Gone to taxidermy school?

nmwapiti · Apr 29, 2011

I know there are several schools in the country. Has anyone been to one and started a business and been successful? I know that just like many other trades, working in a shop and learning from the ground up is the best way to go. Not an option in my case. Just curious if anyone has attended and if so, what are your comments, good or bad. I want to eventually move to a rural area where jobs are hard to find and was thinking this might be an option for me.

1911 · Apr 29, 2011

I would suspect taxidermy is a difficult craft to get into and actually make money. Not impossible but difficult. As with any craft, it is equally about an artistic hand and eye as it is mechanics.

With that said, the best of them I am familiar with learned to master the art in some sort of apprenticeship in addition to any formal trade school they might have gone to. After mastering the art of this craft, it may still take many many years to build a client base off that reputation, to the point you can charge enough for your work to make any substantial living at it.

If you are serious about doing it, I would think time spent making peanuts in an apprenticeship would all be part of the dues you must pay to get to where you really want to be. That said I don't personally know the first thing about taxidermy other than paying someone to do it for me. There is a reason that such a strong distinction exists between lousy taxidermists, so so taxidermists, and professional master taxidermists. As with any craft, it takes much less skill to be a critic than an artist.

opbuckslayer · Apr 30, 2011

My father-in-law just finished a week of one on one training with Troy Rose of Artistic Taxidermy in northern Idaho. I think it was 1200 bucks for the week which includes room and board. He had nothing but good things to say about Troy and his setup in Idaho. You can read his review on his web site. He is looking forward to doing another week next year to further his skills. I will say it does take a artistic eye and meticulous person to be good at it. Check Troy's operation out and good luck to you.