XT Taxidermy

09/16/2023

Been a while, but I’m finally getting back into getting some birds done now that things have settled down a bit. This bird is special - done for a close friend of mine who got me into hunting and has been a great hunting buddy. He took me out a bunch my first couple years duck hunting and it was with him that I got my first birds. Glad I could repay you by doing up a beauty Wood Duck for ya!

08/21/2022

First time I've had a Wood Duck mount successfully!

They're such beautiful birds, but they can be very finnicky. They have very thin skin and shed feathers really easily; if they aren't fully plumed and in near perfect condition, it makes for a very difficult bird to mount. But when they turn out, they turn out so nice!

Looking forward to mounting more of these beauties in the future!

07/08/2022

Being a novice taxidermist, I've tried to avoid working on birds that had a lot of value to the clients in case I messed it up somehow. So when a client who I had done work for before told me he wanted me to do his prized Northern Pintail, I was both flattered that he trusted me to do a good job and nervous because this was the most pressure on a bird I've had to deal with before.

In Ontario, we don't see too many Northern Pintails that are fully plumed, mature birds let alone are able to get such a rarity in our first year of hunting which was the case with this client; he harvested this bird in his first year of duck hunting and with a single shot, hence why this was such a special bird for him.

That being said, I am super proud of how the mount turned out and can honestly say that this is by far the best work I've produced. It really shows the difference between working on a mature, fully plumed bird with little to no damage compared to some of the rougher birds I've worked with in the past. Big thanks to the owner of this beautiful mount for trusting me with such a special piece and for helping inspire me to work on bigger and better pieces!

07/05/2022

A Mallard Drake finished up and sent home recently. Pretty shot up head and wing, but it was a banded bird with a previous shot hole in its banded leg so the owner wanted it mounted up.

04/05/2022

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been without work! A busy weekend got me caught up on having all birds fleshed and ready to wash! After washing, they just need to be dried and they’re ready for mounting. If you have a bird with me, they’re getting close to done 🙂

One of my favourite parts is painting the artificial heads. Using an artificial head helps keep a more “alive” look as the real head shrinks and loses color over time. This pic really shows the difference between one of our smallest and one of our largest waterfowl species! Bonus points if you know what they all are!

Look forward to posts coming soon of completed mounts 🙂

08/13/2021

Hello all!

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to work on some birds, but here’s my latest completion: a Drake Mallard in a cupped wings pose. Tough position to wire but it turned out great!!

Forgive the awkward photos; I realized I didn’t have any photos of this mount moments before I gave it to the owner! Also ignore the plywood, that was only for safe transporting :)

03/31/2021

03/31/2021

Hello friends!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I've started to make headway on some mounts and am getting some complete and sent home!

As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect; and I can certainly see an improvement in these birds from my first few birds! These are the first mounts I've painted the beak and legs myself, and it's clear that they make quite a difference in the end result. Also spent more time drying and washing which provides a much nicer end product.

I want to make a huge shout out to the people that have helped me get here by offering me birds to mount for them; I couldn't have done it without your help and support! (You know who you are, don't want to name drop!). And an extra special shout out to my lovely fiancé who has been so patient and supportive during this taxidermy escapade, especially now that I'm slowly expanding into working in the living room! haha

Feel free to contact me about anything Taxidermy related, watch in the coming weeks for more completed mounts!

09/02/2020

Hello to all of my friends and followers!

With waterfowl season now under way, I’d like to take this time to promote a special for the season.

For a limited time, all taxidermy requested from me will only cost the cost of materials! That’s right, you can get yourself a quality mount for as little as $50! This won’t last forever, so feel free to contact me if you have something you want taxidermized!

Thanks to all of my friends and followers for helping spread my page!

08/18/2020