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Too funny, got to love the know it alls. If you are truly that good than enter into a competition and dont cry when you get your critique back. There is a reason why a good taxidermist is 450-500.00. If it takes you 12-15 hours to complete a deer that is about 18.00 an hour after materials. If I cant make that I will just go fishing. You have posted three times on here, I would love to see your work, please make sure to take detailed pictures of the inner wings on the nostrils, the nictating membranes, and all the other little perks that a good taxidermist will put back in.

food source is the best way to get on a bear. Find the food you find the bear, the one thing good about a bear and its food is they will stay there and keep returning until that food supply has diminshed and then they will move to a new location. Joe

Pygmy, Thanks for the reply, I will have to look into it next year when I get up to NY. Joe

Thanks everyone for the compliments. Was not a wound, he had little sticker points growing out of his pedicules. So made sure they were visible still Joe

Awesome trophy room, glad to see he respects all the animals that he has taken. Joe

Good luck on the moose hunt, nothing better than a big bull coming into a call. How is the turkey hunting in Canada? Joe

Well I will pipe in a little about the folds. On some forms with the extreme turns you are going to have those wrinkles no matter what a taxidemist does. A lot of times when a customer comes in and wants a turn like that I explain to them that there are going to be wrinkles and show him or her what they will look like. Just turn your neck to the side one side will be tight the other side wrinkles. If you are not looking for as much detail then that is a good time to explain to your taxidermist what you are expecting. I go over every detail with my customer to make sure that we are both on the same thought process. I have also had customers come in with a long haired cape and want all the details. I show them a picture of my bald head and explain when the deers hair is that short I can do whatever they want. When it is long there are not going to be hardly any details. Hope this helps the shorter the hair the more details, teh more radical of a turn the more wrinkles you will have. Joe

That is just the living room, with being in the Army for 22 years and a wife that loves to hunt also we have been able to travel to a lot of different places and hunt... Joe

will try this again.....

here is one pic Ok maybe not, how do I upload a picture?

Come on guys break out the camera and post up some of those trophies....... I will get some up here of my living room. Joe

Congrats to you, moose hunting is one of the best things out there. I was stationed in Alaska for 6 years so I got to do quite a bit of it, nothing like a 1000 pound animal coming into a call on you. Joe

Velvet is a bit decieving, I would say low 130's. I have mounted quite a few deer, and velvet always throws it off. Very nice Whitetail though. Joe

Ok so sorry that happened to you, but the way you explained it was quite funny. Joe

Although I am currently stationed in Washignton state, will be moving up to NY hopefully next year I still plan on hunting out west alot. This year hunting Washington, Montana and Colorado for elk and mulies. And then some exotic hunting down in Texas. Joe

thanks everyone. I will pass the info on to him Joe

Will be moving up to Clinton County, around Lake Champlain, but I will be all over the state, love to fish and hunt so wherever I point the truck. Joe

Dave, you are truly welcome, as a taxidermist it sucks when someone brings in a nice trophy and all I can tell them is no I can't fix that. Bass have large scales so they are more durable but the trout and salmon are fine scales and I see it all the time. A patch the size of a softball with no scales. Have fun catch big fish and enjoy.... Joe

Dave doing it that way wil also damage the scale pockets, if you think about it this way, water under the scale pockets when fozen will expand and lift those scales, once they are lifted it is almost impossible to get them to set back down. Water causes bacteria, so if the tail thaws out before the rest of the fish you already have bacteria growing on the tail but yet the rest of the fish is still frozen. Joe

that is a nice size fish for New York, would I get it mounted? Well that depends on what you want. Only you can decide that........ Just remember one that big is your breeder. So I would let it go and do a replica on it. If you kept it and it is in the freezer waiting for you to decide what to do. Make sure it is laid out flat all fins laid flat. Wrap in plastic bag tight no air, tape that up re wrap in another plastic bag and re tape it. Then wrap it all in newspaper use one more bag and wrap it tight and tape it and that fish will stay in the freezer for years. A lot of people say to wet a rag up and wrap it that way. It can cause a lot of damage to the scales when getting a skin mount done. Good luck to you. Joe

My brother took his family on vacation on Oneida Lake, they have been there for 6 days only caught one walleye and 3 bass. I used to fish it in 94-96 when I was stationed at Fort Drum. I cannot give him any places to start. If you know of a good place for them to start fishing, he does not have graphs so just a general area. Thanks Joe

Hey Everyone thanks a lot for the info. Was looking at the area a lot but taxes are real high. Might head a little North East to Lake Champlain. I will still have to go down there and do my salmon and steelhead fishing though. Thanks Joe

Thanks Ed Joe

I practice out to 70 yards. I hunt the western states. Most of the elk I have called in come into about 40-45 yards. Have had some at ten yards. So I shoot long distance and hope for the best. Joe