Did you know that Fulks Run has its own North American wildlife museum? That’s how it feels to step into North Mountain Taxidermy, the shop of Brian and Sara Williams. To the left, a variety of fish including several species of trout, sockeye salmon, bass, and crappie have “schooled” on the wall from floor to ceiling. The most exotic feature that catches the eye is a Florida gator, harvested and preserved by Brian Williams, seeming to swim down ferociously from the ceiling, jaws open. A Broadway native, Brian is every bit as much of an outdoorsman as the ones who bring him their trophies. Brian chuckles, “he was so much work. It was hours of sewing. I hope I don’t get [an alligator] for a client. I’m glad I did it, but I hope I don’t do no more.”
Panning the room, fascinating displays are everywhere. An award-winning full mount of a friendly black bear climbs down from some rocks, meeting eyes with a cute resting fawn. Reminiscent of a scene from The Fox and the Hound, a red fox pup looks up playfully at little fawn. Brian has worked with fisher cats, one from Hampshire County, WV, a cinnamon racoon that had been hit on the road in Hopkins Gap, and one porcupine from Baker, WV. On his business Facebook page, NORTH Mountain Taxidermy, Brian alludes that one porcupine may have been enough.
A taxidermist has the exceptional opportunity to encounter the rarest outliers of creation – albino squirrels, piebald deer, drop tine monster bucks. Moose, elk, pronghorn antelope, audad sheep, a Watusi bull (a shoulder mount that took three people to lift!), and a six-point Axis deer have all passed through Mr. Williams’ skillful hands. A mountain lion remains on his bucket list.
Having apprenticed under Pete Runion of Pete’s Taxidermy in the early 2000s, Brian is rolling over twenty-two years of experience and possibly upwards of 4,000 mounts. Pete is retiring this season after 50 years in the business! Our family will always enjoy the beautiful Church Mountain eight point looks as nice as it did when Pete completed it twenty years ago. Enjoy your retirement, Pete, and thank you for your service to the community!
In 2016, North Mountain Taxidermy became a full-time business. Brian estimates that he finishes 200-300 animals per year, and they promise completion within the year. “It’s pedal to the metal to meet the demand. Each piece is so time consuming; there’s so many steps.” It takes two to three hours to rough flesh a hide. Brian tans most of the work in house, but he shares that bears are so greasy that he sends those off. Musing about the demands of the field, Brian points out that he is “salesman, purchaser – Sara interjects, ‘people person!’ – carpenter, taxidermist, artist – there’s so many different attributes in taxidermy!” Quite literally, taxi means move, and derm means skin. As is common with so many handicrafts, it is easy observe quality work and not realize the expertise, amount of time, and behind-the-scenes effort. “People look at a deer head on a wall – there’s so much time and skill to get everything fleshed down right so it lays in the forms right, form prep, [for example], lip line for the hide to actually tuck back in…” Brian and Sara work well as a team. Sara, a hairdresser by trade, does finishing work – putties the eyes and nostrils, Brian paints them, and she grooms their hair. Ticks are an unpleasant part of the package – fortunately they are eliminated in the tanning process, but she must rake scads of them out of the coats.
Presumably due to the history of taxidermy as a hobby, Brian experiences frustration of some bottlenecks in the business when customers fail to pay and pick up promptly. “Everybody comes in and says, I wouldn’t have the patience to do this kind of work, and they’re probably right – it’s very time consuming in doing the work and a lot of times, waiting on money – that’s a part of taxidermy. I can have all these heads on the wall, but I don’t have money in my pocket until they go out the door.” Along with good business etiquette, customers can make a taxidermist’s job easier and enjoy better results by following the guidelines of trophy game care. Brian explains, “the key to a good mount is how it is taken care of after harvesting. Proper skinning and cutting of the animal is a big deal. If you don’t know how to cut it, call the taxidermist, they’ll be more than happy to tell you how they want it skun. It’ll save a lot of trouble.” The motto put forth to their online following each hunting season, “CALL before you CUT this fall if you have any questions.” A few other tips to customers – freeze fish solid – don’t gut them. Some bad advice started circulating about caring for bear hides – don’t tuck the head into the hide for the freezer; it can rot due to retention of heat in the large amount of fat. To maintain a finished mount on display, owners can blow them off with pressured air every once in a while. Pledge sprayed onto a rag and wiped on a bear’s coat against the grain helps fluff them up and maintain shine.
Creativity and attention to detail are hallmarks of North Mountain Taxidermy. Twin fawns nest peacefully encircled in a bed of lush green ferns. A mink has seized a bluegill in its mouth. Somehow, Brian captures life and expression – so many of the creatures seem to be smiling. Realistic icicles and snow adorn driftwood habitats, and the carefully selected fauna always enhances each piece. There’s action – a bobcat springs on hind legs to catch a pheasant just taking flight, a full buck mount leaps over rustic dilapidated barbed wire fencing. Pack mounts, a trapper style beaver pelt hoop, a unique “camo dip deer skull mount” where the usually pure white European finish has a camouflage pattern, and a muskrat trapper hat are all part of the portfolio. Humorously, a snow-white Cobb hen graces the office of a local poultry farmer, and someone ordered a literal white tail.
Although Brian has earned several awards through the Virginia Taxidermy Association, which will host their 45th annual convention this month in Waynesboro, he humbly states, “I want the hunter to be happy; I don’t care what the judge thinks.” One of his racoons earned President Award and Best All-Around Commercial Division in 2016. His work with racoons is particularly creative. Two coons peep out of a hollow tree, one clutches a dry ear of corn, another helps himself to a Cracker Jack popcorn bag, and yet another bandit perches on a bluebird house, peering down on the opening.
The stellar quality of North Mountain Taxidermy is evidently well-known, as customers and the community offer rave reviews. Lisa Campbell, resident of West Rockingham, after discovering adorable racoon mounts displayed throughout a store in Ohio, had been dreaming of having one peeking out of a basket. “North Mountain Taxidermy did a lovely job of mounting a small raccoon into my fish basket that I had been saving for years for the right opportunity.” Lisa’s husband Randall says the wild turkeys Brian preserved for him are the most real-looking he has ever seen. When sharing about this story with my relative Enos Horst of Brandywine, West Virginia, he exclaimed, “He has a good reputation!” Daniel Green of West Augusta, lauds, “[Brian] has done several mounts for me, he’s the only person I will deal with. His work is outstanding. He is a believer, a family man, fosters children and just a very good guy, rare in today’s world.”
