More than 200 taxidermy pieces were on display at Minnesota Taxidermy Guild competition – Alexandria Echo Press

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ALEXANDRIA — There were just over 200 taxidermy pieces entered in this year’s Minnesota Taxidermy Guild competition last weekend.
The 45th annual show took place April 9 through April 12 at Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center in Alexandria.
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Aaron Reiling, president of the Minnesota Taxidermy Guild, said the size of the show is pretty typical as that has been the size for about the last four years. However, it is not typical for every state.
“Minnesota is one of the Top 5 states in the country as far as the size of the show goes,” said Reiling. “We have great attendance here. I believe we had roughly 65 taxidermists at this year’s show from four different states.”
On Saturday, the show room was open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. Reiling said there were more than 250 adults who walked through along with many kids, who didn’t have to pay the $5 fee to get in.
Many different species of animals were on display including common animals found in Minnesota to exotic animals found in Africa. Whitetail deer are probably the most common piece on display, said Reiling, with more than 60 mounts this year.
He noted there were lots of winners this year with close to 40 awards being given out. There were seven state champion titles this year and also one Best of Show award, which was given to Andrew Faul of Tappen, North Dakota.
“The Minnesota Taxidermy Guild is a competition, but the true meaning of it is to improve the standard of quality in the industry,” said Reiling. “It’s not just another profession. It is truly a work of art. It’s all about just bettering the industry and continuing to better the quality of everyone’s work.”
For more information about the Minnesota Taxidermy Guild, go to mntaxidermyguild.com. For more information about the competition, including full results, go to mntaxidermyguild.com/2026-competition.
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