Taxidermy “issue” how to handle?

[PAhunter]

1) Especially since he just mounted it yesterday, no it's not too late. The hair is still visibly wet in your pics.
2) I'm not a pronghorn taxidermist; I've mounted only 1 of them. Pronghorns DO tend to have a bit of a 'sunken eyes' look when viewed from straight on and below the animal, and it is tricky to get them mounted without exaggerating that appearance. Yours does look more sunken than most in the image he sent you, and to me, unnaturally so. I'd suggest going to see it in person though if the shop is relatively close by.
3) The side view ('sleepy' look) makes me think your taxidermist is planning for shrinkage around the eyes. Depending how thoroughly and uniformly the skin is thinned around the eyes and on how much clay is used to sculpt around them, some shrinkage during drying is common and the eyes end up being open wider after drying than right after the head is mounted up.

I'd agree with the poster that suggested the eyes may be set 'deep' in the form, but it's really hard to tell from two pictures. A quick visit to the shop might be all it takes to get things tweaked to your satisfaction. If you can't go, I'd still at least call the taxi and talk about it.

As I said, I don't have a lot of pronghorn experience but do recall struggling to avoid that hollow-eyed look on my daughter's buck.




And I can only speak from my own experience but over the past 15+ years of ordering from Mckenzie, I can't recall an instance where they sent me the wrong eyes, or anything else for that matter. The folks we deal with in the Camp Hill warehouse are good, steady people who seem to care about what they do. But my orders are relatively small, and I tend to use honey rather than vinegar...

 

[TWC]

I did a little looking around and I think “most” commercial quality mounts that I am seeing do not have the eyes built up like they should be- at least from the few mount photos I have seen and can tell on.

I feel like it was just a lack of use of reference photos???

I would raise it with them, no harm can come from it.

One thing I would say is that the only time you look at taxidermy up close is when you get sent close ups / first receive the mount, after that its high up on the wall and you wont notice any little imperfections.

 

[huntinsonovagun]

1) Especially since he just mounted it yesterday, no it's not too late. The hair is still visibly wet in your pics.
2) I'm not a pronghorn taxidermist; I've mounted only 1 of them. Pronghorns DO tend to have a bit of a 'sunken eyes' look when viewed from straight on and below the animal, and it is tricky to get them mounted without exaggerating that appearance. Yours does look more sunken than most in the image he sent you, and to me, unnaturally so. I'd suggest going to see it in person though if the shop is relatively close by.
3) The side view ('sleepy' look) makes me think your taxidermist is planning for shrinkage around the eyes. Depending how thoroughly and uniformly the skin is thinned around the eyes and on how much clay is used to sculpt around them, some shrinkage during drying is common and the eyes end up being open wider after drying than right after the head is mounted up.

I'd agree with the poster that suggested the eyes may be set 'deep' in the form, but it's really hard to tell from two pictures. A quick visit to the shop might be all it takes to get things tweaked to your satisfaction. If you can't go, I'd still at least call the taxi and talk about it.

As I said, I don't have a lot of pronghorn experience but do recall struggling to avoid that hollow-eyed look on my daughter's buck.
View attachment 170920

View attachment 170921

And I can only speak from my own experience but over the past 15+ years of ordering from Mckenzie, I can't recall an instance where they sent me the wrong eyes, or anything else for that matter. The folks we deal with in the Camp Hill warehouse are good, steady people who seem to care about what they do. But my orders are relatively small, and I tend to use honey rather than vinegar...

Thanks so much PAhunter for your thorough response. You brought up some very good points and I appreciate the photos you posted as well. I understand they’ll never be as accurate as a live animal, but I just feel it could be a little better. I’ll give him a call this morning and hope to swing by a little later today!

 

[dcopas78]

If he just mounted it, it could also be that the hide hasn't dried enough yet to draw into the sculpting around the eyes. My dad has done taxidermy work for over 50 years and there is no way you'll catch him sending pics or letting customers see an unfinished mount, unless they ask and understand it could be ugly before cleaned and finished. He has a drying room separate from his finished mount room specifically to keep people from seeing the "ugly" side of taxidermy. A lot happens after the hide has dried onto the form. The finishing touches are what makes the mount look polished, assuming it was done right from the beginning that is. It wouldn't hurt to ask him about it, and I probably would myself, keeping in mind it may have a long way to go before it really looks like it should.

 

[huntinsonovagun]

If he just mounted it, it could also be that the hide hasn't dried enough yet to draw into the sculpting around the eyes. My dad has done taxidermy work for over 50 years and there is no way you'll catch him sending pics or letting customers see an unfinished mount, unless they ask and understand it could be ugly before cleaned and finished. He has a drying room separate from his finished mount room specifically to keep people from seeing the "ugly" side of taxidermy. A lot happens after the hide has dried onto the form. The finishing touches are what makes the mount look polished, assuming it was done right from the beginning that is. It wouldn't hurt to ask him about it, and I probably would myself, keeping in mind it may have a long way to go before it really looks like it should.

