Guest louisvanhovell Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Dear hunters, Today, my father, my brother and I participated in a beautiful shoot in "Brabant", a rural province of Holland. The weather was fantastic; it was about 6 degrees centigrade, and the sun was shining. We managed to shoot four pheasants, five wood pigeons, six ducks, six hares, two jays and one fox (in order to control the enormous increase of foxes in Holland, it is legal to shoot foxes this hunting season; last hunting season, it wasn't). Whilst the animals were distributed among the hunters and the beaters, I realised that it would be great to ask if I could have the fox, and seize this chance to learn how to stuff it. I got Mr Fox! My uncle, who was one of the hunters, advised me not to stuff the animal myself, since foxes carry all kinds of frigthening diseases. "Bring it to the taxidermist", he said. "He can get the job done for about 250 euros". Unfortunately, I am a student; getting my fox stuffed would mean that I'd have to eat dry bread for several months. After my father had seen a stuffed head of a fox on the wall of the house in which we had dinner after the hunt, he came up with a good compromise: ask the taxidermist to only stuff the head. Is my uncle's advice to forget the do-it-yourself - part well-grounded? If the answer is "no", could you then tell me how to stuff (the head of) my fox? Any advice is more than welcome and very much appreciated! Best regards, Louis Me and Mr Fox Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 Hullo, Louis. You've struck lucky here, mate. I am - if I may make so bold - just the man to offer an answer to ye question. Fact is, in a past life, I was something of an amateur, or 'Home' - as I called it - Taxidermist Now, I could try and drag my old mind back all those years. Then spend for ever trying to re write you a virtual small book on how to mount that 'Mask' yeself. But there's really be no point. Ye Dad's right: Get it to a Professional Taxidermist. One tip - and most essential at that: When ye come to removing said head, for the man to prepare, make sure ye leave as much neck on it as is reasonably practicle. Don't go chopping it off just behind the back of the skull. Better to aim for where the neck meets the shoulders and chest. And you'll be amazed at how a neck skin shrinks back up towards the head, once you make that first cut! Use a Very sharp knife. Pull the skin towards the head before making that first slice and try to keep to that idea as ye cut through. You can't give the Preperateur too much neck. Only too little That done - or even before and untill then - just get Mr Fox into a deep freezer. Double bagged. Then sit back. Relax. And start looking around for the Taxidermist you reckon can make you a mount you'll cherish for the rest of ye life. Cheaper work is seldom better. Even expensive can be rubbish! Take ye time ~ Foxy isn't going anywhere. Try to examine as many examples of the possible choices work as ye can - even a lousey 'Taxidermist' can have a good day! Finally: Decide, in ye own mind, how ye want the finished work to look. Did you whitness this fox going down? If so, how do you remember him? Sneaking out of cover? Running, mouth open and tounge out? Looking straight into the barrels? What ever. That'll be how you'll remember him and That is how he should be preserved. If ye never saw the final moment? Think how you imagined it would have been. You'll want him to look like 'Your' fox. Not just 'A' fox. Ok? Any good man can meet ye requiremets to the letter. It's Your mount and Your money. He (or she) will be working for You. Remember that. Don't know as there's much more I can add, really. Pity is, I used to know a superb Prep' in Holland. Museum standard. Did Traditional and 'Form' work. Can't even remember his name now! Anyway, your country's blessed with some of the best, mate. Take ye time and I'm sure you'll find a good one Please do drop back and let us all know how ye eventually get on ~ with photo's, of course! All the best. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest louisvanhovell Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 Hello former amateur taxidermist! After spending the day hurting my brains with the question what I should do with my fox, I was very happy to find your reaction! I will gladly follow your advice and bring the fox to a preparateur as soon as possible. Although it's a pity that I won't be able to stuff the animal by myself, I understand that doing the job properly requires a great deal of expertise and knowledge. It's nice to hear that there are some good taxidermists in Holland! I have known one in a little town called "Oisterwijk", from whom my father and I bought a beautiful wood snipe that I received for my tenth birthday. The price of this snipe was a snipe, which is the name of a 100 gulden note! (the 'gulden' was the name of the dutch currency before the euro came in 2002). Unluckily, this preparateur is retired now, so I have to find another one. A hunting friend of mine told me to go to a man who is called 'Frezen'. Apparently, he is very skilled, and he even lives nearby. My plan is to visit him tomorrow, and to bring the entire fox with me. After all, I don't know the exact prices, and I might succeed in persuading my grandmother to help me finance my hunting trophy...! If I think that mr Frezen should take a few more lessons in taxidermy, I will cut the head off myself, remembering to leave as much neck as possible attatched to it, and put it in the deep freezer. Right now, I think my fox is alright in the garden house, where the temperature is only a few degrees above zero. I'm not sure in what position I want my fox, because I only saw him after he was shot. I can imagine though how this cunning creature would have looked before he was sent to the eternal hunting grounds. Thanks again, and, of course, I will let you how I get on, whilst making as many pictures as possible! Good hunting, Louis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted December 11, 2006 Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 Good man, Louis. Actually, I managed to lock myself out of here, earlier today. Now I'm back but it's gone 4 am. I know you're 'ahead' of me in time, so shall be sound asleep as I write this. However, reading ye post there, one last thing occurs: IF ye went for a Full Mount, ye'd end up with a whole fox ~ obviously. Now, consider this; A foxes Mask, set on a nice shield (plaque), with a little brass label, will look brilliant. No? A whole fox, stood on a bit of wood ....? Well; Somehow, that'd just look like a fox, completely out of place, on the side furniture. Would it not? So, of course, ye mind then turns to having that fox surrounded by some natural habitat ..... And my mind starts screaming " Mega Euro's!!! ". Believe me; If a good man can mount a whole fox? It can take a whole, new good man to have the artistic and practical skills to preserve or even create that Habitat. Any Preperateur who is equelly skilled in both arts will be worthy of BIG wages! Then, to protect and preserve all this space eating splendour (You'll need a table to keep it on), you'll require the Highly Expensive services of a Cabinet Maker .... Gulp! My advise? Find the Best Prep' ye can. Examine as much of his work as ye can track down. Get him to mount the Mask. You're a young man yet. You have many more 'memorable ones' to get through. How about when you knock over your own fox, in glorious, full winter coat ....? Save your ammunition, my friend! