February 12, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode of New England Outdoor Life, we sit down with George Reed of Wildlife Design Taxidermy (www.wildlifedesign1.com) to dive deep into the art and science of professional taxidermy. George shares his journey into the world of taxidermy, offering expert advice on how to choose the right taxidermist and what hunters and anglers need to do immediately after harvesting a trophy deer, bear, fish, or other game to ensure a high-quality mount.
From preserving hides and skins to the intricate process of creating lifelike mounts, George walks us through the essential steps that make or break a successful taxidermy project. Whether you're a seasoned hunter, fisherman, or outdoor enthusiast, this episode is packed with valuable taxidermy tips to help you prepare your trophy for a stunning final display.
🔗 Learn more about George Reed and Wildlife Design Taxidermy at www.wildlifedesign1.com
#Taxidermy #WildlifeDesignTaxidermy #DeerHunting #Fishing #TrophyMounts #OutdoorLife #NewEnglandHunting #HuntingTips #FishingTips
As always, check out Capt. Matt's availability this year for charters at www.3rdalarmcharters.com
If you've ever thought about starting your own podcast but don't know where to begin, check out www.missioncastmedia.org. Â
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Narrator (00:05):
Welcome to the New England Outdoor Life podcast,
where stories, traditions, tips,and tricks come to life by way
of those who hunt, fish, guide,trap, and track all over this
beautiful region. Join us as wecelebrate the outdoor spirit of
New England, the New EnglandOutdoor Life podcast.
Capt. Matt (00:29):
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to New
England Outdoor Life Podcast. Weare, trying some new stuff and
entering our close to our secondyear in doing this and deciding
to, quote, take the road on thetake the show on the road, and
going to new venues, doing tradeshows, meeting with other
people. And, we are still righthere in the wonderful Green
(00:51):
Mountain State of Vermont. But,meeting with a good friend of
mine is a taxidermist. And aswe've said, we really wanna try
and stay diverse in our topicsabout the outdoors.
And tonight, I wanna introduceGeorge Reed from Wildlife Design
Taxidermy.
George Reed (01:04):
Thanks, man.
Capt. Matt (01:04):
Thanks for having us here.
George Reed (01:06):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (01:07):
Trying to think how long ago you and I met in the
wonderful outdoor world.Probably up at the Yankee
Sportsman Classic here inVermont.
George Reed (01:14):
Yeah. Probably. Yeah. Yep. I think so.
Capt. Matt (01:15):
Well, you have got phenomenal work and, not only,
can't say enough about theproduct that you have, but your
knowledge with it. And I thoughtyou'd be a great one to to talk
to about the subject matter, andcan't say enough about, the
opportunity, but also thatyou've got my son's deer here.
So getting to see the finishedproduct. So, but again, thank
(01:39):
you very much for having ustonight. How long you been doing
taxidermy?
George Reed (01:43):
I think I started back in 2007. I think I started.
I was always been interested init, you know, and as a kid
collecting squirrel tails andstuff like that growing up and
fishing and, yeah. I was alwaysinterested in it. And I think,
when I was in eighth grade, Ithink, we went to a museum and I
(02:05):
got to see different animals andhow they're displayed and
habitats, stuff like that.
And I became really interestedin it. And then with the
Internet coming online and stufflike that, you could just type
in and look things up, you know,and
Capt. Matt (02:17):
Sure.
George Reed (02:17):
Kinda got into it that way and yeah.
Capt. Matt (02:20):
Very good. Now did you go to school for it? How did
you start learning
George Reed (02:24):
the craft? Internet, reading it, you know,
reading different things,magazines, Yeah. Videos. Yeah.
You know, just kind of trying toget everything I can get my
hands on to to learn everythingI could about it.
Capt. Matt (02:37):
Sure. Good for you. Well, I think anybody knows a
good taxidermy is an art formand especially when it comes to
doing fish. And you and I talkedabout doing fish too and that, a
lot of people don't realize thatthere is a ton of paint work
involved with that. And we'lltalk a little bit about that
later on tonight.
But, I know you're good friendswith Pete LaJoie as well. And I
can recall when I was in highschool when Pete first started,
(02:59):
he was down at the Rutland Fairhere in Vermont. And I said to
him, I might wanna get intotaxidermy. I love to hunt and
fish. And he goes, you you loveto hunt too much.
Don't do it because you're gonnacut into your hunting time.
George Reed (03:08):
So That's that's true. That's for sure. Yeah.
Capt. Matt (03:12):
So certainly can to change your your demeanor and
and, looking at time allotment,obviously, in what you're doing.
But you're getting to work withwildlife, you know, and
obviously a huge passion ofmine. But, so tell us about your
business and what you got goinghere.
George Reed (03:29):
We've started this business, 02/2017. I started
full time. We do generallypretty much just deer and, you
know, big game. We were we usedto do fish as you know. We're
not doing any fishing anylonger, but, maybe down the road
we might start doing them again,but Yep.
Pretty much just big game. Yep.Awesome. Deer, bear, moose. Yep.
(03:52):
Yep.
Capt. Matt (03:52):
Now do you get folks, regionally or just mainly
from Vermont or
George Reed (03:57):
Vermont. Pretty much all over the I mean, last
year I've gotten deer from SouthDakota, you know, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Illinois. Yep. You know,we get them from all over.
Capt. Matt (04:07):
Awesome. Yep. Good stuff. So I'm lucky enough to
shoot a deer that I wanna put onthe wall and add to my
collection. I'm in the woodsjust starting the field dressing
process.
My bell has gone off at this isan animal I wanna put on the
wall. Mhmm. What should I bethinking about as far as that
animal's care from then on out?
George Reed (04:30):
Just, you know, like, if you're gonna drag it
out of the woods, you know, youwanna keep it up off the ground
or put it in something to dragit. You don't wanna be dragging
it on on the ground. Just bear.Sure. Keep it clean clean, cold.
Yeah. And then get it to yourtax service as quick as you can.
Capt. Matt (04:50):
There you go. Yeah. What would you suggest for
somebody that's on the road ona, you know, a long distance
hunt, whether it's made or not?You know, I I have been
fortunate enough to go on ahandful of, guided hunts in
different provinces and states,and, some outfitters and guides
are phenomenal at caping, andothers leave a little bit to be
(05:13):
desired. So what's yoursuggestion there?
