Wayne ’ s Wildlife Creations Taxidermy
Wayne Tew has worked for the Alabama Department of Transportation as a construction office manager for 26 years . For the last 12 years , Tew has also been working to turn a passionate hobby into a business .
“ I started out only doing European mounts ,” Tew said . “ That ’ s all I knew how to do .”
European mounts consist of the skull and horns and do not utilize molds or skin .
Tew said he would try different things and learn mostly by trial and error .
“ I learned a lot of stuff off of YouTube videos ,” Tew confessed .
A friend who saw potential in his work volunteered a deer for him to mount .
“ He told me just to try it ; if it doesn ’ t work out , don ’ t worry about it ,” he recalls . “ One thing led to another and here we are .”
Now Tew mounts between 100 to 150 deer a year and last year , he fit in 162 deer and still had to turn down others .
“ That was just too many when you are working a fulltime job ,” he said .
Tew has mounts of deer , ducks , a turkey , and a bobcat placed around his office / shop located directly behind his home on Highway 331 in Brantley .
“ I also do squirrel , coyote , raccoons , foxes and squirrels ,” Tew said . He said he mounts almost anything except domestic animals such as cats and dogs .
When Tew receives a deer to mount , it is the skin and head .
“ First thing I have to do is take the skin off the head . I then cut the horns off .”
He then places them in his drying room to dry out .
“ Next is where the pressure washer comes in ,” Tew said . “ You have to make sure to get all the meat off the skin .”
Special areas that are thin , such as the eye and mouth , require a special fleshing machine . Once the hide is clean and dry , it is fitted around a form and sewed into place . The horns are screwed into the form . Tew then touches up the mount with paint where needed .
The first thing Tew fully mounted was a wood duck .
“ They are probably the hardest thing to do . A lot of taxidermists do not do wood ducks because you have to be federally licensed to do federally protected waterfowl .”
Tew has to maintain records of every federally protected animal he mounts for a five-year period .
Tew runs wire through the duck ’ s wings and uses caulk as filler , allowing him to position the wings to his liking before they set and turn hard .
“ It ’ s technical ; you ’ ve got to love it . If I didn ’ t love it , it would drive me crazy ,” Tew said . Tew was an avid hunter before an illness caused neuropathy in his feet . With the numbness and pain that accompanied it , Tew had to hang up hunting . He still loves to fish and he and his wife , Leann , take fishing trips regularly .
“ It ’ s been a lot of fun and you never quit learning ,” Tew said .
Wayne ’ s Wildlife Creations Taxidermy can be reached at 403-3226 .
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