Weyburn taxidermist Steve Von Hagen had a good reason for finishing in third place at the World Taxidermy Championships held recently in Springfield, Illinois - he used his head.
The head, belonging to a mountain caribou he took himself six years ago while hunting in the Yukon with former Weyburn resident Jeff Ginter, won the bronze in the Large Game Head category in the Masters Division. Von Hagen's entry in the prestigious biennial event, which involved over 2,000 participants, was among a total of 630 entries from 29 countries around the world.
While the size alone of the mount is impressive, it was the small touches that may have earned him his placing in the top three.
"It's the subtle stuff that becomes more pleasing to the eye," Von Hagen said, pointing out various minute details in the massive mount's presentation and design.
"That's all part of the learning curve once you get up into that level."
The caribou is presented in a setting that simulates its natural habitat, complete with mossy ground cover, a fir tree and a large grey Precambrian rock. While there are some subtle colour combinations such as white cotton grass to match the white fur lining the neck and red berries to accentuate the raking of velvet from the animal's antlers, the rock also bears an artistic touch in the form of some Inuit carvings - Von Hagen's effort to symbolize the importance of the caribou to their society.
Von Hagen, a full-time employee of PanCanadian Petroleum, produces approximately 100 pieces a year through his Tundra Taxidermy business, although he describes it more accurately as a hobby. And his hobby is taking off: he will be doing some work in the near future with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina and has been approached by the World Wildlife Museum in California as well.
His next goal is the Canadian National Taxidermy Championship in Toronto next month, a competition he has appeared in before.
While he has benefited from annual private tutoring from champion taxidermists, Von Hagen credits his success primarily to his employers.
"I've been fortunate that they've allowed me flexible working hours to allow me to participate in this," he said of his recent top-three world performance. "Without them I'd never have been able to go."
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