George Reed (05:16):
I tell guys, you know, if they're gonna go for a
hunt, you know, practice on adeer that you don't plan on
mounting. Sure. You know, justcape it out. Try caping it out.
You know, the more you do, thebetter you're gonna get at it.
And, but, yeah, try to get youknow, depending on where you're
going, you know, maybe look upat a local taxidermist.
Sometimes you can get guysthat'll cape them out for you
(05:36):
for a fee or whatever. But Sure.Yeah. I mean, I've had customers
call me up in the middle of thenight and say, hey.
How do I do this? You know? Sowe've done a we've assisted in a
few capes over the phone, but,yeah. Just I just tell guys try
to practice and, you know, thatway you can keep your own out
and know what you're doing andSure. That way you're not gonna
(06:00):
make a mistake.
Capt. Matt (06:01):
Yep. Now we know that a lot of the bear season's
starting fairly warm weather
George Reed (06:06):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (06:07):
Especially Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Pretty
critical to get them on icefast.
George Reed (06:11):
Especially bears. Yeah. Especially bears. You
wanna get them cooled off asquick as possible. They do they
do wanna slip.
Yep. Yeah. Same thing.
Capt. Matt (06:21):
When you talk about slip, what's that mean?
George Reed (06:23):
Well, as soon as a bear, you know, you kill an
animal, it expires, you know,bacteria starts growing as soon
as that animal's dead. Mhmm. Soit's like, just like anything
else, it's gonna rot. So, youknow, you wanna get it, you
know, get it cold cooled down,put it in a freezer or whatever
and
Narrator (06:40):
Yep.
George Reed (06:41):
As soon as possible.
Capt. Matt (06:42):
Yeah. Certainly make a difference to get that height
off the meat right after kill.
George Reed (06:46):
Yes.
Capt. Matt (06:47):
Then obviously getting the
George Reed (06:48):
meat, you
Capt. Matt (06:48):
know, the consumptive part of it on ice as
well. Mhmm. What if somebody,you know, wants to do other
things with that bear? Better tohave them bring the whole thing
on the skull and pause to you?
George Reed (07:00):
Or Yeah. I just generally tell them leave the
pause and the skull in. Yeah.You know, I just take care of
that myself.
Capt. Matt (07:06):
Gotcha.
George Reed (07:09):
But then again, if you're, you know, hunting out of
state, I don't know, you youknow, it's
Capt. Matt (07:14):
it's just Obviously with laws and, you know,
worrying about chronic wastingdisease and what you can
transport and, you know, knowingthat you can't bring any brain
matter, when it comes to whitetails Yeah. And a lot of elk
places too. So they got to bringit on the skull cap you know and
then % meat to bones so I thinkmost people are pretty aware of
that you know but you know a lottell anybody if they're
(07:37):
listeners right now and makesure you know your laws if if
you're coming from a CWD stateback to you in Vermont. It's
gotta be deboned and
George Reed (07:45):
Exactly.
Capt. Matt (07:46):
Clean. So what other suggestions do you have for
people prior to bringing ananimal to you?
George Reed (07:55):
Well, I mean, depending on who you're work
working with as a taxidermist,you know, maybe getting a hold
of him before the season or orbefore your hunt, you know,
letting him know if they, youknow, if they're taking in work
or, what have you, and certaintaxidermists have a way they
want it an animal scun out acertain way or whatever. Sure.
Yeah. I mean, that's what I Imean, some guys, you know,
(08:18):
they're stop they stop taking inworks. It always be like, if you
got an animal and you don't havea taxidermist, what are you
gonna do?
You're gonna be stuck with it inthe freezer for a year or
whatever. But
Capt. Matt (08:26):
Yeah. Yeah. This year, bear success rates keep
climbing, and that's that timeof year that's pretty tough as
we talk about with temperatures,and I saw a fair amount of
taxidermist putting on socialmedia. I'm capped out. I'm
sorry.
I can't take your bear in rightnow.
George Reed (08:41):
And Yeah.
Capt. Matt (08:42):
So that that's a tough pill to swallow, honestly.
And, I've hunted in Maine, bothdeer and whitetail, and we had a
processor up there that, myguide, that I work with up there
used to take all his bears to.And the gentleman was getting up
in age and his kids were doing alot of work for him, and they
took on other jobs and he closedhis meat shop. So we've kinda
(09:03):
had to do some change in our ownand, you know, go to do our own
prep work ourselves now,especially if it's a trophy,
somebody wants to get, you know,get mounted. So, you know,
there's always, like you said,is that planning that goes with
it.
Yep. How much time is involvedwith keeping, an animal out for
you once it arrives here?
George Reed (09:21):
I mean, for a white tail, I'm I can keep a white
tail out in fifteen minutesprobably. You know, it's you
know, the more you do it, thethe efficient you get with it.
Yep. A bear, you know, it'sdifferent, like, taking the paws
out. Of course, it takes alittle bit more time, what have
you.
But, yeah, I mean, it's it'spretty pretty quick.
Capt. Matt (09:40):
Yep. So what's the process for you once you've got,
a customer's animal? What do youdo with that for that process
from skinning to getting thecape off and that type of stuff?
George Reed (09:50):
Yep. Once I get it, scun out, get the, the skull out
of it or what have you, if it'sif it's in it, you know, we
flush them down, we salt them,and then I ship them out to the
tannery once they're dry.
Capt. Matt (10:02):
Gotcha.
George Reed (10:03):
Then once I get them back from the tannery, you
know, there's you gotta sizethem up through the forms they
need, and, there's still somework that needs to be done on
them once you get them back fromthe tannery. You know, you gotta
still thin some of the areasdown around the eyes, the face,
needs to be thinned down andstuff. Form prep, you gotta prep
your form when you get yourforms in. Yep. Then, you know,
(10:24):
you mouth the deer up and thenwatch it for a couple days, make
sure it's drying correctly.
And, you know, once once thedeer is dry in a couple weeks
and then you finish work, youknow, you have epoxy around the
eyes, get the eyes all set andSure. You know, all your
finished work and painting and
Capt. Matt (10:38):
Yep.
George Reed (10:39):
What have you.
