I’ve been an avid hunter and fisherman all my life.  I grew up in the heart of upland game and waterfowl country in Central Washington State.  When I wasn’t working on our family’s small farm or going to school, I was hunting or fishing with my Dad.  That’s when my love for the outdoors and the study of birds began and has continued to this day.

I harvested several different species of ducks that exist in the Pacific Northwest in all my years of hunting, except the Wood Duck.  In 1998, I was lucky enough to harvest my first Wood Duck in Eastern Oregon.  I remember that I ran as fast as I could to get to the duck before my dog did in hopes of mounting my prized trophy.  I won the race and had my trophy in hand.  I never had a bird mounted before, but contacted a local taxidermist to mount my first Wood Duck.  When I picked up my trophy, I couldn’t help but admire his skill on bringing the bird back to life. After studying the mount, I realized I wanted to learn taxidermy so I could continue to marvel at their beauty after harvesting. 

In 1998, I began learning the art of taxidermy and started to mount as many birds as I could.  My love for taxidermy grew rapidly, so I sought formal taxidermy training.  In January of 2001, I attended a master taxidermy skills workshop taught by an internationally  recognized master avian taxidermist and international avian taxidermist judge.

I am a member of the National Taxidermy Association and have competed in the Oregon State Taxidermy Association, The Idaho State Taxidermy Association and the California State Taxidermist Association competition events.  I continue to compete every chance I get.  I am licensed through the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.