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Locked at Lac Seul
Dryden Deer

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All Canada
NOTO

Fish and game mounts don't always conjure thoughts of high-tech design. But longtime All-Canada Show sponsor Hawkins Taxidermy and Perma Trophy Fish Replicas, has been a quiet leader in revolutionizing the industry and conserving the resource.

Founded in 1909, the company has grown through four generations to become Canada's largest taxidermist and fish replica specialists.

It used to be that remembering your trophy was pretty straightforward: catch the fish, freeze the fish, and take it to the taxidermist. Not anymore. Today, thanks to technology implemented by Perma Trophy a Hawkins subsidiary based in North Dakota, anglers have spectacular mounts to hang on the wall, and the trophy fish can swim free.

Prior to the 1960s, traditional skin mounts were plaster-based. Because the process made it difficult to form an accurate body, second-generation Ken Hawkins began experimenting with a variety of materials. The result was a hand carved, high-density foam - a museum-quality method that is the standard for the industry today. Because it reduced the weight of the mount by up to 90 percent, it made shipping much more economical.

In the '70s, Ken's son-in-law and current owner, Dennis Deegan, entered the picture. Hawkins again helped revolutionize the industry by using foam-injected taxidermy manikins, which allowed the company to produce custom forms ranging from deer to life-size polar bears.

At the same time, Canada's fisheries were beginning to feel the effects of increased angling. Hawkins adopted an alternative service: the Perma Trophy. The artificial mount didn't require killing a trophy fish, since photos and measurements were all that were needed to make a mount.

"That was our greatest challenge," said Dennis. "Many people thought I was crazy, but after a bit of research, we came up with a very realistic reproduction."

Perma Trophies are not produced and sold at will. Today, a Perma Trophy mount can fool even a trained eye, and the artificial mounts are a popular commodity.

"Replicas have been a growing part of our fish business," said Deegan's son, Damien, who recently joined the company full-time. Currently, about 60 percent of Hawkins fish mounts are replicas; the remainder are skin mounts.

"For traditional mounts, we prefer the fish unskinned," said Damien. He recommends shipping the fish frozen, wrapped in plastic (if possible). Be sure to include your fishing license number with each fish. For best results, insulate the shipping container with newspaper or similar material. Pack it tight to prevent movement - poor packaging can result in damaged tails or fins.

A Perma Trophy mount is an entirely different process altogether. "First, we want anglers to know how to handle a fish that's going to be released," said Damien. "After all, the main purpose for a replica is to release a healthy fish." Perma Trophy requires length and approximate girth measurements for accurate dimensions, as well as a picture of the fish or a statement of which lodge the fish was caught at.

"If there's a significant feature, like an abnormal color or pattern, the angler should include a note or photo of the abnormality along with the rest of the information," said Damien.