Let me first say that the views and statements expressed in this article are

my own, and in no way reflect the views of Breakthrough Magazine, nor should they be related to any taxidermy supply company, sculptor or taxidermist. Although I am critical of "experts," let me be the first to publicly point out that even though I have pushed enough clay to re-pave a fair stretch of Interstate 80, of the two-thousand-plus models I've worked on, I cannot produce a photo of the "perfect" mannikin. This includes the model I finished yesterday. To say that no human will ever produce the "perfect" mount goes without question. However, leaning on this profound statement should not allow for the mother of all cop-outs and allow all to feel comfortable with their interpretations. Regardless of the skill level achieved, there is always room for improvement.

Why must I be so critical of the "experts?" After all, they represent the best of the best taxidermy has to offer. They are, after all, leading the industry on its present course, that being higher standards. Ahhh, therein lies the rub! Because these individuals are dictating pose, attitudes of lips, eyes, nostrils, ears and other areas of anatomy, they are having a profound effect on the outcome of every competition. Because every individual has an opinion of what is "correct" (and these opinions vary greatly), it is little wonder that confusion has taken over where true, common sense answers should be easy to come by. Taxidermists look to these high-ranking individuals for the "correct" answers. The competition taxidermist invests hundreds of hours and healthy chunks of change to participate in competitions. He or she deserves to be judged by a well-versed individual. The present system of finding qualified individuals does not provide for such a person. A couple of blue ribbons and twenty-five dollars does not make a person qualified to judge. Even following another blue ribbon winner around the competition floor to learn to spot the flaw is no qualification. All that is accomplished by this method is to perpetuate the erroneous opinions of the original judge...

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