Home - Kindred Spirits School of Taxidermy

"Let us help you make your dreams come true!"

*Dedicated to bringing out our students full creative potential.

*Small classes: Maximum three full time students, two part time students. This is the key to a successful learning experience. We are experienced taxidermists working right along side the students who are mounting their own specimens, specimens that will be dressing up their own showrooms. Please take a brief moment to look closely at the photos posted of students first We are not afraid to post large photos, so you can see the quality and difficulty of the presentation/and habitat.

*Latest and best knowledge, techniques, stressing QUALITY! If you are a beginner, you start out slowly, when you have mastered each technique, we challenge you with a greater difficulty project.

*True Tanning, Lutan-F, LiquaTan Oil methods, no auto tan. The best materials sold on the market to date.

*Super, hands down, all out habitat methods, PRESENTATION! What customers want. You will be busy when you get back home.

*Choices: 2 week sessions, catering to the students individual interests and desires of what they want to learn.

*Choices 4-6-8-10 week extended classes to cover all aspects of the taxidermy experience, jumpstarting you into your career. In a 10 week course you could mount between 18 to 24 finished mounts. This learning experience builds confidence.

*As an experienced teacher/taxidermist, I don't believe that a person can truely learn enough by just mounting one of something. As an example: some schools offer in a mammal course, one specimen and all the students mount that same specimen in the same pose. Ugh! In our classes each student mounts something different, and in different poses. You will not believe how much more you can learn with this method. Yes it is more difficult for us to offer classes this way , but we are all about teaching taxidermy as a profession not as a hobby. When our students walk out the door at the end of a two week session, they feel confident to be able to actually perform their talents for customers. If you doubt this statement , just pick up the phone and contact our past students.

Always check out the school references, we bonded and insured, have they filed with the state of iowa and hold a certificate of financial responsibility. We are there after the check is cashed. We offer support and assistance to past graduates. Ask. Protect your investment.

JoAnn Waddell Carey Owens

319-753-0929 319-572-2909

We have started a facebook page also: Kindred Spirits School/Organization,where former graduates may upload photos of their work, exchange ideas,post items for sale or wanted, items to exchange /trade. Network with the other graduates . We can also offer answers to questions, help find a certainreference photo, paint schedule, or share new technique tips. Good Stuff.

David Jewel, Kents Store, VA. testimonial. Quote: "I can truely say, you lived up to everything that was stated in your website. I am so glad I chose your school for my taxidermy training. " You can reach David at Mount'in Time Taxidermy 434-901-5914.

Another story, another great experience, Dale Robertson, Young , Az. 928-238-0097, competited in state competition after just eleven months out of school. He took the ten week course and we are proud to have been his path. Dale has blue ribboned his way into the masters catagory now, competing at the Nationals. You can see his mounts on facebook. Wild Heritage Taxidermy.

Dale, your efforts will pay off for you and your family. Best of Luck in your new profession as a truely great wildlife artist. JoAnn

Update: Dale has not informed me that, He is now bumped into the masters catagory,,,,,,, too many blues in professionaland he calls me and says,,,,,,,,,,, "It is all your fault, now see what you have done!!!!!",,,,,, funny, I told him that three fourths of it is his raw talent, i just channeled it. Again, if you have facebook you can see his new mounts on there, Wild Heritage Taxidermy, you can call and speak with him. Great guy, family man. hard worker. He learned that success does not come to you, you go to it and that starts with a good education. Thanks,Dale , for the compliments. Jo

WOW............ great news Eric Blount , www.blounttaxidermy.He took his classes May of 2008 ,,,,,,,,, He returned from the Florida State

Competition with 8 awards, and on his everyday customer mounts.,,,,,,,,,, He said he went there to just learn and was not repecting ribbons, just

a wonderful learning experience. What a surprise, to find out just how good you really are, wow.......... He got three 3rd place, 2 second place and 2

first place and 2 best of catagory awards.......... He called to tell me that he had the best taxidermy teacher in the nation......... I told him I had the

best student in the nation. check out his mounts at the web address above. Some possible news,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we have been asked by a few prospective

students to open up a Kindred Spirits School--South,,,,, we are in the talking stages with Eric about this possibility. If you might be interested in possibility

Florida-------------- booking would be opening up this winter. Contact us. News Flash....................... Gamehead class scheduled for December 12th to December 23rd,

to be held at Eric's shop. I will be traveling to open a class for Gameheads.................. I still have an opening. Contact us.

