Amy's Animal Art Taxidermy

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Hamptonville, NC
Amy's Animal Art Taxidermy

I provide custom taxidermy services for all species of mammals

05/27/2024

Big PA chonker right here! I always like to fluff and detail their heads before I sew the rest of the wet hide and it makes me laugh and think of when someone shaves all but the head of their fluffy pet. Drying the fur is everything especially on these really dense ones!

05/24/2024

Making adjustments to these new mounts this morning … my client said he wanted an action wall scene of a raccoon fighting with a bobcat, and this is what I came up with! I do a
million bobcats but rarely a raccoon, so I really enjoyed something a little different! Probably will add some extra to the habitat and move that stick a bit, now it is driving me crazy that the stick is centered on the cat in the pictures .. that is how OCD I am to “artistic flow” 😂

05/22/2024

“Mom and dad, I want to grow up and become a taxidermist!”
Not often thought of as a top career, I’m sure my parents were a little uncertain when it seemed I was going that direction. Honestly, so was I. At 18, I briefly had a corporate job because I thought I needed a “real job”. It didn’t last long. I crumbled under the control of a boss, although the irony is that now I have at least 100 bosses at any given time. I call them dear customers 😂

If there’s one thing that makes me warm and fuzzy, it’s instilling the interest of this line of work in children and teens. This morning I met with a teen who was interested in taxidermy. By the time I gave her the full tour and some specimens to work with, I think you may call it more than an interest now. Many young people look on with stars in their eyes when I speak of the joy and the earning potential of taxidermy, however I have to set them straight with truths. You may have seen successful self employment described as an iceberg, with the visible being success and happiness, but below the surface are many years of hard work, late nights, time, failures, and money invested. Taxidermy is no exception. Some will excel dramatically, many more will fail. To run a small business, of most any kind, takes more than just the skill of the task itself but also requires one to be a good business operator, adept at juggling time, money, and resources.

Still, to be able to ultimately control one’s own time and, subsequently, life, is a privilege not lost on me. I’ve always been a woman after my own dreams and, seeing this young lady today made me smile. To be self sufficient, regardless of gender, is a grand aspiration. Partnership is nice.. but the freedom of being prepared to fully support yourself regardless of what life throws at you, is a good tool for the survival belt. Don’t find yourself suffering through life because there are no viable alternatives. Having your own business helps with this. It’s yours. You set the pace, and the goals. Add a splash of zealousy and you might surprise your own self. Then again, some may be perfectly content to accept little in trade for giving little. In that case, this probably just seems like a whole lot of work.

I encourage people to get involved in the taxidermy business! If you think you have the ability, you’re never too young or old to start. You can do it without any formal training like myself, or you can speed your journey up by taking many taxidermy classes that are offered by professionals today. There is a great need for quality taxidermy - this is seen by the high backlogs of many and necessity to turn away work. As much as the anti-hunters dislike it, hunting and taxidermy are flourishing more than ever. And if I can be even a small stepping stone in some child’s future - just like the old guys that gave me a specimen, a mounting stand, a couple tools when I was just a kid - it is my honor.

05/21/2024

A bit of an unusual display! This coyote will be displayed in a private library. He looks like he is exchanging some juicy secret with the other coyote.

05/20/2024

A potential client called me and said he had a 130 lb bear he wanted mounted. I said, “well, I won’t be doing any more large bears ever again but I’ll consider a real small one like that”. (I have grown tired of doing extra large animals that break my back when I’d rather do small game… I refer someone who I feel does it even better! I’m just that non-narcissistic! 🤣) Throughout the whole conversation I reference this bear’s size - not in a negative way, but a realistic way, because if there’s one animal that is prone to overinflated ideas of size, it’s a bear - I talk about this small small bear, how we should position this bear so as to make him not look so small, how he should be proud even though it’s small. Well I need to clean the stuffing out of my ears because it finally comes out that I heard “1” when he said “4”. 430 lbs ….
Nooooooooooo. Don’t scare me like that, I nearly committed, and I certainly hurt that bear’s feelings! 🤣

05/20/2024

Skinning the feet of a river otter and opening up the webs between the toes

05/20/2024

An old photo a friend sent me… me at 16 years old (20 years ago!) grooming a coyote head at a taxidermy competition. I still have that mount, too! I was a bit off with the expression (it wasn’t quite a snarl.. but wasn’t a closed mouth either..). But I sure did try, and was proud for having made it using the real teeth. That’s proof that real teeth can hold up in mounts, because they’re as white and strong as the day I assembled him. Still, I wouldn’t use real teeth in something larger like a bear or a hog. Those are the species that I have seen the real teeth often crack. I’m glad I’ve held onto some of these early mounts!