Capt. Matt (10:40):
What do you notice? Obviously, there's taxidermist
in every state and all aroundthe country. And and obviously,
we talked about before we turnthe cameras on when we start
looking at self promotion andsome people are good at it and
some are, but what are yourcritique marks you would say
you've noticed with othertaxidermists that a customer
(11:00):
should be looking for if they'regonna be choosing a new
taxidermist?
George Reed (11:05):
Yeah. I mean, just go to go to somebody's shop and,
you know, ask them questions,look at their work and, you
know, their turnaround times,you know, look around, look at
their work, see if their worklooks, you know, real, like the
eye work, you know, the finishwork, how the paint work looks,
Yeah. Just look at the cape, howto look, you know, does all the
(11:28):
hair patterns line up where theyneed to be and
Capt. Matt (11:31):
Sure.
George Reed (11:32):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (11:33):
What do you find to be the most popular white tail
mount? Upright or in a threequarter sneak or
George Reed (11:39):
Probably semi upright is probably the probably
the most popular. Yeah. Yep.Semi upright and then then it'd
be the sneak, I guess. We get afew of, like, the old school or
upright.
We get a few of those a year,but generally, it's a semi
upright or sneak pose.
Capt. Matt (11:54):
Sure. Sure. I know in years past, you and I have
talked about fish. And as yousaid, you've just gotten so busy
and good for you that you'vegotten to that point that
difficult for you to do fishright now. But obviously, with
catch and release world todayand fishing, people are, you
know, getting a fish they wannarelease back to mother nature,
but haven't mounted.
Mhmm. So I've always told peoplegetting good measurements and
(12:15):
good photos. Are thosemeasurements critical with a
large game animal too or do yousuggest that or
George Reed (12:21):
usually, I don't I don't take any measurements till
I get my my capes back from thetannery. Gotcha. Then usually,
I'll take my measurements then.Gotcha. Well, you know, a fish I
mean, you got the fish rightthere and you get basically,
it's the length and the girthmeasurement.
Capt. Matt (12:36):
Yep.
George Reed (12:37):
Then any, you know, the close-up photos as far as
fish goes, you can't have enoughenough photos, you know, like
any unique markings on the fish,the head, the fins, you know,
you want pictures of all thatstuff. So
Capt. Matt (12:52):
Yep. So we'll talk since we're there right now and
talking about fish a little bit.What's the difference between, a
reproduction versus a skin mountand the time that goes with each
one of them?
George Reed (13:07):
Skin mount, you know, you're taking you gotta
skin the fish, take the skin offthe fish. You can there's forms
out there you can buy or elseyou can just what I used to do,
I used to buy big blocks of foamand then just take measurements
of the fish, and I used to carvemy own forms for the fish. Yeah,
(13:30):
I mean, well, replica, it's allthere for you.
Capt. Matt (13:34):
Sure.
George Reed (13:34):
And just, put it, you know, you have to put the
fins on and then paint it, ofcourse.
Narrator (13:39):
Yep.
George Reed (13:39):
Yeah. I mean.
Capt. Matt (13:41):
Now correct me if I'm wrong and I'm being a
fishing guide, people ask me allthe time. A skin mount and a
replica both have to be painted.Correct?
George Reed (13:48):
Yes. Yeah. So a lot
Capt. Matt (13:50):
of people don't realize that that natural skin
is gonna fade and lose itscolor, you know. And I tell
people all the time, put thefish in the cooler, and then
when we get back to filet themand notice what the color
changes
George Reed (14:01):
Oh, yeah.
Capt. Matt (14:01):
You know, it doesn't take long. Yeah. So obviously,
having good photos and no matterif they're gonna keep it or not.
And I've had some customers thathave kept catch, you know, from
Champlain Lake Ontario andtelling them to keep them cool,
you know, get a wet towel onthem, keep them packed with ice
and, but again, getting thosecritical measurements before
(14:21):
they dry out.
George Reed (14:22):
Yeah. You know? And and like pictures, you know,
take pictures as soon as you getout of the water because like
you said, they'd start changingcolors as soon as you get them
out of the water. And then, youknow, as far as like wrapping
them up, then, you know, likeyou said, like the towel. I used
to tell guys wrap them up in,like, plastic wrap first.
Yep. I find, like, your troutlike, I used to make all my own
(14:45):
fins, cast my own fins, and,like, the the texture from the
towel will embed in the fins,and you can't get that out.
Capt. Matt (14:52):
Sure.
George Reed (14:52):
I mean, it's it's almost impossible to get that
out of those fins. Yep. So Ijust tell guys, you know, lay it
out on the table, wrap it inplastic as flat as possible,
keep the fins all tucked in niceand tight, then freeze it like
that.
Capt. Matt (15:06):
Sure.
George Reed (15:06):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (15:07):
I've, very happy and fortunate that I've got a
rainbow trout that you gave me.And, I've taken it to a ton of
shows over the year, and I'vehad other taxidermist come to me
and say, who did that? That'sphenomenal work.
George Reed (15:20):
Nice.
Capt. Matt (15:21):
And it just looks so realistic. And it's hard for me
to bite my tongue knowing thework you can do, and you just as
you said, you know, kudos to youand what you've built with your
business and, obviously, whatbig game takes up time for you.
And people don't realize thetime that goes involved with
doing fish, you know. And I'mtrying to explain to them that
(15:42):
I've got a guy for you, but ifhe can get to it, he's probably
a couple years out. You know,they look at you, they got four
heads.
They just don't realize the timeconsumption that goes with
everything you do here.
George Reed (15:52):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (15:52):
But, you've got quite a little shop right here,
right next to your home. How didyou lay out your your shop, and
did you build it around thebusiness, or was it just a
garage you
George Reed (16:01):
It was just yeah. When we bought the place, it was
just a garage, and then we kindajust morphed into this. Really,
there was no I just kinda wentwith it and Sure. Really no
plan. Yep.
I didn't know how it was gonnaturn you know how it is when you
start a business. You don't knowwhat the heck's gonna happen. So
it's Sure. We just kinda slowlykinda this is what it turned out
(16:22):
to be, you know, and prettylucky.
Capt. Matt (16:25):
Good for you. That's phenomenal. When you got started
to where you are today, mainlyword-of-mouth or have you do you
have a website? You do socialmedia? That type of stuff?
