Retired vet launches taxidermy shop in St. Regis

Hunting season may be over, but now is when the work begins for Brian Reynolds.

A retired United States Air Force Master Sergeant turned taxidermist, Reynolds launched his new business, Immaculate Taxidermy, in St. Regis in April. It was his first fall being open while hunters and sportsmen were harvesting game.

Originally from Roosevelt, Utah, Reynolds relocated to St. Regis five years ago once he completed his service of 22 years in the Air Force. His other trades include driving truck for S.A.C.S. Trucking Inc. out of Missoula. His real avocation is for taking his clients trophy animals and creating authentic displays that tell a story and last a lifetime.

Reynolds remarked, “My friend's Dad was a taxidermist growing up so I was introduced to taxidermy around the age of five, and I was hunting as soon as I could walk.” More recently he said, “I took an advanced level six-week taxidermy course focusing on competition level mounts.” Reynold explained, “I’m a full-service taxidermy shop, mammals, fish, birds and custom work.”

A typical work day finds Reynolds actively arranging numerous projects all at once.

“I work on multiple mounts at the same time all in different stages,” he said. “I’m currently doing a bear rug mount but also have a bear in the beginning stages. I have a few deer capes being tanned, and a life-size mammal getting ready to mount plus building a form for a fish.”

Having the ability to work from home is a bonus for Reynolds. He stated, “I do all the work in my shop located on my property I just built so I do have a store front for customers and have mounts on display.”

One of the most fascinating methods of cleaning animal skulls in taxidermy is the use of dermestid beetles, approximately 200,000 of them. Commonly referred to as skin beetles, these flesh-eating bugs can clean a skull in very little time.

Reynolds described, “The basic process is skinning the skull, removing eyes/brains and then the majority of the meat and fat. I then introduce the skull to the beetles. The time differs on size and time of year but normally a deer skull takes roughly three weeks.”

Once the beetles have done their job Reynolds degreases the skull and continues with a whitening process that is repeated two or three times. Lastly, he said, “Then I work on any areas that need extra attention, clean it all up and it's ready to go.”

A common misconception is the duration of start to finish on a trophy project or mount.

Reynolds shared, “I would say the time and patience it takes, there is a whole process from skinning to fleshing, turning the eyes lips and ears then the tanning after that measuring, ordering the mannequin eyes and ears then you finally get to the mounting process.”

Of all the various species and prized animals he’s worked on, Reynolds concluded, “I can’t say that I have a favorite, but I’m currently working on a European mount of an elk with one antler growing out the front of the skull but its more about saving the memory or the trophy for the hunter.”

Surprisingly Reynolds has been fascinated by the minor details of some smaller creatures he’s encountered. “I enjoy all the colors of waterfowl people are amazed when they see them close up of how many different colors they actually have,” he observed.

Immaculate Taxidermy has had customers from Montana, Idaho, and even Utah. But as with most small businesses this year, times are tough. He mentioned, “Business has picked up but is slower than normal due to the pandemic. The main problem I’m hearing is financial so I work with locals on payment plans so they can still get their trophy mounted.”

St. Regis resident Brandon Arbogast found himself a beautiful 5x5 whitetail buck this hunting season. It was the first time he’s ever taken a head to get it cleaned professionally. He remarked, “His work is something to truly be admired, so are his shoulder mounts, he's really good at what he does and has fair pricing.”

All of his mounting services are a set price on what type of mount the customer wants, such as a shoulder mount, or something as grand as a life-size mount.

When he’s not creating animal artistry for his clients from home, he’s out enjoying all that Montana has to offer.

“I love hunting and have all my life. I hunt with a rifle, bow and muzzleloader. Hunting and fishing were the main reasons for retiring in Montana.”