Public to see high-end taxidermy work at state competition and sportsman's show
Close to 200 pieces of taxidermy will be part of an upcoming statewide competition that includes a variety of attractions for the public in westcentral Pennsylvania.
The 45th annual PA State Taxidermy & Wildlife Art Competition, Convention & Trade Show will be held from March 20-23 at the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pa.
This will be the second year the members also host a Sportsman’s Show on March 23. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the taxidermy competition area is open to the public from noon until 4 p.m.
Ray Kowalski, vice president of the association and a taxidermist, is looking forward to the show and competition.
“The taxidermy competition for Pennsylvania is incredible,” the New Kensington, Westmoreland County resident said. “We have some of the country’s best taxidermists.”
Considering the national and world competitions, Kowalski said Pennsylvania is home to some of the best in the industry.
“A large portion of the winners in the world (competitions) are from Pennsylvania,” he said.
This event allows taxidermists to have their entries judged and see what the judges like and dislike. The competitor can then go home and improve on the piece before it’s taken to a higher level event.
“The public will get to see some world class taxidermy work that’s new, exciting, fresh ideas,” he said about the Pennsylvania show.
In addition, the public can be up close and personal with the pieces as they are not shielded by glass or other barriers.
“Usually we have, I’m going to roughly guesstimate, between 150 and 200 pieces come to our show,” he said. “There seems to be a renewed excitement of this idea of coming to the convention and competition. I’m hoping we increase that number this year.”
The artwork will include small and large animals as well as a variety of fish and birds, too.
Heather Dyess, a taxidermist from Halifax in Dauphin County and a board member of the taxidermist association, looks forward to seeing other taxidermists and learning more about her craft.
“You’re going to see everything from people just starting out in taxidermy to people who have been doing it pretty much their whole life, practically," she said. "You’ll get to see some really amazing pieces of art and animals you don’t get to see every day. You get to be pretty up close to them. If you really observe them, you’ll get to learn a thing or two.
“People can ask things to the artists themselves, practically and learn things they never knew about,” she said.
With some world champions competing, she said visitors will be able to see some of the best taxidermy in the world at this event.
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Sportsman’s show
The sportsman’s show has been designed to enhance the event. There will be more than 40 vendors who will have a diverse variety of products and educational experiences available.
“There will be something there for the young, the old, males, females, the hunters, the fishermen, the craftsperson, there’s a wide variety,” Kowalski said.
For the youth, the Tri-County Trout Club will show how to tie a fly and the children can take it home with them.
Hunters can bring their deer antlers to the event and have them scored by an official Boone and Crockett Club antler scorer.
During the convention, top taxidermists will be sharing their advice, tips and secrets with fellow artisans during various seminars.
Taxidermy vendor suppliers will also be there to show what’s available. Kowalski said taxidermist can save money buying their supplies during the convention.
“It more than pays for your convention registration and membership fee,” Kowalski said about saving on shipping costs and receiving discounts on some of the items.
For further details and updates on the event, visit pataxidermist.org or the association’s Facebook page.
What successful anglers, hunters need to know
Dyess has been doing taxidermy for about 12 years and enjoys promoting the art and industry. She has a taxidermy-related podcast called Wildverse Taxidermy as well as pages on Facebook, Instagram @wildlifeladyyall_19 and TikTok @wildlifeladyyall16.
“We get to work on some neat animals and we get to really look at the animals up close. It’s about studying them,” she said.
It’s also about trying to make a hunter’s prized animal appear to be alive.
“It’s a challenge to recreate something as well as it was when it was alive. It is a fun challenge and you don’t ever stop learning," she said. "There’s always something to improve on. You’ll never feel like you’ve reached the pinnacle of wherever you could get to.
“I’ve always liked art, hunting and animals, so it was a really good mixture of the two. It’s fun."
In addition to making the animal appear to be alive, taxidermists also work on creating scenes and habitat to display the animal or fish.
Dyess mainly works on animals big and small and not birds or fish. She said bobcats and coyotes are a challenge to have a lifelike appearance.
“You can put a lot of expression into them. I enjoy them the most,” she said. “The eyes are the windows to the soul."
Tips for having taxidermy work done:
If you don’t already have a taxidermist, start doing your research before you get that fish, bird or animal. There is a list of taxidermists on the Pennsylvania Taxidermist Association’s website.
Hunters and anglers should be looking at examples of taxidermy and thinking about what they would like to have done if they are lucky enough to get a trophy.
The taxidermist can explain how to wrap and freeze a fish or how to place the head of a bird so it doesn’t get damaged.
For tagging a deer, a long safety pin is best to attach the tag to the ear. Don’t use a hunting knife as it can make a large hole the taxidermist will need to repair.
For hunters who travel, research regulations for taking animals across state lines and through areas that have deer with Chronic Wasting Disease. The animal may need to be skinned near the hunting area instead of bringing it home.
Take the animal to the taxidermist as soon as possible. While it’s tempting for hunters who get an animal like a bear to hold on to it for a couple days to show friends and family, the extended time delay hurts the quality of the hide as the animal can quickly start decomposing.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Where will the Pennsylvania taxidermy competition be held?