Yeah.
George Reed (16:34):
We have a website and a Facebook page. We've been
a few shows, basicallyword-of-mouth in Facebook. You
know, we do post on Facebookquite a bit, pictures of
different animals. But, yeah, Ithink
Capt. Matt (16:48):
Have you done any competitions at all in the
taxidermy world?
George Reed (16:50):
Oh, yeah. We we used to compete quite often. I
haven't in the last coupleyears. I think two years ago was
the last time I competed, butyou would try to go to the shows
Yep. Every year.
Capt. Matt (16:59):
Good for you.
George Reed (17:00):
I mean, that's that's the it's a great
opportunity for people to learnwho wanna know, you know, learn
about taxidermy. It's we can'tbeat that. Join the an
association.
Capt. Matt (17:11):
Yep.
George Reed (17:12):
Just so much to learn.
Capt. Matt (17:13):
Absolutely. You know, I I I have been pretty
fortunate over the years to meetmany of your brethren in the
taxidermy world around, and it'sneat to to pick up the little
nuances that, other taxidermistaround have learned over the due
time now and, how things havechanged with technology and of
course, social media and Sure.And how you do what you do, you
(17:34):
know. But, somebody is aspiringto be a taxidermist. Any
suggestion to them?
George Reed (17:40):
That'd be the first suggestion I'd make. Join your
local, association. Yep. Thenjust take your time with it.
Don't be in a hurry to to getinto a business, you know.
I think a lot of guys get intothat mistake. You know, they
wanna they'll go to school for aweek and all of a sudden they
come home and now they're gonnastart a taxidermy business and
Sure. It's easy to get a badreputation.
Capt. Matt (18:03):
Yep. Yeah. There's no question that practice makes
perfect. Yes. You know?
And, I have found with mybusiness being diversified keeps
me steadier throughout theseasons. And obviously, battling
mother nature is something elsewhen you're looking at weather
and wind and everything. But,you know, I tell people I'm not
a professor at just bassfishing. I can take you out and
(18:27):
troll for trout and salmon, jigfor lakers, go fly fishing for
different species, and just tryto mix it up. But that's twenty
some years in business of doingit and stuff that I've done my
whole life, you know, andlearning that stuff.
It doesn't happen justovernight. And, just because you
go to a guide school doesn'tinstantly make you a guide on. I
(18:48):
know there's a couple oftaxidermy schools down in
Pennsylvania and I'm surethey're a great way to get your
foot in the door to start off,but, practice, practice,
practice, you know. And Mhmm. Ihave just taken on a new hobby
this year and doing some flytie.
And, me with sausage fingers,it's not the easiest thing and
my eyesight fading with withage. So
George Reed (19:09):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (19:10):
But there's a lot to it, you know, and it's something
that my grandfather dabbled in alittle bit. And when I was a
little kid and to keep his kindof legacy going, I started
learning it. And I got a lot tolearn. There's a long ways Yeah.
To go with it.
And I've been going to someother, tires and learning what
they're doing and their crafttoo. Just like taxidermy, it's
an art form. Sure. You know,there's a lot to it and a lot of
(19:32):
patience involved with it. Yeah.
You know? So what's an expectedturnaround time that somebody
would plan on once they droptheir game off to you?
George Reed (19:41):
Right now, I'm about twelve, fourteen months.
Yep.
Capt. Matt (19:44):
Yep. And what does that time all include? Is it
just drying after you've got iton the form? Or,
George Reed (19:50):
Well, I mean, it's to do a deer, like, the time
length to take to do one deer,you're probably looking maybe
twelve hours or so maybe.Twelve, fourteen hours.
Capt. Matt (20:01):
Gotcha. Yeah.
George Reed (20:03):
But yeah. I mean, depending on the dry time and
stuff like that. Sure. Yeah.
Capt. Matt (20:07):
Sure. Well, you've certainly done a phenomenal job.
And as people can look aroundthe room and, as we said, this
is kind of our first shot atdoing some remote video and what
better place than to come to ataxidermy studio. Mhmm. And,
people can see firsthand and I'msitting here drooling looking at
this steelhead and thinking,dude, you are missing it because
(20:29):
I would love to see you do a lotmore fish.
It is a beautiful specimen.
George Reed (20:33):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (20:34):
But I, if anybody know the time that is involved
with doing that artwork and Idon't remotely wouldn't even
know where to start and andMhmm. Painting up something like
that. But, as people can see,it's a passion of yours and
something you do phenomenal at.And, any goals for you that
you're looking at trying toaccomplish or any trips you
wanna do or stuff like that? No.
(20:55):
We're just
George Reed (20:57):
mountain deer heads and, you know.
Capt. Matt (20:59):
Yep.
George Reed (20:59):
It's about, you know, nothing nothing playing in
the future Good. Anyways. Yeah.But we'll see.
Capt. Matt (21:05):
When I find a partner for you, I'll send him
your way. Well, as I said tostart the night off, we can't
thank you enough for inviting usin. And, we're gonna wander
around your shop a little bit,and we're gonna have some video
stuff that folks are gonna beable to see online, and,
obviously, helping you spreadthe word. Not that you need it.
It sounds like you're doing verywell.
(21:26):
I don't think anybody ever wantsto turn any work away, but I
know, come September, I'm like,oh my lord. How many more
chargers do I wanna do?
George Reed (21:32):
You know?
Capt. Matt (21:32):
So it's, I'm looking at our seasons every year and
what could come with it. But,now again, being a fellow
Vermonter, thank you very muchfor what you do and supporting
everybody out in Fish andWildlife. How do people find
you?
George Reed (21:47):
Well, we're on Facebook and, we're on we have a
website, Wildlife Design. Youcan check that out if you like.
Capt. Matt (21:54):
Is that .com, Net?
George Reed (21:57):
.Com. Gotcha. Yep.
Capt. Matt (21:58):
Yep. And all your information is on there. Sure.
And we're in Brandon, Vermontfor people watching out there in
the wide, wide world of the web.If you're anywhere here in
Vermont, I highly suggest, comeand talking to George.
But, sir Thank you. Thank youvery much for joining us
tonight.