05/18/2024

“1 in 60k”
On Saturday mornings, I do not usually do taxidermy but I make plans for the following week. I haven’t made as many videos lately as I’d like, but I’m trying. Why do I make taxidermy videos? Because I enjoy sharing the way I do things, and based on feedback, people seem to really enjoy it. Sometimes in the comments, other taxidermists will give me ideas for even more efficient ways to do things. I’ll slap my forehead and say “why didn’t I think of that!” Sharing information is one of the best ways to learn, and it’s free!
I’m not the best taxidermist out there. Some people assign me that title, but that’s a matter of personal opinion and one I never gave myself. It honestly wears on me. I want to be a very good taxidermist. I always do my current best. But do I want to say I’m “THE BEST”? I truly do not.
“1 in 60k” is written on the side of my work table, among many other inspirational quotes, and it reminds me to just do my best and that in this wild world of the internet, there will always be some haters. Out of the 60,000 people that follow this page, there will always be at least one person. One who scrolls this page with their brow furrowed with disdain. One who thinks I have not worked 24 long years in this business to get where I am, instead assuming I am just frolicking through life getting pats on the back because I’m a girl. Like the man that posted under my most recent video - “If you were only as good as you think you are! {so-and-so’s} work makes you look like an amateur”.
I think I’m the best that I can be today.. better than I was yesterday, but not as good as I’ll be tomorrow. And I may have many faults, but one thing is for certain: Even if I still have things to learn, you’ll always find me trying to help people and offering my current knowledge (which is less than the masters, and more than some have!)… using my hands in positive ways and never to type hate to someone I do not know. I am not 1 in 60k.

05/17/2024

It’s COYOTE TIME! Ah, coyotes. Some of the stinkiest animals to come in my shop. The only species I’ve ever had to deal with lice (I can handle a lot of things as a taxidermist but I don’t like wiggly things.. lice..Maggots..Ticks.. That really gets me going!) And they’re the only animals that make my dogs bark- they can smell one on the table even if they don’t see it! But once we move past that, they sure do make a beautiful mount.

05/16/2024

Black coyote wall mount with a relaxed panting mouth 😎

05/16/2024

Adjusting the face of an aggressive, open mouth bobcat mount

05/15/2024

The transformation between the time I slip the hide over the form (top), and do the final adjustments (bottom) is just magical! I did take a little bit of video footage today, and I’ll post a video in the morning showing some detailing of the face (adjusting skin around the jaw set ~ tucking eyes ~ arranging hair patterns)

05/13/2024

Tip for properly caping a deer: DO NOT cut up into the white hair of the armpits. This mistake seen here has got to be THE most frustrating fix to me. I’d rather mend a split brisket or a cut eyelid over this damage to the armpits. Most of the time there is a portion of the skin missing entirely, causing me no choice but to piece together what is there and it does not always come out perfectly, as the nice swirled hair of the armpit simply is not there. This is a result of cutting too far up onto the leg. About 1/3 of the time people will bring me the entire hide, tail and all, and say “I left plenty on there!” —- only to have this area look like this 😢

05/10/2024

A quick run to McKenzie Supply this morning for an absolute truckload of bobcat, coyote, fox forms… (all April/may/June ‘23 full body).. some antelope, some half body bears.. I got the raw material to lay down some serious work. I got back from my little 36-hour camping trip and well, let’s just say it was “Universe:1 Amy:0”. Some fun times were had, trails were hiked, fine wine was consumed, and I stayed nice and warm. But it pounded rain with a lightning storm all night and in the morning a run-in with some metal sheeting I didn’t see, caused me to have to get three stitches in my elbow (photo in comments if you’re into that 🤣). No worries, I still have one good arm and I think I’ll stay right here in my shop for a while, where it’s safe with certainly no sharp things that can hurt me… right??

