Shelby’s Taxidermy

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Shelby’s Taxidermy Offering taxidermy services on big game, small mammals, waterfowl, upland birds and raptors. Contact for more info

Hey guys! The merrickville gun and militaria show is this coming weekend (May 31st) at the merrickville community centre...
29/05/2025

Hey guys! The merrickville gun and militaria show is this coming weekend (May 31st) at the merrickville community centre from 8am-2pm. I won’t be there in person or have as big of a setup as last year but I will have a small setup with a few pieces to look at and my contact info for any taxidermy related questions! You can reach me on here, email, call/text, carrier pigeon 🤣 etc…
I won’t be there in person either for the whole show but you might catch me near the end when I come to pick up my stuff.
And because I know I’ll get asked a bunch, no I’m not offering taxidermy classes but will be more than glad to refer you to someone who does!!!
And to those of you still after those damn thunder chickens (aka me) giver hell till the very end! Best of luck!

Two of my favourite pieces to date! A nice fisher and pine marten. The two are often confused for each other when seen o...
17/05/2025

Two of my favourite pieces to date! A nice fisher and pine marten. The two are often confused for each other when seen out in the bush so this is a pretty good comparison! Although they can both vary in size quite a bit (this is an average sized marten and a smaller than average fisher in my opinion).
Always wanted to do this pose for a pine marten (by far my favorite critter to mount!).

First off, with my current back log being longer than I would like, spring bears and turkeys might be on a case by case ...
24/04/2025

First off, with my current back log being longer than I would like, spring bears and turkeys might be on a case by case basis! (Just check in with me first please) But these tips I’m going to give you are a good tool to follow and any taxidermist will thank you for it!
First off with your turkeys, for a full mount, you’ll want to bring the entire bird in unskinned. If it’s not possible to coordinate a drop off the same day while the bird is fresh, you will want to freeze it whole. You can remove the tail to help save some space in the freezer but also to help protect it from being damaged. If the bird is wet, it’s not necessary to dry it. If it’s dirty, it’s not necessary to clean it. It will go through a thorough washing anyways. And you will still get your meat back! Bag it in a good quality garbage bag and remove as much air as possible.

For tail mounts, all you need to bring in is the tail, legs if you want to include those/spurs and the beard as well.

For the feather frames. The bird doesn’t need to come in whole! It can be skinned out any way you’d like. That won’t affect how the mount is done. But do bring in the tail and wings as well.

Bears! PLEASE PLEASE have a plan in place for these guys before you even go on the hunt. Trying to skin a bear in the dark without some sort of idea on how to do it is just asking for trouble! You guys are more than welcome to call/text/message me and I’ll help you out with this the best I can!
For rugs, follow the diagram that will be posted below. Use a sharp knife! Keep the head still attached to the hide (disconnect at the back of the head) and keep the paws attached as well (disconnect at the wrist). Since rugs are priced by the foot, it would be wise to measure it from nose to tail before freezing so you have atleast a good idea on a price before hand. This also applies for a lifesize bear. Try keeping your cuts as symmetrical as possible as well!

For 1/2 mounts, if you can tube the bear as you would a deer, that is ideal! Especially if a bear has thin hair on the belly area, that is difficult to sew and hide convincingly, I might be good but I’m not a magician!😂 if you’re certain on doing a 1/2 mount, you can also do a dorsal cut which is splitting it down the centre of the back. Also keep the head and paws attached for this. And keep everything from the centre of the stomach forward. And if you’re still not sure, just bring the whole hide!

For a shoulder mount bear, tube it as well if possible. Keep the head still attached to the hide. You do need more hide than you’d think for this so I do recommend you bring in everything from the back of the front legs forward to be safe!
Most of the time, people aren’t really sure what mount style they’d like initially so then I recommend it be skinned for a rug so everything is there and any mount style is doable with some sewing.

THINGS TO NOT DO!
Don’t hang your bear by the neck
Don’t drag your bear by the neck
If you’re using a fourwheeler to drag it out, put something underneath it to prevent hair loss, a tarp, a sled, you’re favorite jacket anything is better than nothing!
For freezing, roll the bear up but keep the head on the outside. Do not wrap the hide around the head. With large bears especially, it takes awhile for them to thaw and this can cause slippage on the face.
Do not leave large chunks of meat still on the hide.
Bear hides are much more delicate than that of a deer. You don’t have as much leeway and slippage can begin quicker especially in the warmer weather, get that skin cooled down asap!

Anyone going on any out of province hunts or backcountry hunts that need to completely skin out the bear and potentially have to salt it in the field. Please message me for some directions on measurements to take before skinning and how to split and turn the face (although an outfitter “should” be able to help you with this).