George Reed (22:13):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (22:14):
We've got a lot of stuff coming down the line,
folks. And, next week, we'regonna be talking cross country
skiing here in Vermont. Andwe've got some other guides
we're gonna be talking with, youknow, from around New England
region. And not too distantfuture, talking about our
upcoming fishing season as well.So thank you so much for joining
us here at New England OutdoorLife Podcast.
(22:34):
Till the next episode, Captorthat signing off.
Narrator (22:38):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. Don't forget
to head over to New EnglandOutdoor Life Dot Com to sign up
for our mailing list. And whileyou're at it, check out
thirdalarmcharters.com. That'sthird with the number three.
Have a great week, and we'll seeyou outdoors.
Welcome to the New England Outdoor Life podcast,
where stories, traditions, tips,and tricks come to life by way
of those who hunt, fish, guide,trap, and track all over this
beautiful region. Join us as wecelebrate the outdoor spirit of
New England, the New EnglandOutdoor Life podcast.
Capt. Matt (00:29):
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to New
England Outdoor Life Podcast. Weare, trying some new stuff and
entering our close to our secondyear in doing this and deciding
to, quote, take the road on thetake the show on the road, and
going to new venues, doing tradeshows, meeting with other
people. And, we are still righthere in the wonderful Green
(00:51):
Mountain State of Vermont. But,meeting with a good friend of
mine is a taxidermist. And aswe've said, we really wanna try
and stay diverse in our topicsabout the outdoors.
And tonight, I wanna introduceGeorge Reed from Wildlife Design
Taxidermy.
George Reed (01:04):
Thanks, man.
Capt. Matt (01:04):
Thanks for having us here.
George Reed (01:06):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (01:07):
Trying to think how long ago you and I met in the
wonderful outdoor world.Probably up at the Yankee
Sportsman Classic here inVermont.
George Reed (01:14):
Yeah. Probably. Yeah. Yep. I think so.
Capt. Matt (01:15):
Well, you have got phenomenal work and, not only,
can't say enough about theproduct that you have, but your
knowledge with it. And I thoughtyou'd be a great one to to talk
to about the subject matter, andcan't say enough about, the
opportunity, but also thatyou've got my son's deer here.
So getting to see the finishedproduct. So, but again, thank
(01:39):
you very much for having ustonight. How long you been doing
taxidermy?
George Reed (01:43):
I think I started back in 2007. I think I started.
I was always been interested init, you know, and as a kid
collecting squirrel tails andstuff like that growing up and
fishing and, yeah. I was alwaysinterested in it. And I think,
when I was in eighth grade, Ithink, we went to a museum and I
(02:05):
got to see different animals andhow they're displayed and
habitats, stuff like that.
And I became really interestedin it. And then with the
Internet coming online and stufflike that, you could just type
in and look things up, you know,and
Capt. Matt (02:17):
Sure.
George Reed (02:17):
Kinda got into it that way and yeah.
Capt. Matt (02:20):
Very good. Now did you go to school for it? How did
you start learning
George Reed (02:24):
the craft? Internet, reading it, you know,
reading different things,magazines, Yeah. Videos. Yeah.
You know, just kind of trying toget everything I can get my
hands on to to learn everythingI could about it.
Capt. Matt (02:37):
Sure. Good for you. Well, I think anybody knows a
good taxidermy is an art formand especially when it comes to
doing fish. And you and I talkedabout doing fish too and that, a
lot of people don't realize thatthere is a ton of paint work
involved with that. And we'lltalk a little bit about that
later on tonight.
But, I know you're good friendswith Pete LaJoie as well. And I
can recall when I was in highschool when Pete first started,
(02:59):
he was down at the Rutland Fairhere in Vermont. And I said to
him, I might wanna get intotaxidermy. I love to hunt and
fish. And he goes, you you loveto hunt too much.
Don't do it because you're gonnacut into your hunting time.
George Reed (03:08):
So That's that's true. That's for sure. Yeah.
Capt. Matt (03:12):
So certainly can to change your your demeanor and
and, looking at time allotment,obviously, in what you're doing.
But you're getting to work withwildlife, you know, and
obviously a huge passion ofmine. But, so tell us about your
business and what you got goinghere.
George Reed (03:29):
We've started this business, 02/2017. I started
full time. We do generallypretty much just deer and, you
know, big game. We were we usedto do fish as you know. We're
not doing any fishing anylonger, but, maybe down the road
we might start doing them again,but Yep.
Pretty much just big game. Yep.Awesome. Deer, bear, moose. Yep.
(03:52):
Yep.
Capt. Matt (03:52):
Now do you get folks, regionally or just mainly
from Vermont or
George Reed (03:57):
Vermont. Pretty much all over the I mean, last
year I've gotten deer from SouthDakota, you know, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Illinois. Yep. You know,we get them from all over.
Capt. Matt (04:07):
Awesome. Yep. Good stuff. So I'm lucky enough to
shoot a deer that I wanna put onthe wall and add to my
collection. I'm in the woodsjust starting the field dressing
process.
My bell has gone off at this isan animal I wanna put on the
wall. Mhmm. What should I bethinking about as far as that
animal's care from then on out?
George Reed (04:30):
Just, you know, like, if you're gonna drag it
out of the woods, you know, youwanna keep it up off the ground
or put it in something to dragit. You don't wanna be dragging
it on on the ground. Just bear.Sure. Keep it clean clean, cold.
Yeah. And then get it to yourtax service as quick as you can.
Capt. Matt (04:50):
There you go. Yeah. What would you suggest for
somebody that's on the road ona, you know, a long distance
hunt, whether it's made or not?You know, I I have been
fortunate enough to go on ahandful of, guided hunts in
different provinces and states,and, some outfitters and guides
are phenomenal at caping, andothers leave a little bit to be
(05:13):
desired. So what's yoursuggestion there?
George Reed (05:16):
I tell guys, you know, if they're gonna go for a
hunt, you know, practice on adeer that you don't plan on
mounting. Sure. You know, justcape it out. Try caping it out.
You know, the more you do, thebetter you're gonna get at it.
And, but, yeah, try to get youknow, depending on where you're
going, you know, maybe look upat a local taxidermist.
Sometimes you can get guysthat'll cape them out for you
(05:36):
for a fee or whatever. But Sure.Yeah. I mean, I've had customers
call me up in the middle of thenight and say, hey.
