# Taxidermy??



## rspringer (Oct 2, 2008)

Cranes? Mcmicken? Dana Stanford?  Let me know yalls opinions.


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## muddy_feet (Oct 2, 2008)

Roger Browning in Lakeland, GA.


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## JerkBait (Oct 2, 2008)

Fortner


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## Hoyt man (Oct 2, 2008)

Wayne Kelly does great work


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## rspringer (Oct 2, 2008)

MF.. thats a good looking bird.. Did you shoot that where I think you did?


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## Bubba moore (Oct 2, 2008)

Cranes My Man! He Mounted A 11 Point I Shot In 
Illinois In 06. He Also Mounted A 8 Point For Me In 
06.(superior Work). I Just Got Back A Striper I 
Caught June 10.(excellent Job On My Fish).
Mcmican Mounted A 9 Point For Me In 05. He Did A Good Job. Notice I Said A Good Job. Cranes Will Do Any Future Mounts For Me.


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## rspringer (Oct 2, 2008)

I am asking about birds....


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## Browning (Oct 2, 2008)

muddy_feet said:


> Roger Browning in Lakeland, GA.



Hey, I know that guy.  If you're close by, he does great work.


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## Trizey (Oct 2, 2008)

Shane Smith....  Artisitic Compositions.


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## muddy_feet (Oct 2, 2008)

Browning said:


> Hey, I know that guy.  If you're close by, he does great work.






rspringer : 





> MF.. thats a good looking bird.. Did you shoot that where I think you did?



Funny story about the bird......I actually killed a BTW back on the home waters but one side of his head blew off due to the #2's but the same day I had a buddy kill one in another spot.  The birds were the exact same in plumage and it was the first BTW I've shot so I swapped the birds.  I didn't want to do it at first but I checked the birds to make sure they were the same and they matched.  I normally would have done it but they were perfect birds....well minus the missing side of the head.  Both birds were killed at the end of the 06-07 season in late Jan.  A warm from blew through and brought some birds back up from FLA.


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## muddy_feet (Oct 2, 2008)

Trizey said:


> Shane Smith....  Artisitic Compositions.



He's a good'en too.


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## tinytim (Oct 2, 2008)

Jerry Mosley @ Buckmasters in Macon has been doing all my work for the last 5-6 years.


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## GADAWGS (Oct 2, 2008)

I have seen Dana Sanford's work first hand, all are museum quality


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## Hard Core (Oct 2, 2008)

Dana does AWESOME work. He is reasonably priced and the quality is top notch. I met him at the Roswell DU banquet, I believe all he does is birds.


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## head buster (Oct 2, 2008)

tinytim said:


> Jerry Mosley @ Buckmasters in Macon has been doing all my work for the last 5-6 years.



X2


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## rspringer (Oct 2, 2008)

MF, that is a crazy story.  I actually shot one off some pretty famous grass at the mouth of a certain river on your home waters in Jan of the same season. We killed a pair drake and hen, but the drake wasn't plummed out like that one.  Oh well.


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## emusmacker (Oct 2, 2008)

Beaverdam Creek Taxidermy,Elberton


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## stiles1682 (Oct 2, 2008)

pettit in calhoun.  he the man


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## hevishot (Oct 2, 2008)

Otis Belvin does great on birds (williamson) but most of mine are done by a man in La named don gladfelter...he does amazing work and neither of these guys are priced so high that the duck should come back with an ounce of gold stuck up its rear end...Gladfelters work is as good as it gets...if anyone is interested, I can arrange transport or shipping to him...


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## Nitro (Oct 2, 2008)

In order of preference- 

Pat Pitt
Shane Smith 
Dana Stanford
Rodney Casteel (Rodney has been getting more and more work from me- he is good, just less well known).....


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## 12gamag (Oct 2, 2008)

scott hodges-southern reflections taxidemry of byron


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## h20fowlin (Oct 2, 2008)

There is a large difference between taxidermist on waterfowl.....

