Wildlife art

FRANKFORD, Mo. -- In a rural setting south of Frankford, Jamie Graham is turning outdoor memories into wildlife art.

Graham, owner and operator of Wild Creations Taxidermy, creates replicas of nature by preserving and mounting the skin of animals, fish and birds with the incorporation of many crafts, such as painting, drawing, molding, casting, sculpture, and more.

Combining his artistic talent and training, Graham's craftsmanship includes recreating nearly every wild creature from large animals, including bear, deer and African game to smaller critters such as coyote, raccoon, waterfowl and fish.

"The animals I do look alive," said Graham. "Nothing is rushed here. Quality is number one here. The goal is to depict life so realistically that it appears in motion, a trophy so realistic that it looks like it could jump off the wall. Whether big or small I want it to look so good that the customer is super happy with it."

With the deer season opens in Missouri, and the hunting of elk and antelope in the western states, Graham will be racking up orders for the big bucks who won't make it out of the season.

"This is a 365 day-a-year business, but this is the busiest time of the year. I'm swamped and we're just getting started," he said. "Each and every deer head takes no less than 10 hours in this shop and can initially take six to eight months at a tannery in Montana, based on a first come, first served. A fish takes about five hours to mount and ducks and turkeys about eight to 10 hours -- sometimes longer, depending on the pose."

Fun and challenging

Every piece of work is fun and a challenge, said Graham.

"I've mounted zebras, hippos and giraffes. I'm getting ready to do an elephant, which I'm looking forward to as something different," he said. "I'll do any desire on habitat and natural settings. An unusual request was for two life-size raccoons that were posed decorating a Christmas tree."

Western game, such as elk, antelope and whitetail deer are Graham's favorite and specialty. Gamehead mounts are popular with the sportsmen. The gameheads usually include the shoulders, neck and head of the specimen. Most are mounted to be hung on a wall, but occasionally are mounted on a pedestal.

"The larger game is what I enjoy the most," he said. "Birds are more delicate, and you have the feathers to deal with. The problem with fish is the smell. It can smell like a fish market in here for a while after mounting." Fish require a lot of artistic painting, Graham said.

Taxidermy tips

For the hunters seeking their trophy for taxidermy, Graham has some tips.

"The most important thing is take care of the animal in the field correctly," he said. "The animal should be skinned properly and shouldn't be dragged. Time and time again the animal was not taken care of right and it makes the job hard and it sometimes cannot be done the way they want because of the way it was took care of when they killed it in the field."

After displaying the mount, it will need proper care, said Graham. "It should be dusted, groomed and kept away from the fireplace in the winter."

Graham was born in Pike County and has lived in Frankford most of his life. After graduating from college he apprenticed taxidermy in a shop in St. Charles. He has been in the business for more than six years. His study of art and love of outdoor adventures are a credit to his final product for the discriminating sportsman. He is currently a blue ribbon winner in state, national and international levels.

"I love the hunting and fishing and the outdoors," he said. "And living in the country, getting away from city life."

Wife Sherri and son Mason enjoy the wildlife along with Graham. Sherri is a hunter of large game and makes the yearly trips to the west with her husband and son. According to Graham, she is hoping to bag a mule deer in the future.

Works of his craftsmanship are on display in his shop.

"We get a lot of people that just want to stop in and look around," said Graham. "They might be past customers who don't have anything to mount at the time but just want to come and talk a little bit and see what other people have brought in."