How do I do this? You know? Sowe've done a we've assisted in a
few capes over the phone, but,yeah. Just I just tell guys try
to practice and, you know, thatway you can keep your own out
and know what you're doing andSure. That way you're not gonna
(06:00):
make a mistake.
Capt. Matt (06:01):
Yep. Now we know that a lot of the bear season's
starting fairly warm weather
George Reed (06:06):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (06:07):
Especially Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Pretty
critical to get them on icefast.
George Reed (06:11):
Especially bears. Yeah. Especially bears. You
wanna get them cooled off asquick as possible. They do they
do wanna slip.
Yep. Yeah. Same thing.
Capt. Matt (06:21):
When you talk about slip, what's that mean?
George Reed (06:23):
Well, as soon as a bear, you know, you kill an
animal, it expires, you know,bacteria starts growing as soon
as that animal's dead. Mhmm. Soit's like, just like anything
else, it's gonna rot. So, youknow, you wanna get it, you
know, get it cold cooled down,put it in a freezer or whatever
and
Narrator (06:40):
Yep.
George Reed (06:41):
As soon as possible.
Capt. Matt (06:42):
Yeah. Certainly make a difference to get that height
off the meat right after kill.
George Reed (06:46):
Yes.
Capt. Matt (06:47):
Then obviously getting the
George Reed (06:48):
meat, you
Capt. Matt (06:48):
know, the consumptive part of it on ice as
well. Mhmm. What if somebody,you know, wants to do other
things with that bear? Better tohave them bring the whole thing
on the skull and pause to you?
George Reed (07:00):
Or Yeah. I just generally tell them leave the
pause and the skull in. Yeah.You know, I just take care of
that myself.
Capt. Matt (07:06):
Gotcha.
George Reed (07:09):
But then again, if you're, you know, hunting out of
state, I don't know, you youknow, it's
Capt. Matt (07:14):
it's just Obviously with laws and, you know,
worrying about chronic wastingdisease and what you can
transport and, you know, knowingthat you can't bring any brain
matter, when it comes to whitetails Yeah. And a lot of elk
places too. So they got to bringit on the skull cap you know and
then % meat to bones so I thinkmost people are pretty aware of
that you know but you know a lottell anybody if they're
(07:37):
listeners right now and makesure you know your laws if if
you're coming from a CWD stateback to you in Vermont. It's
gotta be deboned and
George Reed (07:45):
Exactly.
Capt. Matt (07:46):
Clean. So what other suggestions do you have for
people prior to bringing ananimal to you?
George Reed (07:55):
Well, I mean, depending on who you're work
working with as a taxidermist,you know, maybe getting a hold
of him before the season or orbefore your hunt, you know,
letting him know if they, youknow, if they're taking in work
or, what have you, and certaintaxidermists have a way they
want it an animal scun out acertain way or whatever. Sure.
Yeah. I mean, that's what I Imean, some guys, you know,
(08:18):
they're stop they stop taking inworks. It always be like, if you
got an animal and you don't havea taxidermist, what are you
gonna do?
You're gonna be stuck with it inthe freezer for a year or
whatever. But
Capt. Matt (08:26):
Yeah. Yeah. This year, bear success rates keep
climbing, and that's that timeof year that's pretty tough as
we talk about with temperatures,and I saw a fair amount of
taxidermist putting on socialmedia. I'm capped out. I'm
sorry.
I can't take your bear in rightnow.
George Reed (08:41):
And Yeah.
Capt. Matt (08:42):
So that that's a tough pill to swallow, honestly.
And, I've hunted in Maine, bothdeer and whitetail, and we had a
processor up there that, myguide, that I work with up there
used to take all his bears to.And the gentleman was getting up
in age and his kids were doing alot of work for him, and they
took on other jobs and he closedhis meat shop. So we've kinda
(09:03):
had to do some change in our ownand, you know, go to do our own
prep work ourselves now,especially if it's a trophy,
somebody wants to get, you know,get mounted. So, you know,
there's always, like you said,is that planning that goes with
it.
Yep. How much time is involvedwith keeping, an animal out for
you once it arrives here?
George Reed (09:21):
I mean, for a white tail, I'm I can keep a white
tail out in fifteen minutesprobably. You know, it's you
know, the more you do it, thethe efficient you get with it.
Yep. A bear, you know, it'sdifferent, like, taking the paws
out. Of course, it takes alittle bit more time, what have
you.
But, yeah, I mean, it's it'spretty pretty quick.
Capt. Matt (09:40):
Yep. So what's the process for you once you've got,
a customer's animal? What do youdo with that for that process
from skinning to getting thecape off and that type of stuff?
George Reed (09:50):
Yep. Once I get it, scun out, get the, the skull out
of it or what have you, if it'sif it's in it, you know, we
flush them down, we salt them,and then I ship them out to the
tannery once they're dry.
Capt. Matt (10:02):
Gotcha.
George Reed (10:03):
Then once I get them back from the tannery, you
know, there's you gotta sizethem up through the forms they
need, and, there's still somework that needs to be done on
them once you get them back fromthe tannery. You know, you gotta
still thin some of the areasdown around the eyes, the face,
needs to be thinned down andstuff. Form prep, you gotta prep
your form when you get yourforms in. Yep. Then, you know,
(10:24):
you mouth the deer up and thenwatch it for a couple days, make
sure it's drying correctly.
And, you know, once once thedeer is dry in a couple weeks
and then you finish work, youknow, you have epoxy around the
eyes, get the eyes all set andSure. You know, all your
finished work and painting and
Capt. Matt (10:38):
Yep.
George Reed (10:39):
What have you.
Capt. Matt (10:40):
What do you notice? Obviously, there's taxidermist
in every state and all aroundthe country. And and obviously,
we talked about before we turnthe cameras on when we start
looking at self promotion andsome people are good at it and
some are, but what are yourcritique marks you would say
you've noticed with othertaxidermists that a customer
(11:00):
should be looking for if they'regonna be choosing a new
taxidermist?
George Reed (11:05):
Yeah. I mean, just go to go to somebody's shop and,
you know, ask them questions,look at their work and, you
know, their turnaround times,you know, look around, look at
their work, see if their worklooks, you know, real, like the
eye work, you know, the finishwork, how the paint work looks,
Yeah. Just look at the cape, howto look, you know, does all the
(11:28):
hair patterns line up where theyneed to be and
Capt. Matt (11:31):
Sure.