I've only seen one name on here that does horrible work on waterfowl, and i will refrain from slander.

You can't go wrong with Shane Smith, Dana Stanford, Rodney Casteel or Scott Hodges...these are a few i'd recommend.

Quick tip- When your checking out a new taxidermist, refrain from looking at his showroom....make sure you get your opinions from current customer birds drying or waiting for pickup...if there isnt any, than you may have just answered your question.

The worlds worst feeling is taking a bird to a taxidermist in hand, then walking in and getting the scense he's not top notch....to back out at that point is a very unpleasant feeling.


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## fatduckboy (Oct 4, 2008)

buckmaster in macon


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## seminoleslayer (Oct 7, 2008)

Casteel Is The Only One To Mount A Duck Or Buck  For Me.his Work Is So Lifelike Its Incredible


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## d_white (Oct 7, 2008)

I would highly recommed Gary Braswell of True Life Creations on Spring Creek Road outside of Bainbridge if you want awesome mounts that look like this.  Nothing like free publicity.


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## Donzi (Oct 7, 2008)

There are some other good ones but Rodney Casteel is as good as any and probably for birds one of if not the best in our area.  Alot of taxidermists can make a deer look great but not all of them can do the same with a bird be it a turkey or duck.  Still the biggest problem with ducks is starting off with a bad bird.  Shot up or young birds will still be shot up or young no matter who mounts them.


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## Nitro (Oct 7, 2008)

d_white said:


> I would highly recommed Gary Braswell of True Life Creations on Spring Creek Road outside of Bainbridge if you want awesome mounts that look like this.  Nothing like free publicity.






That publicity might not be Free....................lawd have mercy.


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## Drake1807 (Oct 7, 2008)

Casteel. Hands down.


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## Gaducker (Oct 7, 2008)

Steve Bradley,  Newnan Ga.   He has been at it for 25 years.


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## h20fowlin (Oct 7, 2008)

D_white.......i hope your joking man. I just bathed my brand new flat screen monitor in copenhagen spittle and stem.


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## d_white (Oct 7, 2008)

Me, joking?
Surely you jest.
I just see other people bragging and boasting for their taxi's, thought I would do the same, help get the name out there.


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## Gaducker (Oct 7, 2008)

d_white said:


> I would highly recommed Gary Braswell of True Life Creations on Spring Creek Road outside of Bainbridge if you want awesome mounts that look like this.  Nothing like free publicity.




Im not sayin, Im just sayin.


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## h20fowlin (Oct 7, 2008)

It's definitely out there....thanks for the caveat!


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## Hard Core (Oct 7, 2008)

Thats great right there. I got a good one that looks similiar. I thought that shooting buzzard hawks was illegal. I had a banded mallard that I had a local taxidermist mount, before I knew better. When I got it back the bill was a greenish black, I said "what the Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- is this crap". His response was, "Thats one of those migrator mallards his bill is still green". "That is how you know he is full blooded wild mallard, those ones with domestic in their blood are the ones with a "little yellow in their bill". I went to the truck and brought him a pic of it. He re-painted the bill and didn't say another word.


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## muddy_feet (Oct 8, 2008)

d_white said:


> Me, joking?
> Surely you jest.
> I just see other people bragging and boasting for their taxi's, thought I would do the same, help get the name out there.




Had ONE done there and only ONE will be done there.  Mine didn't turn out like that but I know a certain someone who had quite a few done there and isn't happy.


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## Wood Smoke (Oct 13, 2008)

*Fairburn Taxidermist*

What about the shop in Fairburn.....I think its fairburn? I think its called Unique Taxidermy.  Any recommendations on them?


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## Bow Tech (Oct 23, 2008)

emusmacker said:


> Beaverdam Creek Taxidermy,Elberton



I second you on Beaverdam Creek Taxidermy, they have done two deer for me and i havent gotten them a bird yet but the quality of the work on the birds waiting to be picked up is top notch.


