Grand Rapids — I felt the magic of a taxidermy studio during a recent visit to Naber’s Taxidermy, a family-run shop that’s been a fixture in West Michigan for nearly 40 years. As I explored their collection and watched light play across glass eyes and carefully groomed fur, I was struck by how taxidermy bridges art and memory—turning fleeting moments in the field into lasting tributes that hunters can pass down.
To outsiders, it might seem like hunters are just decorating their walls in graphic fashion. But it’s deeper than that. Each mount captures a moment in time, a piece of wildness.
When I glance at the moose skull on my wall, I’m not just seeing antlers. I’m back in British Columbia, awestruck as I walked up on that massive bull for the first time. The skulls from a few of my Michigan bucks take me back to long nights hauling deer through swamps. The caribou sheds hung over my laundry room take me back to the hauntingly beautiful Alaskan tundra. Taxidermy is a way to keep these moments alive.
At Naber’s, the mounts look ready to jump right off the wall. Jim Naber, who has been perfecting his craft for nearly four decades, describes it as an ongoing pursuit of perfection. “You’re never going to get it perfect, but you’re always trying to perfect your craft,” he told me. “I look at the work I did 30 years ago, and it’s amazing to see how much better we are now.”
It’s clear in the mounts on display at his shop. The posture, the expression, the fur. All the little details matter. A good taxidermist goes beyond simply preserving an animal. Guys like Jim breathe life back into it. The best work captures the essence of the animal, from the tension in a lion’s muscles to the alertness in a whitetail’s gaze. Jim’s favorite projects are the apex predators: massive African lions, brown bears, and mountain lions. Things that take over a room. “There’s just something about working on these beasts of an animal. They’re so impressive, and the size makes it that much more rewarding,” he said.
For me, the animal’s pose is important. I think of that old Far Side comic where a hunter stumbles upon a bear peacefully drinking from a stream, only for the next panel to show the bear mounted on its hind legs, roaring like it’s about to maul something. Some hunters choose exaggerated poses, trying to make their adventures seem more dramatic than they really were. I get it. We all want our stories to shine, but for me, the pose you choose should reflect the truth of the moment. A bear standing naturally or a buck with an alert, but relaxed, posture tells a story that doesn’t need embellishment.
Taxidermy also has deep cultural and historical roots. Long before modern hunters brought their kills to the taxidermist, people preserved animals to honor them and to tell stories. Teddy Roosevelt was known for this, starting his taxidermy work as a young kid. His time spent preserving songbirds and any other critter he could get his hands on certainly informed the critical conservation work he’d later do as an adult. For hunters, the purpose is much the same. These mounts are conversation starters, props for retelling the tales of freezing mornings, missed shots, and clean kills.
Jim shared one of the most unique pieces he’s worked on—a saiga antelope from the Siberian plains. “It’s got a nose like a camel and translucent horns, built for surviving the harshest conditions,” he explained. “There’s only a handful of them in the U.S., because they closed the borders shortly after they started coming in.” It’s stories like these, paired with meticulous craftsmanship, that make taxidermy such an essential part of the hunting experience.
When I asked Jim about the future of taxidermy, he reflected on how much the industry has changed over the decades.
“When I started, it was mostly wealthy hunters bringing in exotic game or the occasional deer mount,” he said. “Now, regular people hunt all over the world, and we’re creating entire trophy rooms with custom rock walls and life-size animals.”
This evolution speaks to the enduring appeal of taxidermy. It’s not just about preserving animals; it’s about preserving memories, creating tangible connections to wild places and honoring the hunts that shaped us. As Jim put it, “For now, I think the future looks strong. People are still deeply connected to the stories behind these pieces and that’s what keeps this craft alive.”
I spend a lot of time looking at the mounts in my home. Not always because I’m admiring my own work (though sometimes I am), but because they take me back to key moments in my life. They remind me of the deep gratitude I feel for the animals and the wild places they came from.
Taxidermy ensures that the memory of the hunt doesn’t end with the shot. Thanks to people like Jim, those memories will be preserved for a long time.
James Zandstra is an experienced outdoorsman with a passion for the Mitten State. Follow his work on X @TheFairChase1.
