Apple Grove Taxidermy

08/31/2024

And we’re off!! Those Vowel boys sure know how to get it done! He had his eye on this buck all summer! First night archery, one and done! Beautiful summer coat and colors.

Could be the year the youth hunters get all the greats ones!

If you see one in velvet and want a mount, move quickly! This buck was days away from rubbed off. If ever you get one, keep it as cool as possible (not wet though) and call me. I have a velvet preserve treatment that needs to be on as quick as possible. We’ll see how good Jace’s taxidermist is if he can replicate that! 😂

The locker is cooled and ready, and we’re cutting/wrapping twice weekly!

Anna Vogt Vowels

08/26/2024

In my 30 years in the woods I’ve never shot a bear near as cool as this one. She’s 11! Dad (Ty) told her to aim for the white patch and it was one and done! I sewed a hole 1 inch above that.

Found a shoulder mount suspended on a high branch looking down to replicate. I love pickup days! Mom and dad kept the mount a secret and she even made it through the door with a confused look until we told her to turn around and look up! Priceless!

Ashley Enger Bates

Mounts are moving out as fast as I can turn them but not at the expense of quality!

07/23/2024

I hope the winners of our gift certs got their certificates. If not, they should be there Thursday night for pickup as posted. Congrats to all the logging event winners as well! Certs are good for taxidermy or meat cutting.

Sharing a few turkey displays

If you get a gobbler in the spring or fall, call me! They’re fun to do in the spring lull before capes are back from tanning.

Thanks Case Vantress and Shane Gulickson for letting me share these.

Note: The full fan/wings/legs/beard displays are awesome but very large spread out as you can see for space planning.

07/19/2024

Support the Lions Club at Potlatch Days tomorrow with raffle tickets! We’ve donated a stack of $50 gift certificates to an already GIANT pile of drawing items Delford and John Cone have helped put together.

Also, this ad is going out in the Potlatch CIA this month. We’re now doing European mounts for ALL species now! Deer, elk, moose, bear, lion and domestic cattle/bulls.

Our meat cooler is on and running! August hunts are almost here. We will again have Chayde Jensen cutting up wild game this year!

We are simplifying the entire process for one flat rate to include everything from skinning, hanging/aging, processing, cutting, wrapping, freezing and disposal!

FLAT RATE:
Deer - $200
Bear - $200
Cow/Spike Elk - $450
Bull Elk - $500
Moose - Call for pricing
Hanging Only - $25 a night or weekly rate of $125

Call anytime for an appointment to drop off!

The rate includes 4 nights of hanging. Additinal nights $20

07/15/2024

I think everyone knows how much I enjoy doing pack mounts. They just tell such a story. If you’re ever undecisive on doing a shoulder mount, think about one of these.

Ernie Chandler brought all kinds of vintage goodies for this ‘trapper’s fresh harvest.’ It was about a week longs challenge of finding the right ‘layout’ of accessories with my obnoxious OCD.

On the deers’ right is a bobcat Ernie harvested that we sent off for tanning! Antique trap, wool blanket, lantern, hatchet and old rattling horns for accents.

Also check out his ‘fresh’ wounds this rutty old buck had. A few Hollywood makeup tricks and Halloween blood.

Thanks again Ernie! I appreciate you trusting me with such a challenging one.

05/16/2024

WARNING…WARNING!

Sorry, maybe a bit dramatic, but save yourself some heartache and share it with somebody else so they pass it on…

If you, someone you know harvests a critter in antler velvet, the second it’s down the clock is ticking…

Antler velvet is alive as the horns grow and needs preserved/treated/frozen ASAP

Do Not try to do a euro mount using beetles OR boiling. It will be destroyed. Consider yourselves warned. LOL

Anything with velvet is tricky. Beautiful, but very challenging! The horns have to be treated to preserve then cut from the skull cap. Dry entirely. Then reattached to a skull cap that has already gone thru whitening.

Don’t delay getting them to someone that can do it. If they go bad/rot on the inside as they’re still alive, thats untreatable.

05/11/2024

2023 Idaho Mountain Goat on the ‘habitat’ we shared a bit back. Such awesome looking critters.

Hoping this will get through to all you following to see it. SO many nonsense FB ads. It’ll be in the shop for a little bit before delivery to Lewiston if anyone wants to see him in person. Call me to set up a time I’ll be around!