* I’m not offering just hide tanning as of yet so for any requests about that, I can give you the names of some people/tanneries that do offer it!
* I can also pull the premolars for you if you want to send them to the ministry to have your bear aged!

My forgetful mind is likely missing something so if you have any questions. Shoot me a message please! Hopefully this info is helpful too.

Best of luck to everyone this spring, shoot straight, enjoy your time spent in the outdoors with family and friends and just have a damn good ol’ time doing it!!👌👌

Hey guys! Long time no post!I’ll make this in multiple posts so it’s easier for people to follow, lots to cover with spr...
23/04/2025

Hey guys! Long time no post!
I’ll make this in multiple posts so it’s easier for people to follow, lots to cover with spring seasons about to open up and give you guys my annual psa.
First off, some of you have been asking about the old black dog when stopping by. He is no longer with us unfortunately but he absolutely loved you all, especially those of you that brought your kids along. It 100% made his day every single time❤️ the greeter will be missed!

Second, for those of you that aren’t on my personal page and haven’t seen my post about the annual taxidermy competition held at the sportsmanshow this past March, here’s a quick recap!! As always, it was a damn hoot! So nice to catch up with some friends from what feels like far far away and make new ones as well.
I entered 4 pieces this year. A whitetail shoulder mount (customer piece) which took second in its category and the best whitetail award in its category. Lifesize lynx which took first and best of class in its category, first for the habitat and the best small mammal award in its category. A shoulder mount cottontail which took second in its category and a shoulder mount fallow deer (customer piece) which took third in the masters category!
Forever thankful and forever grateful for the man who made all of this possible, my mentor and friend, Kevin Hockley (I can’t tag you for some reason!). Like I always say, I wouldn’t be where I am today without all your help and guidance!
And for those of you looking to take taxidermy lessons of any kind, he’s the man to call!Absolutely hands down without a doubt👌
And to all my customer who trust me with their critters!!
Following post will be info regarding field care for your spring bears and turkeys! Here’s some show pictures to check out👌

19/12/2024

Hey everyone! To avoid any reallllly long turn around times, I’m currently full for taking in more waterfowl this season! If I’ve spoken to you about bringing more in, don’t worry about it, you’ve still got your spot!
Otherwise I’d recommend people to hold onto their birds or I can recommend others to take them to as well! If you need tips to prep your bird for an extended time in the freezer, please give me a shout! Otherwise books are still open for everything else.

A psa that I need to mentioned often, I DO NOT offer taxidermy services on pet dogs or cats but will be happy to recommend someone who can!

Deer season is nearing the end but anyone who harvests a deer and needs tips for skinning for a mount, please give me a shout! It’s very simple to do but easy to overthink, I’m happy to help out!

Thanks everyone for the busy season so far! I appreciate you all and met lots of new faces and heard new stories this year👌 one of the best parts of this job.

Hope all you guys have a very Merry Christmas and even better New Year👌

21/11/2024

Hey guys! I’m back from an extended deer hunt and have been working on skinning deer out as they come in. I received a crap load of messages while I was gone and have been reaching back out since I’ve gotten home. If you have not heard back from me yet, please reach out either on here, by text or by phone (but leave a message if I miss it). Not all phone calls went through while I was gone and some voicemails came in days later so just wanted to make sure I get back to everyone!
Thanks a whole bunch, thanks for your patience and good luck to those still out hunting!😁👌

I wish I took more “before” photos of this bear mount but I didn’t expect to go this far with it. The before photos don’...
01/11/2024

I wish I took more “before” photos of this bear mount but I didn’t expect to go this far with it.
The before photos don’t even do it justice for how bad it actually was! Long story short, this bear was originally mounted in 2017 and had started pulling away from the eye, lips and around the artificial nose. The fur itself looked to be sticky so it needed a bath. It’s not something you should really have to do but you should be able to wash a piece like this without issue. After washing and blow drying (about 30mins) the hide started to pucker which is unusual. Turns out there was no hide paste used on this mount and the skin far too thick! Many more issues than that but we’ll just leave it there. This mount was NOT originally done by me but another very well known taxidermist who I will not name.
The bear was remounted on the same form (as the leather has memory to it), the skin re-shaved, ears re done, reused original glass eyes and artificial nose and added hide paste!!Thankfully the bear turned out better than expected and will actually last for the customer!

Many customers I talked to this week are just not ready for gun season starting on Monday (myself included) maybe these ...
01/11/2024

Many customers I talked to this week are just not ready for gun season starting on Monday (myself included) maybe these deer mount pics will help yas out!