George Reed (11:32):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (11:33):
What do you find to be the most popular white tail
mount? Upright or in a threequarter sneak or
George Reed (11:39):
Probably semi upright is probably the probably
the most popular. Yeah. Yep.Semi upright and then then it'd
be the sneak, I guess. We get afew of, like, the old school or
upright.
We get a few of those a year,but generally, it's a semi
upright or sneak pose.
Capt. Matt (11:54):
Sure. Sure. I know in years past, you and I have
talked about fish. And as yousaid, you've just gotten so busy
and good for you that you'vegotten to that point that
difficult for you to do fishright now. But obviously, with
catch and release world todayand fishing, people are, you
know, getting a fish they wannarelease back to mother nature,
but haven't mounted.
Mhmm. So I've always told peoplegetting good measurements and
(12:15):
good photos. Are thosemeasurements critical with a
large game animal too or do yousuggest that or
George Reed (12:21):
usually, I don't I don't take any measurements till
I get my my capes back from thetannery. Gotcha. Then usually,
I'll take my measurements then.Gotcha. Well, you know, a fish I
mean, you got the fish rightthere and you get basically,
it's the length and the girthmeasurement.
Capt. Matt (12:36):
Yep.
George Reed (12:37):
Then any, you know, the close-up photos as far as
fish goes, you can't have enoughenough photos, you know, like
any unique markings on the fish,the head, the fins, you know,
you want pictures of all thatstuff. So
Capt. Matt (12:52):
Yep. So we'll talk since we're there right now and
talking about fish a little bit.What's the difference between, a
reproduction versus a skin mountand the time that goes with each
one of them?
George Reed (13:07):
Skin mount, you know, you're taking you gotta
skin the fish, take the skin offthe fish. You can there's forms
out there you can buy or elseyou can just what I used to do,
I used to buy big blocks of foamand then just take measurements
of the fish, and I used to carvemy own forms for the fish. Yeah,
(13:30):
I mean, well, replica, it's allthere for you.
Capt. Matt (13:34):
Sure.
George Reed (13:34):
And just, put it, you know, you have to put the
fins on and then paint it, ofcourse.
Narrator (13:39):
Yep.
George Reed (13:39):
Yeah. I mean.
Capt. Matt (13:41):
Now correct me if I'm wrong and I'm being a
fishing guide, people ask me allthe time. A skin mount and a
replica both have to be painted.Correct?
George Reed (13:48):
Yes. Yeah. So a lot
Capt. Matt (13:50):
of people don't realize that that natural skin
is gonna fade and lose itscolor, you know. And I tell
people all the time, put thefish in the cooler, and then
when we get back to filet themand notice what the color
changes
George Reed (14:01):
Oh, yeah.
Capt. Matt (14:01):
You know, it doesn't take long. Yeah. So obviously,
having good photos and no matterif they're gonna keep it or not.
And I've had some customers thathave kept catch, you know, from
Champlain Lake Ontario andtelling them to keep them cool,
you know, get a wet towel onthem, keep them packed with ice
and, but again, getting thosecritical measurements before
(14:21):
they dry out.
George Reed (14:22):
Yeah. You know? And and like pictures, you know,
take pictures as soon as you getout of the water because like
you said, they'd start changingcolors as soon as you get them
out of the water. And then, youknow, as far as like wrapping
them up, then, you know, likeyou said, like the towel. I used
to tell guys wrap them up in,like, plastic wrap first.
Yep. I find, like, your troutlike, I used to make all my own
(14:45):
fins, cast my own fins, and,like, the the texture from the
towel will embed in the fins,and you can't get that out.
Capt. Matt (14:52):
Sure.
George Reed (14:52):
I mean, it's it's almost impossible to get that
out of those fins. Yep. So Ijust tell guys, you know, lay it
out on the table, wrap it inplastic as flat as possible,
keep the fins all tucked in niceand tight, then freeze it like
that.
Capt. Matt (15:06):
Sure.
George Reed (15:06):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (15:07):
I've, very happy and fortunate that I've got a
rainbow trout that you gave me.And, I've taken it to a ton of
shows over the year, and I'vehad other taxidermist come to me
and say, who did that? That'sphenomenal work.
George Reed (15:20):
Nice.
Capt. Matt (15:21):
And it just looks so realistic. And it's hard for me
to bite my tongue knowing thework you can do, and you just as
you said, you know, kudos to youand what you've built with your
business and, obviously, whatbig game takes up time for you.
And people don't realize thetime that goes involved with
doing fish, you know. And I'mtrying to explain to them that
(15:42):
I've got a guy for you, but ifhe can get to it, he's probably
a couple years out. You know,they look at you, they got four
heads.
They just don't realize the timeconsumption that goes with
everything you do here.
George Reed (15:52):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (15:52):
But, you've got quite a little shop right here,
right next to your home. How didyou lay out your your shop, and
did you build it around thebusiness, or was it just a
garage you
George Reed (16:01):
It was just yeah. When we bought the place, it was
just a garage, and then we kindajust morphed into this. Really,
there was no I just kinda wentwith it and Sure. Really no
plan. Yep.
I didn't know how it was gonnaturn you know how it is when you
start a business. You don't knowwhat the heck's gonna happen. So
it's Sure. We just kinda slowlykinda this is what it turned out
(16:22):
to be, you know, and prettylucky.
Capt. Matt (16:25):
Good for you. That's phenomenal. When you got started
to where you are today, mainlyword-of-mouth or have you do you
have a website? You do socialmedia? That type of stuff?
Yeah.
George Reed (16:34):
We have a website and a Facebook page. We've been
a few shows, basicallyword-of-mouth in Facebook. You
know, we do post on Facebookquite a bit, pictures of
different animals. But, yeah, Ithink
Capt. Matt (16:48):
Have you done any competitions at all in the
taxidermy world?
George Reed (16:50):
Oh, yeah. We we used to compete quite often. I
haven't in the last coupleyears. I think two years ago was
the last time I competed, butyou would try to go to the shows
Yep. Every year.
Capt. Matt (16:59):
Good for you.