04/28/2024

Took a few days away from the shop to attend the annual Limit Out Marine Potholes ProAm bass fishing tournament. Day 1 was a struggle fest as I got served a plate of humble pie, but Day 2 was much better. It was still a grind, but I did happen to land a 6 lb largemouth that earned the big fish honors for the tournament. The prize was a brand new Suzuki marine 9.9 hp kicker motor. Russ, Melissa and the Limit Out Performance Marine Team put on such an amazing tournament event. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity!

The Big Bass Prize is about 3:45 in on the Livestream.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/ZyxwYDgBCDXg5V4W/?mibextid=WC7FNe

04/13/2024

‘YOUTH TRAP FUND’

Spreading the word for Case Vantress for a great cause!

‘We’re trying to make this year a great experience for the kids.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a kid next season for trap at the Troy Deary gun club?
Last year this fund sponsored 7 kids shooting 10 rounds of trap (one round a week for 10 weeks).
Some of these kids/parents don't have the financial means to shoot more then the one round.

My goal is to raise enough money to get these kids at least 2 rounds + a week.
$100 covers one kid for the 10 weeks of shooting.

Each person who donates (if desired) will be announced at week 1 as a sponsor.
If you have the extra funds please get ahold of me. Let's get these kids and more involved in a great shooting sport.

We are currently at $400 of my $1400 goal.’

Contact Case Vantress @ +1 (208) 875-9771 or measage him at Case Vantress or mail a check to:

Troy Deary Gun Club
PO Box 21
Troy, Idaho, 83871

Apple Grove Taxidermy is adding $100. Who else might be able to help?

https://www.facebook.com/troydearygunclub?mibextid=eQY6cl

04/11/2024

‘The Evolution of a Full Body Mount Habitat’

Working on a very special mount and thought we’d share! We won’t reveal it for another few weeks, but thought I’d share what goes into a lifesize ‘habitat.’

Admittedly, its A HUGE challenge for me with my attention to the tiniest details of our mounts to with work on something starting so COMPLETELY abstract in shape…these projects definitely stretch me.

Rock ‘structure’ can come in 4x8 abstract rock ‘sheets’ that get cut down into squares sent to us and we just start building. Look through every reference photo from the client, and go to work!

This one just needs a bit of greenery and its airbrushing detail and it’s ready for the critter!

Call us for any of your mounts, repair work or even ‘spring cleaning’ to clean off that that inch of dust and cobwebs off grandpa’s old whitetail!

03/27/2024

Finally found plaques up to par on quality and service. I’m not a big fan of mass produced ones visually and from a quality standpoint. 

I think you’ll really like these new ones. They’re custom made to order to our specs instead of mass produced.

Nice little Idaho whitetail and Oregon blacktail and an Idaho state plaque that will hold a euro bear when finished!

Each of these are in their dark walnut with havana brown leather skull caps.

Send a message to learn more

03/12/2024

You can’t tell just what a dandy this buck is until you look at the pic with Laramie and his boys in it! What a stud!

Laramie Teele

02/26/2024

Delivery Day!

Jacob Vowels picked up his dandy bull moose today! Beautiful colors and unique features on this big ol’ bull. The shop already seems near empty with him gone.

Having the entire cape we tanned the back half as a throw and we did an offset semi sneak left facing adding an extra 8 inches of body for the shoulder. Just saw a pic of him at home on his wall! Congrats on your once in a lifetime bull and thanks for trusting us with it!

02/13/2024

Tree Trimming Time! MARCH 2!

It’s that time again. Every fall we welcome family, friends, food banks and often strangers to enjoy the apples asking for just voluntary donations to cover the costs.

This year, spread the word that the MOST IMPORTANT day of the entire year to impact our fall harvest is Saturday, March 2nd!

Should you feel so inclined please come help us cut and trim to start the year off right.

Cordless reciprocating or handheld saws, snippers, pruning sheers, telescoping saws, heavy duty blade weedeaters…they all work!

We start at 8AM with a brief training and then go to work. More the merrier. Anyone who prunes in the spring avoids the donation box in the fall of course! 😉😂 Typically done by 12-1 with all 160+

FYI the last picture below was chosen as Apple of the Year 2023!

12/10/2023

We sure love this community! What an awesome night at the parade and fireworks! Lots of ‘it’s cold’ and 15lbs of candy thrown in about 15 minutes!

We thought we were pretty witty having a parade ‘float’ that could actually ‘float!’ 😂😂

If anyone by chance has any pictures or videos of us in the parade let me know. Our plan to have some didn’t pan out.

