Feather Creek Taxidermy

02/03/2026

Ready to learn? Need some ideas for your tax return investments this year? Remember this stuff goes towards your business write-offs 🙂.

Alright here is some information about my classes. They are in Google documents and Forms so hopefully easy to access. Some of you I have already gotten these links already and have already filled them out so no need to do it again. These classes are open to anyone! Out of state as well!

If you have any more detailed questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Texting is the best.

I offer 3 types of classes - all private and individual - I follow a standard class format - however understanding all are unique to their levels, and learning styles I can adjust and customize - but all for whitetail deer only. Although if you wanted a private class to help you mount up an elk, or mule or other animal in that family, etc., I can make accommodations for that.

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* 🦌SEMINAR STYLE WHITETAIL CLASS - This is for anyone that is wanting to learn more about mounting up a whitetail buck but doesn't want to commit to the hands on course just yet and no experience or very limited experience. This is all done in seminar style (no hands on) and will last 3 days (or longer if requested). You will see me mount up a buck & do finish work on a buck and all that is involved in between. This is NOT a “class” - you will not go home with a mount you have completed but you will go home with some true background. (This is not for people that already have a background in mounting deer. If you already have experience but are needing some help to "up your game" but don't really want to mount a deer with me in a true full week class style just focus on some specific things, then you want to fill out my "Intermediate Form" this is either seminar or class style but for people with a background.)

https://forms.gle/J5aSNhVi7BNFtaxDA (Seminar Form)

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*🦌BASIC WHITETAIL TAXIDERMY CLASS - the true class -this is a 100% hands on class. In the link below are the details for this class as this is the most requested class. And then the other link is for the form to fill out.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uo7Ibc-4QEYTyJi__N9ubcoqCxp3yu27X2nF2TlTEF0/edit?usp=sharing

https://forms.gle/ABCSsvDaA4J8Tf6JA (Basic Form)

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*🦌INTERMEDIATE WHITETAIL TAXIDERMY CLASS/OR SEMINAR - This is for people with a background already! For anyone with prior experience mounting whitetail deer and are needing more than just basic class. This is for those struggling to improve their quality of mounts whether it be for their commercial pieces for their customers, or for competitions. This class is completely individualized for what you are wanting. Time, days and cost will vary dependent on what I'm teaching. It can be seminar style or true hands on class. For example, are you just improving commercial work, learning how to improve your competition pieces, or something even more specific, how to alter forms/poses, using open mouth cups/how to do finish work on them, etc.

https://forms.gle/HJaawBmUWT9ufuyr5 (Intermediate Form)

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🦌And summary background about me - this is also in my basic class information link: This is VERY abbreviated, but it gives you an idea about my teaching experience. Some people make great taxidermists, but cannot teach well, where I am a true licensed educator in the state of Illinois. I also do NOT believe in large group settings. Being a teacher teaching science labs for a VERY long time, I can promise you without question someone always "loses". Which is why I focus on private lessons. Everyone learns differently. Some will catch on fast - others will need more examples. Some need more explanations and details - others more patience. We are all different.

I have an extensive teaching background. I taught Microsoft Office computer classes at community college, local businesses, UIUC Student classes, and Unit 4 Teachers for 10 years prior to becoming a secondary science high school teacher. I then was a high school science (biology/animal science anatomy) teacher for over 20 years before retiring to become a taxidermist. I trained with the best, Joe Meder of Iowa and many others since starting.

I have been a member of the Illinois State Taxidermist Association since 2018. A member of the National and United Taxidermist Associations. I was the Vice Chairman of the United Taxidermist Association for a year and also represented the upper mid-west states.

I have competed in shows since 2019. Within one year of my first competition in which I won second places with my commercial pieces I entered into Professional division (my first 3 bucks I ever mounted on my own), I won the Professional Division in Whitetails/Best of Category and Best Whitetail That Tells A Story, the next two years I won Best Commercial Mounts (with customer whitetail pieces I brought in off my walls) and United Taxidermy Association Competition In Kansas - Masters Champion Whitetails. In 2024, I entered a Whitetail piece in the World Taxidermy Competition in Iowa and won first place in the Open Division. That next year in 2025, I took that same whitetail piece to the Illinois Taxidermy Competition and won first in Masters Open Mouth Whitetail, IFOR Best Gamehead Mount, and I won State Champion Open Mouth Whitetail Division (out of open and closed mouth entries), and also won Runner-Up Best in Show (this is out of all pieces of all species entered in the entire show - second highest honor to receive in a show). With a Desert Bighorn Ram (first I ever mounted), I won Best Professional Gamehead, Pro-1 Professional Award, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Award, and Judges Choice Best Gamehead.

