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Darryl's Taxidermy

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Grand Junction, CO
Darryl's Taxidermy

Darryl’s Taxidermy is celebrating 37 years of business in the Grand Valley. Darryl’s Taxidermy is celebrating 34 years of business in the Grand Valley.
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With over 40 years of experience, there is not much he has not mounted. Darryl is not only known for his expertise in the field of taxidermy, but also as a renowned big game hunter with trophies including his 1997 Colorado mountain lion that ranked No. 5 in the world.Darryl’s taxidermy studio is one of the finest you will visit. His collection of Boone and Crockett mounts has been featured in many

books, magazines, and newspapers. Darryl has one of the largest collection of B&C Trophy Mule Deer mounts in the West.

09/03/2024

This is the time of the year where we really start getting behind schedule. I get pulled away from helping Halle with mounting duties to help Dave with keeping up with all the critters being brought in. We still have bear rugs from September 2022 to complete. Have a few life-size mountain goats and sheep left from 2022. Completed all deer, elk, and antelope from September 2022. Currently working on October 2022 Deer and elk. REMEMBER we are not accepting bears for rugs this year. We turned down half a dozen this spring and 6 already today.

08/30/2024

A few of last week’s successful hunters. Chris Potter traveled to California to take this nice Colombian Blacktail. Kurt Shepherd with a Pope & Young antelope. Kyle Goddard shows off his Full Curl Dall sheep taken in Alaska. Chandler Ingle and his family with his Archery antelope. Good luck Archery hunters as you take to the field September 2nd.

08/27/2024

Sometimes I can get talked into delivering and hanging some mounts…..especially if it’s to a beautiful cabin in the mountains and the host grills me a steak and furnishes all the alcohol I can drink. In this case it’s my client Dave Bierschied of Moab, Utah. The cabin even looks better now that we’ve filled up those empty walls!

08/22/2024

The new 2024 Rack Cards are out. I started doing rack cards last year as opposed to brochures which I did the previous 35 years,(at an average cost of $1000.00 per thousand brochures). No one picks up brochures at sporting goods stores anymore….they just go on-line and Google. At least a rack card has a little more info than just a business card. Keep in mind I’m gonna start slowing things down and not take in as much work as previous years. REMEMBER…..not taking in bears for rugs anymore, although I’ll get talked into a few by customers that have been coming here for decades. The price list on my website is obsolete and will be changed in the near future.

08/16/2024

When you’ve lived in the same community and run a business for 37 years you meet a lot of clients. There’s nothing better than making connections with important people like Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Restaurant Owners, etc…. But there’s nothing more important than that client that owns a Liquor store!!! How else do you think I decorate my place with neons, mirrors, and bar signs. I needed to make a Liquor store visit today so I delivered this New Zealand Tahr to my client Cody Snider who owns Fun Junction Liquors.

08/12/2024

A couple of trophy Utah elk. Mike Fuller of Fuller Orchards in Palisade filled his September 2022 early season rifle tag with this nice 6x6. Jeff Thomas of Grand Junction shot this big 7x6 when he was a resident of Utah. He had the elk cape in the freezer for several years before getting it mounted. He chose the 90 degree bugling mount to show off the 7-point side.

08/08/2024

Yeah I know it’s a high-fence/ranch bull… but they sure grow some cool antlers down on the farm. A few announcements, I’m not gonna take in bears for rugs this year or for the foreseeable future. I need to start slowing things down around here, I don’t like running 18 months to 2 years out so definitely will start putting a cap on how much work I’ll receive. Not retiring any time soon but this business is consuming my life 7 days a week. 37 years in business, I love what I do but we got enough work to carry us into 40 years in business.

08/02/2024

It’s not every day that an 18 year old young lady gets to mount a World Record Red Stag. Halle gets the eyes prepared for this Official New World Record archery (free range) Red Stag. This Stag was taken in Argentina by local bow hunter Ken Erni. It beats the previous world record by over 30 inches.