05/07/2024

Who wants to become the next giraffe guy/gal? I got what you need… someone buy this and take it to, like.. another taxidermist .. because I’m tired of animals that require ladders 🤣 ***SOLD***

05/07/2024

I’m going on a much needed solo camping adventure. Not something I’ve done in a very long time, as I realized last night I did not have a sleeping bag. I was relaying to a friend: “I thought I had one, because someone had shipped me a mountain lion all rolled up in this sleeping bag. And I said heck, that’s a nice sleeping bag, and not even bloody! I’m keeping it.. a lion having been in my sleep sack? I don’t mind, it is not the weirdest thing I have ever repurposed. But I forgot that, later on, I had re-gifted this said sleeping bag to a couple guys in a bind to pad around their caribou mounts on the way home” And then I just had to step back and think about just how odd that whole story really was 😂

05/07/2024

Here’s a look at the bobcat swiping at a snowshoe hare!

05/02/2024

This piece went home to one of my best clients yesterday. He brought me the piece of wood, and wanted both foxes in a stalking position as he plans to put a pheasant in front of them. It was a fairly straightforward project but I did have to move some feet around to make them fit the shape of the wood, and make sure their gaze was focused on the same spot. I’m sure someone will say red and grey foxes don’t hang out together, but suspend reality just a tiny bit.. it does make for a nice color contrast between the two foxes, and a good example of the two species. At least half of the time when someone says they’re bringing me a “red fox”… it’s actually a grey! Most red foxes are all-over red. The grey foxes have patches of red fur.

05/01/2024

When it comes to the final touch, a thoroughly cleaned and fluffed animal is required to get the best finished product.

No matter how careful I am, glue tends to get in the fur during assembly. A spot-clean just won’t do it, so most animals get bathed in my shop sink. Except for when they’re a little too large, like mountain lions or bears or even this XL bobcat. Then it’s time to pull out the lobster sandals, usually reserved for 5’o clock, and give ‘em the 5-star treatment in my walk in shower.

04/30/2024

“Why does the taxidermy process take so long? When my taxidermist says it will take a year - what is he doing during that time? It’s been 4 months … can I get an update? How are things going?”

I talk about what I do during the wait time and why any “check-ins” before the time is up, only have boring answers.

Taxidermy is actually pretty quick. I do not put in over a month’s work for any mount. It’s all just waiting in line.

Why do we have to wait an hour at the doctor’s office? Waiting our turn.

Everyone seems to know a taxidermist that took five years doing taxidermy one hour a night in their basement. Or someone who goes drastically over the time quoted. This video is aimed
more towards professional full time taxidermists, with long lists and good time management. Everyone wants in, no one wants to wait. One person can only do so much!

I am hoping with this video to shed some light on my answer when someone says “just checking in”. I understand that sometimes those calls do not really expect an update, only serving as a reminder or a kick in the butt to get things going. A good and efficient taxidermist does not require or deserve a reminder, only more hours in the day.

04/30/2024

First look at the bobcat mounted with a cottontail rabbit in the mouth!

04/26/2024

Bobcats with RABBITS… making alterations … who is looking forward to seeing these assembled ??

04/25/2024

Fleshing fatty bear hides on the machine today, followed by salting them. Theres so much bear grease flying around, even the floor is slippery. Incase this description didn’t elude, this video is a little messy. Don’t view unless you want to see some fatty bear BBQ

04/25/2024

A couple new cats this week. Clients A. Wallace and D. Wilson

04/25/2024

It’s too early in the morning for this whining, but I’m sipping my coffee pre-work and writing back to messages.
I get a lot of messages. If I’ve ever not responded to yours, I apologize. Same for a missed voicemail. I don’t do it intentionally.
That said, when I’ve sat down to take a few moments of my day to reply to your question of “how much do u charge for a bobcat” and then you respond back with “hahahahaha”…. Let’s just say, you failed the test anyway, son. I would never, ever do business with someone who wouldn’t say “thank you for your time, however it’s out of my budget”. No response is also acceptable.
It’s a bit like the guy who called at 9pm saying “do you do fish” “No, I do not” and slams the phone down with not another word. I’m quite glad I do not, or I might have to deal with someone of that caliber.
This really isn’t a post on pricing as I get just as annoyed when someone tells me I’m too cheap 🤣 It happens! I’m priced exactly where I need to be to fit my life. This is more about general courtesy.
I’m sorry to anyone I might not have answered yet, instead writing to Will who thought this was a comedy show.