The rest of the details about the basic class - is in that link I provided above.

02/02/2026

Reminder, when I finish your buck and contact you - please respond to the text/and or phone calls I make. Especially when I have tried to contact you multiple days in a row. I haven’t been strict on the pay remaining balance BEFORE I even start to mount your buck - and I may be regretting that choice. 😖.

Remember that remaining balance is my true income portion of your piece. Just like you want to be paid when you do your job - same here. Thank you for understanding. If you are tight on money, please reach out - i can bump your piece back a bit and get working on the next customers piece or even take payment plans before and while buck is drying in that 2-3 week period since I contact you when Im starting your piece. So plenty of warning (at minimum 2-3 weeks warning). Ignoring me or avoiding me is rude and disrespectful to others patiently waiting. Worst case after a week if I do not hear back - I will start posting your name here on my page in hopes someone sees it.

Yes my phone had been acting up due to it being out of storage so some messages sent to me by customers were delayed but that has been solved at this point - but I contact you multiple ways to make sure something is getting through to be safe so no excuse.

Side note- I need all the remaining 2024 antlers back in shop! Everything should be completed in these next 2 months.

01/22/2026

You never know how much you need hot water in a taxidermy shop till you don’t have it!

Our water heater was slowly having issues around that first extreme weather change. Could have been a coincidence but around end of October. I was barely getting any hot water anymore. And pressure was horriblely low. And if I got warm it was taking forever. Plus was seeing water always on floor and back wall was wet. At first thought it was just from water splashing from sink when washing capes. Fast forward two weeks ago it would take 20-30 minutes before I would get lukewarm water and would get so fed up I would haul 5 gallon buckets of hot water from our house to shop - yeah that sucked bad! It’s not that close lol. And in these sub temps. Blah! It was slowly me down bad in shop becuase I was spending more time trying to figure out what was wrong with the tankless system. Yes we learned it was clogged. No, no where in manual did it mention descaling unit nor even how - we followed the instructions for installation and it never showed running side cleanout system. Maintenance was clean out a screen you couldn’t get to. That was it. And it has run fine for 7 years!

Fast forward. Last weekend spent entire weekend doing what was told for tankless systems we found online - not from manufacturer by the way. Only to clean it out and find out by Sunday it was actually failing. The failing was what was allowing the build up to even happen. A pressure switch had gone bad. And dangerous type failing. And God was watching over my shop that the thing didn’t explode from steam pressure or worse catch fire.

Due to size constraints that is why we had went with that in first place, but discovered these little mini tanks while I was researching options. And since I only need hot water at this sink, we ordered one. Got it finally installed - so so blessed to have a friend that is a retired union plumber! And now this girl has hot water again. Cue angels singing 😂😇.

Praying no more issues. Had to redo a few things and still need to reconstruct that back area now as I did lose some storage area. But like someone that knows me who ran into me at Menards yesterday - “what you building now?” 😂😂. Yep. Building something always.

And also after talking to my guy I think we may finally also have a solution to having no bathroom out in this shop. I mean I don’t mind using the barn to p*e, but dang it’s cold in the winter 🤭🤭. We have a room we built back when we did beetles. And now it’s just a storage and has one freezer in there. And in that back corner we could easily put a toilet in there. So spring project! 😊.

Ignore the set up at the moment. The cord supplied is not long at all. So didn’t reach outlet. So it’s on a heavy duty surge protector for now. And need to make my new shelving/counter top unit around it. But I HAVE HOT WATER AGAIN!!! 😃😃😃u

01/16/2026

Pretty awesome!

Several students in Mr. D’s science class recently completed a full-size whitetail deer skeleton using a deer found on the school nature trail. After cleaning, boiling, and bleaching the bones, the students researched whitetail anatomy and carefully assembled the skeleton, no small task, especially when it came to aligning the backbone.