07/26/2024

In 37 years in business I’ve mounted well over a thousand antelope in that time. 99.99% of antelope have the pretty uniform stripes on their neck like the one I’m holding. Halle holds one of only two I’ve ever had in that have this very unusual color pattern. I don’t know what causes it but it just adds to the hunting story and conversation once it’s hanging on the wall.

07/16/2024

Working on them September 2022 Bear Rugs. Jeff Welch and his son Jordan came by to pick up Jeff’s huge Black Bear that he harvested on the Grand Mesa. The skull scored 20 1/2 inches which qualified it for the Boone and Crockett Record Book. Jeff also harvested a Bull Moose on the Grand Mesa that year. His son has drawn a muzzleloader tag this year for Bull Moose on the Mesa. I’m sure he’ll be able to talk his dad into guiding him around for his once in a lifetime Shiras Moose hunt!

07/05/2024

A really nice looking Mountain Lion mount and a really cool story to go with it. Chad Wright of Rangely, Colorado took this lion on his folks’ ranch in the Carbondale area. Word had gotten around about a Mountain Lion prowling around the local ranches in the area. So Chad bought a Mountain Lion license and thought he’d give it a try to call in a Lion as opposed to using dogs to tree it. As luck would have it on the first day of calling, the Lion stalked in and was harvested. It was very healthy and well fed from dieting on local livestock. It’s the perfect mount for hanging high and looking down into the room. Congratulations Chad on an awesome trophy.

07/02/2024

It just never stops around here! Moab, Utah residents Kent Dalton and his grandson Macray brought us 4 sets of very large Ranch Bull antlers to turn into shoulder mounts. We will be supplying 4 extra large capes and doing detachable antlers on these shoulder mounts (all of which cost extra). Although they’re Ranch Bulls they will be very impressive to look at once they’re completed.

06/28/2024

A very special young lady is celebrating a very special day. Halle is turning 18 today. This kiddo has been around here since she was 14 years old. I can’t even chase her off….nor would I want to. She is my most talented employee ever. She doesn’t just work for a taxidermist, she is a Taxidermist……and maybe one day she’ll take over the business. In the meantime I’m just glad she’s on my team!!!!

06/20/2024

Apparently the word at the Antler Festival is if you see Darryl walking around with a cup in his hand, he’s drinking whiskey and he buys a lot of stuff he doesn’t need. The ”Antler Guys”, Chris and Ron are really working me to buy this really cool Red Stag. I’m in Antler Heaven!!!

06/19/2024

Wheelin’ and Dealin’ at the Antler show in Alpine, Wyoming. I’m really working Jeff Cody who coordinates and promotes this awesome Buy-Sell-Trade antler show each year.

06/15/2024

Back from my vacation to Lake Gaston, in North Carolina. Fishing was good and I caught a few nice ones but not the big 3 footer I’ve been known to reel in the past few years. Stay tuned for posts from my next vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I’ll be up the road in Alpine, Wyoming at the Great Western Antler Rendezvous….. this is the Biggest Buy-Sell-Trade Antler show of it’s kind in the U.S.A. If you’re into antlers this show is not to be missed!!!

06/11/2024

What a super cool buck! Sadie and her dad came out to pick up their deer from 2022. Sadie gets the bragging rights from their hunt with this 5 X freaky antler sort of thing. Way to go girl!!

06/06/2024

Scott Stoddard and his son Jayden recently stopped in to pick up a few of their trophies from their African Safari. They have many more animals here that we are currently working on. Scott and Jayden are our 2022 “Hunters of the Year” award winners after a very successful safari along with harvesting Colorado deer and antelope. “Congratulations guys” !!

05/31/2024

Ty Sickels and his son dropped by to pick up his deer. Ty is from the “legendary mountain lion hunting” Sickels family from Nucla, Colorado. Obviously treeing big lions isn’t all they do judging from these 2 big bucks scoring in the 180’s Boone and Crockett.