Thanks so much for that response! Love hearing about the “ugly side” of it and the perspective you give

 

[Valley1320]

there's you another comparison pic

 

[redwoood]

Depending on what clay he uses he could be planning for shrinkage.

I would say the area around the eyes are too full...too much clay making the eyes appear deep.

The biggest mistake made is sending you a pic of a non finished mount. There are A LOT of adjustments made during the drying period.

 

[redwoood]

My wife's lope I mounted last winter...wish I got to put them together more often.

 

[brushcreek]

i'd be more upset about the mohawk he gave it - does not look natural to me.

 

[Valley1320]

Depending on what clay he uses he could be planning for shrinkage.

I would say the area around the eyes are too full...too much clay making the eyes appear deep.

The biggest mistake made is sending you a pic of a non finished mount. There are A LOT of adjustments made during the drying period.

Well said

 

[FranklinME]

Yes there are changes during the drying period, I would want to see it in person. I think it may not look the same and you may be happy with it.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Let us know what he says. I am curious.

 

[OntarioHunter]

1) Especially since he just mounted it yesterday, no it's not too late. The hair is still visibly wet in your pics.
2) I'm not a pronghorn taxidermist; I've mounted only 1 of them. Pronghorns DO tend to have a bit of a 'sunken eyes' look when viewed from straight on and below the animal, and it is tricky to get them mounted without exaggerating that appearance. Yours does look more sunken than most in the image he sent you, and to me, unnaturally so. I'd suggest going to see it in person though if the shop is relatively close by.
3) The side view ('sleepy' look) makes me think your taxidermist is planning for shrinkage around the eyes. Depending how thoroughly and uniformly the skin is thinned around the eyes and on how much clay is used to sculpt around them, some shrinkage during drying is common and the eyes end up being open wider after drying than right after the head is mounted up.

I'd agree with the poster that suggested the eyes may be set 'deep' in the form, but it's really hard to tell from two pictures. A quick visit to the shop might be all it takes to get things tweaked to your satisfaction. If you can't go, I'd still at least call the taxi and talk about it.

As I said, I don't have a lot of pronghorn experience but do recall struggling to avoid that hollow-eyed look on my daughter's buck.
View attachment 170920

View attachment 170921

And I can only speak from my own experience but over the past 15+ years of ordering from Mckenzie, I can't recall an instance where they sent me the wrong eyes, or anything else for that matter. The folks we deal with in the Camp Hill warehouse are good, steady people who seem to care about what they do. But my orders are relatively small, and I tend to use honey rather than vinegar...

We order online. No vinegar there. We have to drive quite a ways to cross the border to pick up shipments and go through the red tape of customs. Very irritating to get the wrong stuff ... several times. Since they now have a lock on essentially the entire market for supplies, only an idiot would be using vinegar with Mackenzie.

 

[huntinsonovagun]

View attachment 170932there's you another comparison pic

These eyes look much more natural to me. What a trophy!!

 

[huntinsonovagun]

My wife's lope I mounted last winter...wish I got to put them together more often.
View attachment 170935View attachment 170937

This too looks more natural to me. I feel like the pic he sent me the eye sockets had no dimension.

 

[huntinsonovagun]

I talked to him and he seemed somewhat receptive of my comments, but I’m sure skeptical as we all are when someone questions our professionalism. He did send some close-ups of the eyes, but they still seem to lack the dimension around the back and top of the eye sockets (this is what I see as a layman). I told him I totally understand that things shrink and move but that I just wanted to bring it to his attention before it’s “too late.” I will definitely keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the response and different perspective!

 

[Gerald Martin]

I think you did well to give him your perspective on what you think might look better with the eyes.

Taxidermy is art with parameters and finding the balance of working between the tension of what’s possible and what’s realistic and the artist’s ability and customer’s expectation can be tough to achieve.

For whatever it’s worth, IMO, I think the mount looks great for the stage it’s in. Painting and final details of grooming are going to make a huge difference, as will an outdoor picture with good light rather than an indoor pic with indirect lighting.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I missed the part about the cape being just put on the form same day as the photo. Yes, there probably will be some shrinkage. That being said, the eyes still look too sunken in or too small. Not sure shrinkage will cure that.

 

[ssmusicman]

I would go look at it close up. If he send the pictures the same day he put the hide on it in no way would look like the final
product. I would have expected to see a bunch of pinning and other hardware on the mount if he was setting it aside to
dry. Unless he used a boat load of super glue to keep things in place during drying. In my experience there is a bunch of
painting/highlighting that is done after drying too, to make the colors pop more. Good luck with it, hopefully it turns out good.

Luckily my taxidermist is a relative so I can tell him "exactly" what I think.

 

[Renegade]

Nice goat. It sounds to me like you need to kill more goats and get more mounts. Then you won’t be too bothered by it