All of these dead animals – the duck, the timber rattlesnake, even the raccoon posed knee-deep in water – are fine works of art here.

“You can get elaborate on everything you do,” taxidermist Rick Starostki said.

Starostki and his buddies spent the weekend at the annual Kansas Association of Taxidermists Convention and Competition, where people who stuff animals for a living talk shop and swap tips about the art of making deceased animals look alive again.

This weekend marked the 24th annual convention where judges from across the country gauge the work of taxidermists from the Midwest. They hand out bunches of awards based on the likeness, scenery and, of course, artistic impression.

And let these guys tell you, it’s not just slapping a skin around a plastic cast and handing it back to the hunter who killed it.

“Mostly, it’s about the job we did,” said Jim Keller, the association’s president. “Whether it’s anatomically correct, what pose it’s in, scenery, all that.”

The men hovering around a table Saturday afternoon at the Lawrence Holidome take pride in the animals they preserve, and they’ve done them all.

Keller talked about preserving everything from deer to lions. You never know what someone is going to want to take home as a trophy, so the guys here have to be prepared to do anything.

Brendan Conner, 7 of Lawrence, walks past a lion from A Natural Creation in Bolivar, Mo. during the Kansas Association of Taxidermists State Championships. The weekend long event was held at the Holiday Inn. The Lion took third place in the pro division of this year's championship.

“The only thing I don’t do are snakes and skunks,” Belton, Mo.-based taxidermist Steve Morris said.

But the snakes were out on display this weekend. A timber rattlesnake won a blue ribbon in the master class – the highest level a taxidermist can achieve.

Judge Kenneth Bauman walked down the aisles, examining everything from overall presentation down to the feathers and scales of the entrants.

The rattlesnake, he said, was a gem. Mike Beckman’s award-winning reptile sat on a rock-and-sand display and appeared caught – like a photograph – in midslither.

“You judge everything against nature,” Bauman said.

And against their own work. The judges here were no slouches when it comes to animals looking realistic, as they are the same people who designed the Aflac duck and many other movie and television animals.

For people who prize these preserved critters, the closer they look to real life the better.

And that’s where the art comes in, Keller said.

When he gets an animal, whether mundane or exotic, he researches habitat, poses, even limb measurements to get the animal to look as lifelike as possible.

Chris Rickard, Tonganoxie, takes a picture of an awarding winning buck mount during the Kansas Association of Taxidermists State Championships. The weekend long event was held at the Holiday Inn.

“They’re going to be better looking than the ones that are still alive,” he quipped.

Chris Rickard drove from Tonganoxie when the event opened to the public Sunday. He browsed the displays, taking photos and picking up tips for his own taxidermy hobby.

“I look forward to this every year,” he said. “You can’t get this kind of education anywhere else.”

His practice is just coming along, he said. Looking around at the contest displays from pros all over the area, he could see that the quality – the art – is coming along as well.

“This was our best show as far as quality,” Rickard said.