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## Boudreaux (Oct 24, 2008)

I've only used Dana Stanford, but have been very happy with his work. I've seen Casteel mounts and they are top quality as well. Birds Dana has mounted for me:


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## d_white (Oct 24, 2008)

Boudroux,
Those mounts are immaculate.
Could you send me some info on the fella that did them?


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## BigBeaver (Oct 25, 2008)

Master's Wildlife Studio in Washington has done a bass and 2 eider's for me and my buddy and everything is absolutely amazing.  I'm supposed to be picking a turkey up from him in a couple of weeks.  I have been completely satisfied with everything that he has done.  I'll put some pics on here later.


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## h20fowlin (Oct 25, 2008)

I like the drift wood rodney casteel uses.
His birds are in the upper quartile, but his drift wood is by far the best ive seen that is CONSISTENT on every mount.


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## TurkeyH90 (Oct 25, 2008)

Sorry but I think Trails End in Macon is far and above all those people on waterfowl. Just go to a show where they are all at and their is no comparison. Got 6 dux, a turkey, a bobcat and another turkey on the way. Got one pheasant that I wish had gone to them. You would think a taxidermist in SD would be better on a pheasant. Wrong apparently he thinks a wild pheasant has a white beak!! When it comes to shot up birds I promise Trails End beats everybody.


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## BigBeaver (Oct 25, 2008)

What does Trail Ends charge for a duck?


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## GADUCKTHRASHER (Oct 25, 2008)

Here are some of the mounts Rodney Casteel has done.  He is very good and I have seen alot of others work.


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## GADUCKTHRASHER (Oct 25, 2008)

Not only is he good, he has quick turn around,  great prices, and is located in Middle Georgia.  He mounts a lot of waterfowl.

Here are a few more pics of his work.


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## h20fowlin (Oct 25, 2008)

I like Lenny Sams at Trails End Turkeyh90, but Lenny ain't in the same quartile as Rodney, Shane, and Dana.....(MY OPINION ONLY).

I'd put Lenny's waterfowl in the second quartile. (AGAIN, MY OPINION ONLY).

I think Lenny does about the same quality on deer as rodney however. 

Rodney, Dana, and Shane get the poses correct 100% of the time.

It all boils down to....it's HARD to explain what's natural if your not slam eat up addicted to ducks. There's not 1 day a year i don't look at a waterfowl magazine, watch a waterfowl video, or gawk at my mounts on the wall. Just how it is....worse than a narcotic baby!


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## TurkeyH90 (Oct 26, 2008)

*Taxidermy*

I can respect your opinion I just dont agree with it. They charge a little more than the rest (175). My point is this I drop my bird off and I know for a fact it will suit me. Just remember that when you get something mounted you want to be proud of it and it should hang in your house for 30 yrs or more. I got woodducks my dad killed mounted by Len in the early eighties and when I dust them they look as good as ever. Alot of these guys are good I just hate when folks go to the cheapest taxidermist.


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## h20fowlin (Oct 26, 2008)

If a thirty year old mount looks as good as it did when you got it, then thats not saying much for the taxidermist who did it.. Seriously.


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## TurkeyH90 (Oct 27, 2008)

You know what I have never in my life met a group of people like the folks on this part of the forum and I am Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- glad of it!!!!!!!


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## h20fowlin (Oct 27, 2008)

Well, if that's how you want to take that comment. I was merely stating that a 30 year old mount is going to have some fading/deterioration.
So you saying that a  30 year old mount looking as good as it did when it was done, well, either it was in a vacuum case, or it didn't look too good when it was done. I'm sure there are exceptions. Maybe yours is one. 
Lighten up.


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## Carp (Nov 23, 2008)

Scott Hodges in Byron and Rodney Casteel in Macon are two of the best in Georgia. They have both won National awards.


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## Fishingchickenman (Nov 23, 2008)

I would have to  Andy Nimmons  He was the 2005 large game world champ.  You can hit him up at andynimmonstaxidermy.com


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