Merry Christmas from your Apple Grove Taxidermy family!

12/01/2023

Last day of deer season in Idaho! Everyone looking not to eat soup tomorrow be safe out there! Folks get as jumpy as the deer.

What a fun fall season and an exciting last seven weeks we’ve had.
We hope everyone’s had a memorable season. Thats what its all about and why Apple Grove Taxidermy exists. Thanks for everyone’s amazing support, business and trust to keep your memories of these hunts and beautiful animals alive. We really do love doing this!

P.S….We have a special float planned for next weekends Potlatch Christmas Parade! Let’s hope we can get it done in the snow! Apparently the family says its time to fulfill my ‘destiny’ of the big white haired bearded ol’ chap himself…🎅

HUNTING SEASON IN THE SHOP FOR KYLEE AND I…

11/29/2023

After TWO SEASONS trying to find her first ever buck AGTaxidermy’s own Kylee made it happen! In her pajamas even! Sooo many cold miserable dragging out of bed trips…who knew we could just be 100 yards from home out in the pasture! LOL

Proud of her!!

She changed into camo to not get her PJ’s dirty. 😂

She’s going to do an old trappers pack mount for it for her grandpa who passed a few years ago.

We didn’t see it until we got it hung, but were thinking maybe a lion got ahold of him for a minute. Lower back up to the side of the neck. Within a couple days it seems.

Thoughts?

11/09/2023

Spread the word…I still need capes! Especially rutting ones

Still need 4 whitetail and 2 muleys. I pay good for good ones.

The big boys are out wandering…lots of does running for their lives!

10/31/2023

TROPHY PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: 😁

Share with everyone who shoots a nice buck or bull regardless of which taxidermist they take it to.

Don’t take a buddies word for ‘thats enough cape just at the shoulders.’ Err on getting WAY TOO MUCH cape. Taxidermist can trim it, but they can’t add cape.

The three enemies of your trophy leading to hide slippage are:

1. Warm Temps/Not cooled fast enough
2. Dirt (keep it off the cape as much as possible)
3. Water…get it cooled with ice if needed, BUT avoid soaking or sitting in water

Remember, as soon as that deer drops, it starts the breaking down and eventual decomposition/rotting. Get it cooled and contact your taxidermist ASAP.

If you can get it to me even whole I’ll cape it for free, no extra charge. I strongly encourage leaving the face on unless you’re trained to remove it. Base of horns, eyes and tear ducts are the most common trouble areas. Do not cut through the brisket and take more cape than you think you should. Tube it instead of cutting up the back to the ‘’V’’ unless you’re confident you’ll have a single cut straight line. Again, I’ll hang it and cape it for free even if you want to take it to another taxidermist.

Things are about to get exciting with this cold and the bucks on the move!!!

Happy Hunting

Our favorite knives: https://www.outdooredge.com/collections/hunting------------------Follow us!!:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Buckventures-Outdoors/101501...

10/29/2023

I can’t believe after all the years growing up and living in Idaho that I had actually never notched a steelhead tag! I guess I’ve always been busy in the fall and it was just another thing included on my Sportsmans package!

Wow, I have missed out on some fun! Days off in the fall are rare, but Cody Barker and I took the AppleGroveTaxidermy boat down to the confluence to learn the new fishfinder electronics on it and laid the smack down on them! What an amazingly beautiful and exciting fish to catch. Time for yet another hobby in the fall. Alisa seems ecstatic as well! 😂😂 Hey, in my defense this type of fishing is way less expensive than my other hobbies. Lol.

None if these were wild, and the biggest was just under 17 pounds, then a 13 pound, 11 pound and a 6pound!

All of those little yellow vertical dashes and spots are single or groups of steelhead in the picture.

10/20/2023

What a exciting start to the season! We’ve taken in a couple GIANTS already.

This is the first 300+ beast of a herd bull. Kayleigh Gustafson harvested this beautiful bull, a 6x7, that I’ve ‘heard’ more than a few in Potlatch had their eyes on! Very unique crowning on him. Her first elk by the way. His horns after removing them were just under 20lb’s on the hoist scale. And the pack below on her shoulders was over 100 with his cape, heavy head and horns.

Congratulations indeed!

BREAKING NEWS…Despite my advice not to, Kayleigh has decided to share where she harvested this big boy!

