NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/708333
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 35 the coloration of different fish varies so much even within species, these reference photos help Keyes choose how to best recreate the fish's details. "You have to build all of that from a blank canvas, so if you have a picture, you have a road map to follow," Keyes said. The Hunter's Role For Keyes, O'Hare and Oenbring, the work begins after the animal is already dead. For their customers, however, the work begins the second an animal steps into their crosshairs or hooks onto their lines. Hunters are well aware that meat can spoil, but few remember that the rest of the animal is perishable, too, O'Hare and Oenbring said. "Treat it like you would a steak," Keyes said. "Don't drive it around in the back of your truck for three days." O'Hare agreed: "The fresher it is when I get it, the better off it is," he said. Once an animal is dead, it needs to go into a freezer as quickly as possible. For fish, this is because they lose their color as soon as they die. For mammals, freezing is smart because the bacteria that causes an animal's hair to fall off prefer a wet and warm environment. Freezers, on the other hand, are cool and dry. Oenbring recommended wrapping your animal in heavy-duty plastic to avoid freezer burn. Keyes said fish do best in a wet towel or old shirt, which freezes as a hard cast and protects the delicate carcass from any damage incurred by moving. Doing It Right Despite the calculations, the preparations and the science of it all, taxidermy still offers many challenges. The perils of working with once-live creatures are that imperfections are run-of-the-mill. The feathers fall out. The hide is damaged. "The general public doesn't understand how long it takes to do taxidermy," Keyes said. "It's time- consuming, tedious work and our materials are very expensive." Keyes estimated that 90 percent of his customers come in during two months, and the rest of the year is playing catch-up. "I think the two biggest complaints that most customers have are 'It takes too long' and 'It costs too much,'" Keyes said. But, as O'Hare said, taxidermy is problem-solving. And each of these three, it seems, wouldn't have it any other way, because according to Oenbring, their exact, quality work is a chance to make something that could be creepy become something beautiful instead. "I feel like people can tell the difference," O'Hare said. "People can tell when they're done right." ■ Sarah Kocher is Editor-in-Chief at the Augustana Mirror in Sioux Falls, SD. This is her fourth story in NEBRASKAland. The taxidermist's bouquet: JD Oenbring's turkeys wait for a body to complete them.