A whitetail deer has 327 bones, and several were initially missing, but through teamwork involving students and family members, every bone was eventually recovered and placed. The finished project now serves as a hands-on learning display, alongside donated artwork from renowned outdoor artist Ryan Kirby, adding another layer of education and inspiration to the classroom. Great job kids and teacher!

01/10/2026

**Basic Whitetail Class Announcement** (and Intermediate Plus Individualized)

Thank you for all that have reached out! As a teacher for over 20+ years, I love it when people want to learn from me!

Stay tuned. I will be reaching out to those that messaged me and posting scheduling also here beginning of February to start getting booking reservations set.

Again offering Basic Whitetail (private lessons or max 2 per class) - same price either one. Basic is for the no experience, inexperienced, or those that have tried taxidermy on their own and struggling, or tried on their own and just need to truly know what to do.

I also offer a more unique intermediate+ level that some have also been asking me. These type classes are more as they are those “secrets” and upper levels that I paid for myself from others and spent hours and hours learning. But they are geared to exactly what you are wanting or needing to learn. Whether that is to improve your commercial work or to improve your competition professional levels.

12/25/2025

From our family to yours!

12/15/2025

Shop News…

🦌🦌👀announcement about taxidermy classes below shop news 😊

🦌weather has slowed down the season for some of my hunters so I still have a few spots left for old or new customers before I cut season off for whitetail. I will still accept mule, pronghorns, elk, etc. regardless.

🦌I will accept certain mammals, like Bobcats.

🦌I “may” start taking pheasants here soon again. Still holding off on waterfowl at the moment. But reach out for how to freeze them properly in meantime.

🦌 I am caught up. 2024 are still staying under 15 month turn around. Majority will be at the 13-14.5 month turn around from drop off so if you have a 2024 with me expect to hear from me. If you have your antlers, or have your mount going on a base, make sure that they get to me soon!

🦌2025 bucks will actually start getting worked on in spring. I got caught up so that I could spread out mounting of the 2025 whitetails from April - November to stay in a great turn around for you all and have time to finally start teaching classes here or teaching classes at other taxidermy shops.

🦌🦌👀👀👀‼️‼️ final news? So many have asked about my classes. Yes - finally I am caught up and can now get back to teaching. After the first of the year, I will start teaching private classes or in a group of 2 max at a time here in shop. If traveling to another shop I’ve been asked to teach a class, that class size can be bigger (those classes will run a little different that we can discuss). Classes here in shop will run 5-7 days depending on your experience and what your goals are. I can break the class days up so that it works with your schedule/job/life. In fact breaking it up helps you process more - this is where my over 25+ years of teaching science in high school and teaching college/adult classes helps me. I will also offer a more seminar style class which will be geared more towards people unsure if this is something they want. Which would only be about 2-3 days and because seminar style won’t cost as much. These will all be geared towards your basic whitetail classes. My very first student I ever taught is now running her own shop now! 😊😊 My background is again over 25+ as an science educator before becoming a taxidermist, over 6 years of full taxidermist shop and over 9 years when I first started just with skull business. I trained personally with the best out there. Every competition entered I did excellent - rose from Professional to Masters level within short period, with this most recent year winning State Champion whitetail and Runner Up Best in Show and winning first at the Open Level World show. I don’t just teach how to mount, I teach how to problem solve, how to deal with issues you could encounter, anatomy, and business side of things.

12/10/2025

👀Looking for a whitetail taxidermist? 🦌

I still have limited spots left for this 2025 season, and I am still open to new customers!

I was this year’s Illinois State Champion Whitetail taxidermist so you can trust your trophies with me! Give me a call or a text, would love to hear from you!

11/25/2025

Here he is in all his glory. Very unique 2024 Illinois buck now headed home to Michigan! My customer’s reaction when he walked in and saw it made my day, shoot my year! ☺️☺️.

11/24/2025

Sneak p*ek of the whitetail floor pedestal piece I am just finishing up for a customer before this travels up to Michigan.

11/24/2025

Custom skull habitat piece I just did for a customer. Completely hand made and designed.

This can be done with with broken skulls, old skulls, doesn’t matter. Thanks for looking. 🙂