experienced you are. I KNOW what a rainbow looks like; I still rely on my reference library. The same holds true with mammals.

Best of wishes on your search sir, and congrats on your trip.

 

[Catchaser]

Great taxidermist, do great mounts regardless of the specie. The general taxidermy principles are the same across most mammals. It's the available reference material for rarer animals and good available forms to begin with that can affect even great taxidermist.
As for who is the best- that has been beat like a . Get up you old mule, it's time to discuss best taxidermist again

Not beating a dead horse as I have many mounts of different species and found over the years some are much better at doing deer than say bobcats or foxes. I am trying to find the best taxidermists to do the species that most have little to no experience and wanting them done correctly.

 

[Catchaser]

Fantastic job on getting those smaller guys, congrats to you & you outfitter/PH, been after a Serval for years & only seen one Water Mongoose .

Did you dog them or night shoot ?

Can you take the Ardwolf to the USA with out trouble ?

You are right, hardly see these mounted correctly, Cats & Bears seem to be badly mounted alot !!

Hunted the cats with dogs and got them during the day. The serval is a big cat and want to make sure he is mounted perfectly. Unofficially will be number 3 in SCI. Ardwolf should be ok to import.
You are correct about the cats. To me the face is what makes the cat that is why I am looking for examples of what is out there.

 

[JHT]

Not beating a dead horse as I have many mounts of different species and found over the years some are much better at doing deer than say bobcats or foxes. I am trying to find the best taxidermists to do the species that most have little to no experience and wanting them done correctly.

I totally get the query. I'm in the same boat myself - got the means to buy the best (not good commercial taxidermy but excellent, top quality, 1% work). Unfortunately; however, since Dennis went down, I can find no one who wants to take it.

 

[buck wild]

Not beating a dead horse as I have many mounts of different species and found over the years some are much better at doing deer than say bobcats or foxes. I am trying to find the best taxidermists to do the species that most have little to no experience and wanting them done correctly.

I hear ya Catchaser and I can empathize but asking who the best X taxidermist is like herding cats. Phil Sourcey is a well renowned cat guy. So is Daniel Meng. Mark Couture does great small cats but has a rep of being unreliable etc check the internet for more. Jerry Huffaker is a great all-around taxidermist. There are others also. Some of the bigger named shops which I'm sure you are already aware of.

My point was, if they are exceptional at cats, they will be good at any cat and mostly certainly way above average for your other small predators. You are not likely to find a guy known for his great ardwolf and water mongoose alone

 

[Rell]

Jim Kelly in NJ is arguably the best taxidermist in the USA. Slow, expensive but perfect!

In Africa, it’s Guy Robertson who manages the creative process at Life Form, he is magical on cats and predators.

I’ve used them both, and almost everyone else major, and they are my hands down favorites.

 

[Catchaser]

I hear ya Catchaser and I can empathize but asking who the best X taxidermist is like herding cats. Phil Sourcey is a well renowned cat guy. So is Daniel Meng. Mark Couture does great small cats but has a rep of being unreliable etc check the internet for more. Jerry Huffaker is a great all-around taxidermist. There are others also. Some of the bigger named shops which I'm sure you are already aware of.

My point was, if they are exceptional at cats, they will be good at any cat and mostly certainly way above average for your other small predators. You are not likely to find a guy known for his great ardwolf and water mongoose alone

Thank you!

 

[Catchaser]

Jim Kelly in NJ is arguably the best taxidermist in the USA. Slow, expensive but perfect!

In Africa, it’s Guy Robertson who manages the creative process at Life Form, he is magical on cats and predators.

I’ve used them both, and almost everyone else major, and they are my hands down favorites.

Thanks!

 

[LIFE-FORM TAXIDERMY]

Attached are my pictures from a fantastic trip last week in Africa. Looking for the best taxidermists to do the Caracal, Serval, Water Mongoose and Ardwolf in the United States. The problem I am running into most taxidermists have done only a hand full of these guys if any at all. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Good day @Catchaser. I hope this email finds you well. Thanks for sharing your pictures, its always great to see. I thought I would take the opportunity to reply to this post and share some of the images we have of the species you have hunted, just as a guideline to the work we can create and customize for you. Out of curiosity, where are your raw trophies currently? If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me. Kind regards. Guy

 

[LIFE-FORM TAXIDERMY]

Jim Kelly in NJ is arguably the best taxidermist in the USA. Slow, expensive but perfect!

In Africa, it’s Guy Robertson who manages the creative process at Life Form, he is magical on cats and predators.

I’ve used them both, and almost everyone else major, and they are my hands down favorites.

Thank you for the compliments @Rell. I hope you are well. All the very best.

 

[outwestidaho]

Hunted the cats with dogs and got them during the day. The serval is a big cat and want to make sure he is mounted perfectly. Unofficially will be number 3 in SCI. Ardwolf should be ok to import.
You are correct about the cats. To me the face is what makes the cat that is why I am looking for examples of what is out there.

No problem on importing the arrdwolf. I imported one in 2018.