Thanks, Eric for being you and for appreciating me. JoAnn update( we currently have two interested parties for florida in december. let us know if you might be

interested also.) Eric visited in summer of this year and brought up an interesting project. A mini wooden horse , which pulls an antique buggy. We covered the

outside of the body of the horse with buckskin and now it is at another artists shop getting fit for a harness. Photos soon.

Our teachers are also taxidermists with lots of customer work to do, but when students get to mount their specimens right along side really good taxidermists , they get to learn all the tricks. We send our teachers to world class seminars with the masters and their work shows this. Come join us and see what you can learn. Not by just mounting one gamehead, and three birds,,,,,,,, you need to be mounting at least three gameheads, and 6-7 birds, including a turkey, and in our mammal class recently,students mounted lifesize coyotes, badger rugs, one student also mounted a sitting squirrel, and a lifesize otter, sewed a beaver hat and gloves made from doe buckskin. He mounted a flying mallard, flying pheasant, standing teal, standing ross goose in a corn field, strutting turkey with a freeze dried head, while another student mounteda flying turkey, a blue goose coming in for a landing, flushing pheasant, bufflehead in ice scene, and much more.

Curtis Griffin, has completed all of his classes and has opened up his business now, "Rock Hills Taxidermy " , Watch out you guys in Missouri!

The sun was in his eyes, and his mount was mounted for the trip home, but his work was fantastic.

Rock Hills Taxidermy, Advance, Missouri,

573-576-6346Curtis informed us that he had twin babies now and has his hands full. We frequently purchase bobcats

from Curt, hope he has time to keep trapping for us. Thank you Curtis, you are a great taxidermist.

Jeff Bittner

Jeff Bittner, of Storm Lake, Iowa. Has completed his training now and is working at his new business, Twin Rivers Taxidermy .

He was surprised to have learned so much is such a short period of time. Jeff is just returning from Army duty in Iraq, thank you Lt. Bittner.

Twin Rivers Taxidermy, New Sharon, Ia. 515-201-1642

Jeff is also now writing for a local hunting newsletter. He also has a website where you can go see

his mounts. Jeff is a dedicated worker, and treats his customers right. He is in it for the long haul.

New addition to business course

We have recently added a great Business Plan software. Students can use this new software to assist them in putting together a great business plan.

Students may work on this type of thing in their spare time, evenings or on the weekend. We think this is a great addition to our already super program.

Students may bring a flash drive and copy all our reference library, scan other magazine photos, or search on the internet. Students bring their laptops

into the classroom and find great reference material there also. (We stress good reference , always).

Philosophy.

We strive to always teach with patience and an understanding that often how well a student does when they leave the school depends on the learning experience that they had in the school. We will make every effort to present the best instruction and techniques in all phases of this ever changing field of wildlife art. We feel very fortunate to have discovered taxidermy as a final career and hope that our enthusiam spills over into the classroom every day. We want our students to leave with the confidence and knowledge that it takes to have a chance to make it out there in the business world. We believe that the finished product is only as good as the method and materials used in the process from the beginning.

Attending our school allows you to mount what you want to mount. Each student might be mounting say, a different gamehead during the same class. Example: You might be mounting a whitetail shoulder and the other students might be mounting an antelope and an aoudad . In the lifesize class, one student might be mounting a bobcat, another a coyote, another a racoon. You get to learn not only what you are doing but are observing and learning other information at the same time. Why should you loose out , do what you want to do. You make the decisions/choices depending on what specimens you bring or want to purchase. It just makes more sense to expose yourself to the most information as you possibly can for the money.

If you have taken our classes and are having a problem, i try to help. I sometimes ask a student please , if you are struggling with something difficult, call me. Maybe I can offer suggestion. You run into alot of difficult instances, things that happen that change your plan of action and we can offer assistance in these areas. I had young students mom call me. Said he had mounted a bass, first one in over a year, he was hesitant about the painting, and could he bring his paints and supplies and just paint it in the classroom setting. Absolutely!!!!!,, he came over around nine am, we touched up a few things that i saw that he had not seen. Let it dry, and his mom called and brought us all subway sandwiches for lunch. He finished the paint job. Sealed it and we added a few sprigs of greenery for habitat accent. He did fantastic. This young man is a wonderment to me. So enthusiastic, so passionate,,,,, now he can go home and practice getting all the shapes right, and keep mounting fish. No charge.. for this type of work. It builds confidence to continue to practice and improve and keep making dreams come true. 12=4=11