Same here.

A field biologist/bird watcher/professional photographer changed my perspective after my wife and I were invited over for dinner. I was much more impressed with his waterfowl photographs than Iwould be with a stuffed dead bird I killed on a hunt.

Most impressive mounts I've ever seen was a collection of South American Arachnids pinned on velvet in flat display cases. The Giant Bird Eating Spider was the piece de resistance.

Spiders don't typically bother me or my wife, In the summer, we see tarantulas walking around most days and scoot them off the road and fish them out of the pool several times a week. We find them in the garages and house once or twice during the summer and they get scooped up and put outside. If the same situations occurred with Giant Bird Eaters, I'd move. If a cat was analogous to a tarantula, a Giant Bird Eater would be a tiger. Their size, the speed of the live specimen he kept chasing and killing an adult rat, was impressive. to put it mildly.

A mounted specimen would get a heck of a lot of attention for sure

I lived in the Amazon for a time. Never saw a giant bird eater but i saw enough 5" scorpions and bushmasters for a lifetime. Saw a jaguar too. Most things would prefer to kill you down there.

1, Cinnamon Teal
2, Bull Can
3, Black Duck

Bull sprigs are my favorite.

I've got 1 and 3 and 2 is tops on the wish list

I'm not into mounts but that BW is a work of art.

Any of the great aerial hunters and a few of the more colorful ducks!

But my weapon of choice for taking those would be a camera and hang the pic on the wall.

Whooping crane

Got 2/3 top trophy birds today. Don’t think I’ll be getting the king eider here in Tx...,

Nice storm.




And a bpr that I’ve been watching on the farm for over a week. Had it swing inside 60 yds twice and passed. First small group today and Bazinga.

The one I regret eating and not getting mounted is a Black Mallard I killed while in College.

1) Spooney
2) Widgon
3) Mallard

THIS RIGHT HERE!!!

I have a pintail drake, hoodie, GWT and a red head on the wall.

Shot a cinnamon deal but got the hen instead of the drake.

In south Texas we don’t get many mallards, so on of those and a big canvasback are the two I want on the wall next.

Cinnamon Teal
Harlequin
Eider

Heres my pride and joy duck taxidermy! King and Cinnamon would round out my top 3!

My favorite is my Bufflehead

Of the duck species I've taken before in this area, my next ones to mount if I ever get good ones are gonna be:

1. Widgeon
2. Pintail

Of course if I happen to drop something rare like a cinnamon teal or maybe a decked out blue wing late in the season, then those would go to #1.

I was stationed in VA for many years in the USN and I always tried for the permits for these in both VA and NC. Got my share of permits and took a few. Tundra Swan. This one is a juvenile I shot for the pot. Something about a flock of birds all weighing over 20 lbs coming into the dekes was special.



Never mounted one, but to me they would be the top bird. I do have a Goldeneye drake and Woodie drake mounted though.

1. Pintail Drake
2. Wood Duck Drake
3. Mallard Drake

If Mandarin ducks ever make a showing in North America again, then I would have to ad a drake to my list.

Those are beautiful, Trozacky.

Scouting a farm pond that I'm taking my son to for his first hunt and there is a drake canvasback on the water. I hope he comes back Saturday!

double breasted bed thrasher

nothing beats a whooping crane, preferably with a transmitter