Head east past the bridge over Nunyabidness Creek. Take a hard right and follow Findumurself Road till it dead ends. Hike back southwest over Notellum Ridge. Find the first clearcut to the west.

Goodl Luck everyone! 😉

Kayleigh Gustafson

10/16/2023

We’re now a ‘One-Stop Shop!’

1. Drop your wild game off to have it hung to properly age the meat! (You can hang it and cut it yourself later)

2. Have it cut and wrapped on-site by several of the Palouse’s best meat cutters!

3. Get a shoulder or European Mount done or sell the hide!

How’s that for easy and straightforward?

Reach us on Messenger or via phone at (801) 845-8347.

Contact me to schedule a drop off time in the afternoons or evenings.

Happy Hunting! Be safe out there.

10/07/2023

Come pick apples!

Anyone listening…the big, ripe, juicy and FULL OF THOUSANDS!

Come get them. No way we can pick them all. Reach out to me to tell me you’re coming. Spread the word. We don’t want them going to waste.

All the ‘green line’ is the apples. About 120 trees.

09/26/2023

On occasion in my life I’ve come across people who are so talented at their craft I’m literally without words (and for me you know thats impressive!) 😂

So excited to be working with Reilee. I have NEVER seen anyone so detail oriented and precise! I’ll have a show piece from her in the shop this fall for reference, but PLEASE spread the word for this aspiring entrepreneur!

Look her up on Instagram! She’s just starting out, but when she’s famous I look forward to saying ‘I know her!’

Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/rielee.renne?mibextid=LQQJ4d

09/13/2023

Just in time for the Moscow fair and early season elk hunters still out there on these warmer days. Our cold storage meat, locker is up and running!

Spread the word to anyone that needs to hang any meat before processing. Mel at Potlatch Pack and C&L in Moscow both have challenges fitting wild game in this time of year.

Its about 120 sq feet with an 18,000 BTU unit that maintains 38 degrees year round going forward.

A friend of mine locally told me ‘Just because I have a locker that my buddy thinks he can use doesn’t actually mean I actually want him to.’ 😂

Just $25 a day to hang or $100 a week

07/26/2023

Note to self…sure, barbed wire looks SICK when its finished as an accessory! But remember Craig, it causes blood, sweat and tears.

Worth it!

Elijah of Potlatch got ahold a longhorn skull that had seen years of hot sun and dried up entirely, flesh included.

Horns wouldn’t detach so we had to sever them. Rehydrated, beetled, degreased and whitened the skull with Cody Barker. Oiled, hardened and buffed the horns a half dozen times.

After the ‘3 B’s…bondo, buckskin and barbed wire…AWESOME!

07/19/2023

If you missed the Potlatch Days last weekend and haven’t ever seen a ‘Pack Mount’ here’s one we put together for of Moscow. Taken late spring in 2020.

SUPER great way to display a mount that you may not want a shoulder mount for or need some variety. I’m working on one for a spike elk currently. Works for any size.

Amber brought some amazing vintage accessories to make this one easy to be creative. Old trappers pack and accessories. Super fun to do and awesome for a great change on the walls that don’t take the large amount of room for a rug.

I also buy old vintage trapper packs for this reason! Call me if you have some

07/11/2023

Congrats to Brooklyn Mitchell of Potlatch on this dandy of a buck!

Spread the word we’ll be showing this big 5x7 off in the Potlatch Days at our booth this Saturday at Scenic 6 Park! Come check it out!

Potlatch Community Days

06/14/2023

I’ve never worked on a bull that was as scarred up and battle worn as this big boy from Ernie Chandler. Broken tines, scarred and gashed eyes, ears and hide. Just an absolute fighter. I know when Ernie downed him with his 20+ cows that the 3 satelites bulls he’d beat down over and over were grateful. Congrats again on a beautiful 333+ bull.

He didn’t leave much room to spare with literally 2’’ left to the top of the high vaulted ceiling!

Applegrovetaxidermy.com

Ernie Chandler

06/05/2023

What an amazing weekend in Potlatch with High School Graduation! To make Wyatt Johnson’s graduation day even better, his dad (Elmer) and I coordinated to have his big buck from this year and a bear from a few years ago on a homemade backing ready to present to him. Hope it made your great day even better Wyatt!

Congratulations for it all!

Elmer put together the backing and we burned the wood and stained it before adding the pack mount style bear and his european skull. Came out pretty unique.
Wyatt Johnson