Dead End Taxidermy
25999 Pathfield Road
Glenwood, Iowa 51534
712-629-1805
www.deadendtaxidermy.net
Craig Vinke has been a taxidermist for many years. Five years ago, he started his own taxidermy business preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of birds and animals. Dead End Taxidermy could hardly be better named. It is a home-based business at the end of a very long gravel road near Glenwood, in southwest Iowa.
Craig is a Whitetail Specialist, whose primary focus is producing deer mounts. Craig received his specialized deer mount training from Joe Meder, an acclaimed taxidermist based in Solon, Iowa, and winner of world and national taxidermy awards. Joe accepts only three taxidermy students each month for his training class. Craig has several impressive mounts displayed in the Dead End Taxidermy showroom.
Craig says that the secret to a good mount is a good “cape.” A deer’s cape is the area of skin beneath the deer’s head and around the shoulders. Craig also has an interest in fish and birds, and is considering expanding his taxidermy business to include them. He noted that African taxidermy, including animals like water buffalo, is generally the most profitable taxidermy work.
The majority of Craig’s business comes through word-of-mouth referrals from hunters who have used his services. He also places ads in local newspapers and displays his work at local businesses to attract new customers.
Most days, Craig’s inflamed joints burn from rheumatoid arthritis and he often visits a rheumatologist. He also has herniated discs as the result of a car accident, and has had his ankles fused. Three years ago, he contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite and his health challenges became even more significant.
Craig received assistance from Iowa Work Incentive Planning and Assistance and Griffin-Hammis & Associates, and used a Social Security Administration Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) to help pay for his taxidermy training as well as for an ergonomic chair and special floor pad to help minimize his pain while he is working. Craig says that, at some point, he will probably need to use a wheelchair to get around, but expects that even when that happens he will still be able to earn a living operating his business.