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest louisvanhovell Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Good afternoon! I agree with you that an entire fox standing on a piece of wood is more something for musea than for living rooms. It would, as you say, look completely out of place, and it costs a few quid, too, certainly if you want the piece of wood on which the fox stands, to look natural! There is a way though to stuff an entire fox and still make it suitable for your living room. That is by letting it hang against the wall, with its nose pointing towards the ground, and its legs attached to a string. I've seen a few foxes in this position, and I must say that they all looked very nice. Maybe when I shoot a fox myself one day, I'll have it stuffed that way. But right now, I would be more than happy to have the mask of my fox mounted on a plaque. I have decided to do it, since it will remind me of last week's beautiful hunt. Furthermore, I think that my fox has a beautiful head. I followed your advice, and visited quite a few taxidermists in the region yesterday. Eventually, me and my mother decided to let "Frezen" do the job. I liked the way his work looked, and his price - 200 euros - was ok (this is the average price for stuffing the head of a fox in Holland). It's an enormous amount of money, but I think it is worth it. I told the preparateur how I wanted my fox to look: not angry, but curious. Its mouth must be shut, and I don't want it to have a swan-neck, but a straight neck. I'm not sure how I want the plaque to look: round or 'pointed'? I think I'd prefer a round plaque, like the ones on which you put the teeth of a wild boar. What would you do? When we left his little shop, I realised that I hadn't asked him yet how long it would take to do the job. He told me to count on two to three months! Is this really the time needed to prepare the skin and mount it on a plastic mould? Anyway, I'm happy now and I'm looking forward to the moment that I can put my fox against the wall! Cheers, Louis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JOEB Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Did YOU shoot it Louis??..........if not, I personnaly would wait untill I had a trophy that meant something to me....marked out a special moment so to speake... You can buy masks that someone else has hunted on the e-bay for a lot less money....and they dont intrest me. JMHO JOEB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stabs 3 Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 I always wanted to get some done, but never did. I still have the skulls of my black bitches first three foxes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JOEB Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 I always wanted to get some done, but never did. I still have the skulls of my black bitches first three foxes Did you boil em down or just let them rot off mate?......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest louisvanhovell Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Hello Joeb, The fox wasn't shot by me, but I participated in the hunt as a beater. This hunt is organized by my uncle, who has a house on the hunting ground, called "Het Ossenbroek". This house has been property of my family for more than a hundred years, and my grandfather and my grand-grand-father have both hunted on the area around it. This explains why I find my fox special enough to be stuffed! It is a lot more personal than a fox from Ebay. Cheers, Louis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest oldskool Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 hows this for a professional job :11: ... he says its one for cuddlywuddly :11: .. fecksake i would be too embarassed to sell that http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Realy-Old-Stuffed-Fo...tem250060153816 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JOEB Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Hello Joeb, The fox wasn't shot by me, but I participated in the hunt as a beater. This hunt is organized by my uncle, who has a house on the hunting ground, called "Het Ossenbroek". This house has been property of my family for more than a hundred years, and my grandfather and my grand-grand-father have both hunted on the area around it. This explains why I find my fox special enough to be stuffed! It is a lot more personal than a fox from Ebay. Cheers, Louis OK Louis :thumbs-up: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 I'm not sure how I want the plaque to look: round or 'pointed'? I think I'd prefer a round plaque, like the ones on which you put the teeth of a wild boar. What would you do? If You'd prefer a Round plaque, then a round one it shall be, my friend. To hell with what anyone else thinks or would chosse to do. It's going on your wall. Not theirs Couple of hundred Euro's is spot on for price too. No worries there. Regards the time? That's perfectly in order. First he has to simply get around to it ~ he'll have other peoples Commisions to get through, obviously. He'll skin it out in minutes, of course. But then it'll need Fleshing, pickling, tanning ..... Tanning alone may take a week or two, ye see? Then he needs to actually Mount it. Then there's the drying period. There's a Lot of work involved. And a lot of time he simply has to allow it to hang there, on his own wall ~ funnily enough. But, that way, he ensures you recieve something you'll be happy with. And He'll be happy to know you are proudly pointing out to all and sundry as His work. That's how reputations are made: Doing it Right. And doing it right is Not a rushed job Oldskool; Frightening, some of the rubbish we see on the Bay, eh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stabs 3 Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 ] I always wanted to get some done, but never did. I still have the skulls of my black bitches first three foxes Did you boil em down or just let them rot off mate?......... Lopped em' off with a victorinox multi-tool and them buried them in my veggie patch Give it a while them dig em' up and a drop of bleach Got these fellas on my welsh dresser ps. the reason I'm holding it so high is to stop the terrier grabbing hold when she was jumping up :11: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JOEB Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Good piccys mate...........by golly your looking young in them, must of been a while back :11: JOEB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stabs 3 Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 Yep it was....I had hair! :11: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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