5 WEEK COURSE DESCRIPTION

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Bobcat on a Limb Mount

Student Kevin Norman from Utah mounted this nice life size Bobcat

The above video explains how to choose poses, turns and custom display options for Whitetail Deer.

Click the icons in the screen to play and enlarge the video screen. Enjoy!

Missoula has a population of nearly 70,000 and is home to the University of Montana. Hunting and Fishing opportunities are only minutes away with many other activities to fill your leisure time. Hiking, Rafting, Snowmobiling, Skiing, Local Outdoor Rifle Range and Video Archery Shoots.

Deer, Elk, Bear, Trout, Bass, Pike, the Missoula area has it all, and is home to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Boone and Crockett club headquarters.

Imagine fishing the Blackfoot River during your lunch hour or after school, fishing at Seeley Lake or Flathead Lake on weekends. Missoula has something for everyone.

FULL COURSE

200 Hours Total

2 birds Both standing and flying positions. Habitat base or wall mount.
2 fish You will be prepping and painting two Reproduction fish, the industry standard.
2 gameheads Shoulder mounts are a big part of every taxidermist's business. Learn the techniques that will put you ahead of the competition.
2 lifesize Mount your lifesize together with one or more of your other class projects for an exciting multiple piece diorama.
1 rug One open mouth rug of your choice.
1 horn plaque A customer favorite.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

The most often asked question I get from prospective students is, “Can I really learn much about taxidermy in only five weeks?" The answer is YES, it’s possible to learn a good working knowledge and understanding of taxidermy, and cover enough material in 5 weeks to allow you to open a shop and start making money at it. And that’s exactly what most of our graduates do!

Some taxidermy schools have curriculums that last up to nine months.

But let’s be realistic here.

Do you want to spend 9 months and many thousands of dollars studying anatomy, form making, tanning and taking tests? Or do you want to learn a good working knowledge of taxidermy and open your door for business and start recouping your investment?

Taxidermy may include tanning, sculpting, molding and casting your own forms. These are areas you may want to explore at some point, but they are not necessary tools you need to open for business.

Most successful commercial taxidermists do not employ these techniques, they are too busy doing taxidermy to tan their own hides and sculpt their own forms.

Every industry sub-contracts for some part of their work. The mechanic who works on your car does tune ups, brake work, etc… but he doesn’t manufacture the parts he uses.

He’s too busy doing what he does best and earning a living at it.

Time is money!

Why spend your valuable time tanning and shaving hides when there are good commercial tanneries out there. Why cast and sculpt your own forms when you can order them from a catalog. In the time it takes to self tan a skin, and create your own form, you could do a dozen mounts and be paying the bills.

Another comment I’ve heard often is “The best way to learn taxidermy is with one on one instruction.” That may be fine if your interested in learning one aspect of taxidermy such as Whitetail Deer heads for example.

I believe that the more options, recipes, problems and solutions that you are exposed to, the better off you will be when you're out on your own. Being in a class with 5 other students who are doing mounts different from yours is going to expose you to infinitely more options. I have asked dozens of former students who have their own taxidermy businesses if they thought that they would have learned more with a one on one instructor.

All of them believe that their exposure to such a broad spectrum of options was a huge factor in their success.

There are more and more taxidermists around the country anymore that are trying to cash in by offering specialty training. That is, workshops and seminars in specific areas of taxidermy. Training in specific areas of taxidermy such as game heads, or birds, or fish etc… is fine if your interested in specializing in that one area.

If you want to go into taxidermy as a full service business, then its best to attend a full curriculum school, absorb as much general knowledge as you can, and then later attend a seminar or workshop on specific areas to fine tune your skills if needed.

Remember that not everyone offering training is necessarily qualified to teach, so its up to you to do your own homework. Choose a school with a good track record and a good number of years in business.

Second Nature School of Taxidermy is not merely a “taxidermy workshop” or “taxidermy seminar“, but a real Taxidermy School committed to doing the best we can for you!

We not only teach you step by step, practical techniques, we also concentrate on the artistic aspect of the industry. Let us teach you the art of creating beautiful mounts and habitat scenes that will have your customers coming back for more!

Sincerely,