05/26/2024

Made a trip to Moab, Utah this week to deliver some mounts to my customers there including Mitch Peterson and his son Lane. Mitch took his buffalo on the Henry Mountains (after waiting many years to draw a tag). Lane got his deer in late October a couple of years ago. When a deer is in full velvet that time of year they are usually referred to as a stag (meaning they keep their velvet and don’t shed their antlers). Looking around their trophy room I saw lots of trophies I’ve mounted for the 3 generations of the Peterson’s, including the mountain lion rug I did for Mitch over 25 years ago.

05/22/2024

Halle shows off a really nice coyote pedestal mount for Kent Dalton from Moab, Utah.

05/15/2024

Now you see ‘em… now you don’t! The Sutton family along with Don and Robbie Sutton (pictured here) found these huge 6-point shed elk antlers while on a camping trip. Originally they took them to another taxidermist who obviously didn’t have experience in mounting detachable shed antlers. Eventually they ended up here and with some extra effort and a beautiful furnished elk cape we put this masterpiece together!

05/10/2024

Hustling right along. Working on our 5th deer in 5 days. Started on September 2022 bear rugs. We have several lifesize mountain goats we’re getting ready to mount. Still dealing with supply chain issues. Happy Mother’s Day this weekend to all you mamas!

05/02/2024

Crawford, Colorado trapper Troy Atwood stopped by to pick up this Huge Bobcat rug. This is one of the bigger bobcats we’ve ever gotten in 37 years in business. He says he’s trapped bigger ones…. but he was in town to pick up fishing lures… and you know how fisherman exaggerate! Troy waited over two years to get this rug back. Patience is a virtue.

04/26/2024

Really like the way this lifesize Badger turned out. It has awesome fur and the perfect pose to show off how vicious these little critters can be. Ryan Wright of Windsow, Colorado has waited very patiently for this mount.

04/16/2024

You never know what you’re gonna find at a garage sale. Now these antlers weren’t actually set out at the sale, But when the seller asked if there was anything in particular I was looking for…. I always say “horse-drawn wagons and antlers”. He asked what antlers are worth and I said it depends on size, condition, whether they’re sheds or racks, and in my case I’m looking for trophy antlers. He said “I’ll be right back”. When he walked out with these antlers I had to put my mouth back together and offered him enough money to close the deal and make my day. Upon returning home I quickly put a tape on them… with over 45 inches of non-typical points on a massive 200 inch main frame I got me a Boone and Crockett rack scoring close to 250 B & C points.

04/12/2024

So proud of this kiddo. Not only has Halle become quite the taxidermist, but quite the huntress also. She’s hunted 3 years, taken 3 shots and has 3 bucks to her name. These are the last 2 she’s taken and although they’re European skulls now we’ll eventually do shoulder mounts. Halle understands that when you work for the busiest taxidermist around you just gotta wait your turn.

04/02/2024

We just finished sewing this mountain lion up. So now we’re blow-drying and getting rid of wrinkles that aren’t supposed to be there and putting in wrinkles that should be there. This lion will be hung up high so this is a perfect pose for walking downhill and looking down into the room. Look for the completed mount on a rock habitat in a few weeks.

03/24/2024

Halle stands by another Unit 40 Trophy Elk going back to Paducah, Kentucky. The successful hunter is Donovan Sullivan who wanted a pedestal mount of his elk. Keep in mind when getting a pedestal mount done it needs to go on some sort of habitat / rock base and then on the pedestal base / furniture for the floor display (all of which costs extra). In this case the hunter had his own pedestal base to show off the elk. We can get pedestal bases of all sizes and wood types (barn wood, aspen, oak and pine, etc).

03/20/2024

Darryl and Halle show off a couple trophy bulls heading back to Paducah, Kentucky. These elk were taken by Lynn McCutchen and his son Caleb on Glade Park (unit 40).

Address

159 29 Road
Grand Junction, CO
81503

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 6pm
Sunday	9am - 6pm

Telephone

+19702432933

Website

http://darrylstaxidermy.wordpress.com/

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