04/24/2024

Giving a hide a pre-assembly shampoo bath. I just love how soft and stretchy these turn out! You’ll get every bit of the original size back out of your hide, if not quite a bit more. Soft, supple hides that just conform to the manikin with ease.

04/23/2024

So glad to have a new solid MOUNTING SPIKE in my shop.. it’s a staple in the production of my full body small animals. How do you hold your small game while sewing and adjusting? I do it hands free, and it sure makes things easier. Take a look ..

04/23/2024

When you stick your hand down in a trough of 20 bobcat hides that are tanning, fishing for a specific one, and that’s the first one you pull out… the day can only get better from here. Winning 🙌🏻 😁

04/22/2024

This pose works great for a narrow vertical space. It’s amazing how these silky northwestern cats fluff out!

04/19/2024

Mirror image sable pedestals in progress! (Except one has a naturally broken horn!) it almost messes with your eyes when you look at them! The form only came in a right turn so I altered one to a left turn

Address

339 Sawmill Road
Hamptonville, NC
27020

Telephone

+17044377696

Website

http://www.AmysTaxidermy.com/

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Videos

Skinning the feet of a river otter and opening up the webs between the toes

Adjusting the face of an aggressive, open mouth bobcat mount

Who wants to become the next giraffe guy/gal? I got what you need… someone buy this and take it to, like.. another taxidermist .. because I’m tired of animals that require ladders 🤣 ***SOLD***

“Why does the taxidermy process take so long? When my taxidermist says it will take a year - what is he doing during that time? It’s been 4 months … can I get an update? How are things going?” I talk about what I do during the wait time and why any “check-ins” before the time is up, only have boring answers. Taxidermy is actually pretty quick. I do not put in over a month’s work for any mount. It’s all just waiting in line. Why do we have to wait an hour at the doctor’s office? Waiting our turn. Everyone seems to know a taxidermist that took five years doing taxidermy one hour a night in their basement. Or someone who goes drastically over the time quoted. This video is aimed more towards professional full time taxidermists, with long lists and good time management. Everyone wants in, no one wants to wait. One person can only do so much! I am hoping with this video to shed some light on my answer when someone says “just checking in”. I understand that sometimes those calls do not really expect an update, only serving as a reminder or a kick in the butt to get things going. A good and efficient taxidermist does not require or deserve a reminder, only more hours in the day.

What does the fox say? Too much.. he’s really annoying, actually. Trust the process.

Join me on a nature walk through my property as I search for natural materials to use in habitat scenes and discuss which materials I like to collect from nature, how to treat them, and give the guys bad ideas like how to dry them out in their wife’s oven. One shot of sweet tea for every time I say the word “scene”! 🤣

How to take a non distorted photo of your mount! A video for the non-professional photographers … taking decent photos with a cell phone camera is a simple skill but not one that is necessarily intuitive. For clients and taxidermist alike, I hope this helps

I’m not particularly a fan of heights yet it always seems like I’m up on a ladder, a stool, or rummaging around my loft. In order to avoid stepping over the fences that keep my dogs penned up, it’s become a form of gym to “the floor is lava” when gathering up tools. I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep this up… use it or lose it!

One thing I find very satisfying is drying the hide of a particularly spotted bobcat. It is so interesting how the spots are not very visible when the fur is wet! Watch this time lapse as I blow dry a bobcat hide and the hide reveals its “rosettes”

There's more than one way to tan a cat!

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there’s even more ways to tan one! Some thoughts on wet tanning .. why you should learn the process and what to expect from a quality tan. How to shampoo a hide for a clean, fluffy mount. And several PRO-1 Performance Chemicals products that are all different paths to producing the same thing - a quality tanned hide. Which one do you think would suit your needs the best?

This new video shows how I retrofit an open-mouth bobcat mouth cup into a closed mouth head. This allows me to do a high quality open mouth using my own bobcat heads. Many snap-together options on the market are low quality. Maybe that’s just my opinion, but all the mounts you see on my page are not snap-together and I feel it gives them a custom touch. The results speak. But you can do it too… just cut and install the insert. All it takes is some foam and basic awareness of anatomy.