23/10/2024

Hey guys! With whitetail season about to be in full swing in the next couple of weeks, I will be in need of spare capes! If you shoot a buck and don’t want it mounted, I will gladly take the cape!
What are spare capes used for? Many reasons!
If a cape is cut too short
Excessive damage from dragging out
Hair slippage
Re- mounts etc….!
Last season I used all the spares I had and will be looking for more. I would ask that the head not be skinned out so I can do that myself and the antlers will be returned back to you!
Please don’t hang deer by the neck.
Rip too far up the brisket
Keep everything from the center of the stomach forward and the knee on the front legs up!
Skin down as far down the neck as you can (disconnect at the back of the head if possible).

Since hats for hides are not local anymore, this is a great way to make use of your cape vs tossing it out. Help others get that nice deer mount back!😁

I’ve said this many times before but it can never be said enough, please PLEASE shoot me a text/call if you’re unsure about skinning out a deer, there’s no stupid questions. If I’m not available, YouTube is a great resource. I’d much rather you ask vs needing a replacement cape yourself. 👌

Hey guys! Just a heads up that I will not be available for drop offs this weekend. Early saturday the 19th till Monday l...
17/10/2024

Hey guys! Just a heads up that I will not be available for drop offs this weekend. Early saturday the 19th till Monday late afternoon. If there’s anything urgent that needs to be dropped off, I can organize to have it put in a spare freezer till I get back. I will still have cell reception so call, text and Facebook works if anyone has any questions😁
Here’s a recently finished bear rug to check out

Second post with mount photos over the summer! Enjoy👌
03/10/2024

Second post with mount photos over the summer! Enjoy👌

Hey guys! Long time no post!This will be a two parter starting with my annual psa since hunting seasons are opening up a...
03/10/2024

Hey guys! Long time no post!
This will be a two parter starting with my annual psa since hunting seasons are opening up all across the province.

First off with the birds, if you are looking to shoot birds that are taxidermy quality, this is not the time of the year to do it unfortunately. All birds do this thing called “moulting” where they lose old feathers and replace with new, that process is rarely finished by this time of the year. You could get lucky with a mature early season wood duck but that’s about it! For good quality birds, you really want to focus on that around end of October roughly.
I will inspect every bird before committing to doing the piece, good up close photos are helpful but I can never say for certain unless I see the bird in person. I will also set a cap on birds this season. Once I hit that quota I will ask you to hold onto the bird until I’m able to get caught up some or recommend you to someone else if needed. Last season I bit off more than I could chew with the birds which ultimately led me to getting behind on everything else!

Large game like deer, bear and moose. I can’t stress this enough, please please have a skinning plan in place before the hunt! Last year I had many botched skinning jobs primarily with deer. I sympathize with new hunters who ultimately just don’t know or don’t have any one to show them and mistakes happen, but for the veterans out there, caping a deer is a very simple task! I understand situations can differ whether it’s late in the day, a rush for whatever reason but that’s when the mistakes happen. Slow down, take your time and refer to the digfam below and if you’re still unsure, please give me a call and I’ll try my best to walk you through it over the phone. Please do not rip the deer up the back (unless it was done by an outfitter) and absolutely do not cut the throat on your deer! This season, anything that comes in with unnecessary cuts such as those will be subject to extra charge and will be gone over at drop off.
I have zero issue with giving any of you guys advice on this, it makes it easier on me and ultimately gives you a way better mount in the end, it’s a win win!!! For the cape, keep everything from the Center of the stomach forward and from the middle of the front leg and up! If you’re still unsure, bring the entire cape in😁

Do not drag your deer/bear behind a fourwheeler without some sort of protection underneath it. Do not hang your deer/bear from around the neck.

For bears, please refer to the diagram below for skinning out for a rug. Care needs to be taken when doing this as symmetry is important for a nice finished product. If you are not planning on doing a rug but maybe a shoulder mount or 1/2 mount instead, skin it as if it were a deer.

I will have a spare freezer set up here for drop off while I’m gone hunting which will be approximately from nov. 2nd to the 9th. If it ends up being too warm to hang and you don’t have freezer room. You’re welcome to bring it here.

Please be mindful of ticks this season. It’s not the ones you see that you need to worry about. If this is any example of the resilience of ticks, last season I left my personal deer cape to hang in my wood shed for a week (no carcass)….it was still dripping with tiny ticks after that time.

I also do not offer any skull work/euros but I’d be happy to refer you to those who do depending on your area😁

All that said, please be safe this season, shoot straight and have a fricken blast(pun intended?)!!! Do not hesitate to call me if you need any help, I don’t believe in stupid questions. I’d much rather you ask and get things right than end up being disappointed!

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