George Reed (17:00):
I mean, that's that's the it's a great
opportunity for people to learnwho wanna know, you know, learn
about taxidermy. It's we can'tbeat that. Join the an
association.
Capt. Matt (17:11):
Yep.
George Reed (17:12):
Just so much to learn.
Capt. Matt (17:13):
Absolutely. You know, I I I have been pretty
fortunate over the years to meetmany of your brethren in the
taxidermy world around, and it'sneat to to pick up the little
nuances that, other taxidermistaround have learned over the due
time now and, how things havechanged with technology and of
course, social media and Sure.And how you do what you do, you
(17:34):
know. But, somebody is aspiringto be a taxidermist. Any
suggestion to them?
George Reed (17:40):
That'd be the first suggestion I'd make. Join your
local, association. Yep. Thenjust take your time with it.
Don't be in a hurry to to getinto a business, you know.
I think a lot of guys get intothat mistake. You know, they
wanna they'll go to school for aweek and all of a sudden they
come home and now they're gonnastart a taxidermy business and
Sure. It's easy to get a badreputation.
Capt. Matt (18:03):
Yep. Yeah. There's no question that practice makes
perfect. Yes. You know?
And, I have found with mybusiness being diversified keeps
me steadier throughout theseasons. And obviously, battling
mother nature is something elsewhen you're looking at weather
and wind and everything. But,you know, I tell people I'm not
a professor at just bassfishing. I can take you out and
(18:27):
troll for trout and salmon, jigfor lakers, go fly fishing for
different species, and just tryto mix it up. But that's twenty
some years in business of doingit and stuff that I've done my
whole life, you know, andlearning that stuff.
It doesn't happen justovernight. And, just because you
go to a guide school doesn'tinstantly make you a guide on. I
(18:48):
know there's a couple oftaxidermy schools down in
Pennsylvania and I'm surethey're a great way to get your
foot in the door to start off,but, practice, practice,
practice, you know. And Mhmm. Ihave just taken on a new hobby
this year and doing some flytie.
And, me with sausage fingers,it's not the easiest thing and
my eyesight fading with withage. So
George Reed (19:09):
Yeah.
Capt. Matt (19:10):
But there's a lot to it, you know, and it's something
that my grandfather dabbled in alittle bit. And when I was a
little kid and to keep his kindof legacy going, I started
learning it. And I got a lot tolearn. There's a long ways Yeah.
To go with it.
And I've been going to someother, tires and learning what
they're doing and their crafttoo. Just like taxidermy, it's
an art form. Sure. You know,there's a lot to it and a lot of
(19:32):
patience involved with it. Yeah.
You know? So what's an expectedturnaround time that somebody
would plan on once they droptheir game off to you?
George Reed (19:41):
Right now, I'm about twelve, fourteen months.
Yep.
Capt. Matt (19:44):
Yep. And what does that time all include? Is it
just drying after you've got iton the form? Or,
George Reed (19:50):
Well, I mean, it's to do a deer, like, the time
length to take to do one deer,you're probably looking maybe
twelve hours or so maybe.Twelve, fourteen hours.
Capt. Matt (20:01):
Gotcha. Yeah.
George Reed (20:03):
But yeah. I mean, depending on the dry time and
stuff like that. Sure. Yeah.
Capt. Matt (20:07):
Sure. Well, you've certainly done a phenomenal job.
And as people can look aroundthe room and, as we said, this
is kind of our first shot atdoing some remote video and what
better place than to come to ataxidermy studio. Mhmm. And,
people can see firsthand and I'msitting here drooling looking at
this steelhead and thinking,dude, you are missing it because
(20:29):
I would love to see you do a lotmore fish.
It is a beautiful specimen.
George Reed (20:33):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (20:34):
But I, if anybody know the time that is involved
with doing that artwork and Idon't remotely wouldn't even
know where to start and andMhmm. Painting up something like
that. But, as people can see,it's a passion of yours and
something you do phenomenal at.And, any goals for you that
you're looking at trying toaccomplish or any trips you
wanna do or stuff like that? No.
(20:55):
We're just
George Reed (20:57):
mountain deer heads and, you know.
Capt. Matt (20:59):
Yep.
George Reed (20:59):
It's about, you know, nothing nothing playing in
the future Good. Anyways. Yeah.But we'll see.
Capt. Matt (21:05):
When I find a partner for you, I'll send him
your way. Well, as I said tostart the night off, we can't
thank you enough for inviting usin. And, we're gonna wander
around your shop a little bit,and we're gonna have some video
stuff that folks are gonna beable to see online, and,
obviously, helping you spreadthe word. Not that you need it.
It sounds like you're doing verywell.
(21:26):
I don't think anybody ever wantsto turn any work away, but I
know, come September, I'm like,oh my lord. How many more
chargers do I wanna do?
George Reed (21:32):
You know?
Capt. Matt (21:32):
So it's, I'm looking at our seasons every year and
what could come with it. But,now again, being a fellow
Vermonter, thank you very muchfor what you do and supporting
everybody out in Fish andWildlife. How do people find
you?
George Reed (21:47):
Well, we're on Facebook and, we're on we have a
website, Wildlife Design. Youcan check that out if you like.
Capt. Matt (21:54):
Is that .com, Net?
George Reed (21:57):
.Com. Gotcha. Yep.
Capt. Matt (21:58):
Yep. And all your information is on there. Sure.
And we're in Brandon, Vermontfor people watching out there in
the wide, wide world of the web.If you're anywhere here in
Vermont, I highly suggest, comeand talking to George.
But, sir Thank you. Thank youvery much for joining us
tonight.
George Reed (22:13):
Thank you.
Capt. Matt (22:14):
We've got a lot of stuff coming down the line,
folks. And, next week, we'regonna be talking cross country
skiing here in Vermont. Andwe've got some other guides
we're gonna be talking with, youknow, from around New England
region. And not too distantfuture, talking about our
upcoming fishing season as well.So thank you so much for joining
us here at New England OutdoorLife Podcast.
(22:34):
Till the next episode, Captorthat signing off.
Narrator (22:38):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. Don't forget
to head over to New EnglandOutdoor Life Dot Com to sign up
for our mailing list. And whileyou're at it, check out
thirdalarmcharters.com. That'sthird with the number three.
Have a great week, and we'll seeyou outdoors.
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