If you have ever been interested in the art of taxidermy, or are thinking about a rewarding career change, taxidermy classes should be your first step.

Taxidermy classes can vary in length from a one week basic course on one aspect of taxidermy such as Deer shoulder mounts, up to a longer curriculum course covering everything, including Life size mounts, Birds, Fish and more. These longer taxidermy classes are geared toward the person who wants to learn a broad range of taxidermy techniques and are probably interested in starting their own successful taxidermy business.

Here at Second Nature School of Taxidermy, we offer several course options with something for everyone.

The first is our One Week Game Head Course where you can learn the proper techniques for mounting and finishing Deer shoulder mounts.

If you want to include a little more variety, you might want to look at our Two Week Mammal Course, in which you can mount 3 shoulder mounts as well as a full body mount that includes a realistic habitat base.

For those students who are looking for a full spectrum course that covers the above subjects as well as Birds, Fish, Rugs and Antler Plaques, then our Five Week Full Course would be your best option.

In addition to the hands on aspect of commercial taxidermy, we also include our business and marketing seminar, which has been designed to give our students an edge over the competition when starting their business. In this segment we discuss such topics as pricing your work, record keeping and marketing yourself and your service.

Our taxidermy classes are perfect for the beginner taxidermist, as well as experienced taxidermists who want to improve the quality of their work.

Taxidermy has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years and has outgrown that good ole boy image that was associated with taxidermists for so long. You know the image I’m describing… the illiterate character in bib overalls with a cheek full of chew, standing next to a hand painted sign that says “taxadurmy”.

This character was often portrayed holding onto some unrecognizable animal surrounded by buzzing flies!  Not anymore. Taxidermy can be a very lucrative and profitable business.

Sportsmen have more disposable income in this day and age than at any other time in history, and they are spending record amounts of that income on quality taxidermy. During our taxidermy classes we also discuss your options for tanning. Tanning, whether done “in house” or by a commercial tannery is a very important part of the taxidermy business.

The art of modern taxidermy wouldn’t be where it is today without the evolution of tanning, which is the preservation of skins. I imagine that tanning must have gotten its start back in caveman times when skins had to be preserved for clothing. Its likely that the preservation of raw skins in those days was accomplished by using the natural tannins found in tree bark and other plants, and smoke from campfires.

Today’s modern tan is no longer a mere preservative, but a multi stage process that changes the molecular structure deep inside the layers of skin making it virtually impervious to the ravages of time. This new improved method of preserving skins along with the development of anatomically correct forms or manikins made from urethane foam has made the art of taxidermy a booming business in the 21st century. These urethane forms are quite an advanced product compared to the old paper and excelsior forms that were standard in the industry for years, and they come in thousands of sizes and poses to fit almost any animal or fish. In the hands of a competent wildlife artist, they can easily be altered for custom poses.

We invite you to further explore our website for more information on our taxidermy classes, and to contact us if you have any questions.