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OUTDOORS: An annual visit to Clingerman Taxidermy – Finger Lakes Times
Nov
Partly to mostly cloudy. High 56F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..
Cloudy. Low 44F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: November 8, 2026 @ 4:46 am
Randy Stewart (left) and Chris Kenyon (right) pose with an American black bear head.
Randy Stewart (left) and Chris Kenyon (right) pose with an American black bear head.
It is Nov. 2 and time for my annual visit to Clingerman Taxidermy in North Rose. And my usual appointment time anywhere is always being early. I suppose that is a good habit. Anyway, I needed to change my clock in my truck. I had 15 minutes to accomplish that simple task. Well, simple for the younger folks; not easy for this aged driver.
I gave up after trying to put the correct time on my cluster section. It worked on that intrusive screen in the middle, but not where I look when I drive.
Time’s up, so I’ll do it when I get home.
“Hi Donna,” I greeted. “I’ll pay you to put the correct time on my truck.” Donna Guthrie is the front office manager and also helps with the taxidermy work. She has worked with Stewart for 30 years.
I’ll do the clock changing stuff when I get home. I got all afternoon I told Guthrie. “Where’s the boss?”
Randy Stewart is in the back working on a deer mount. Before we sit in the break room, I offered my assistance with the mounts. Looking at the working table, I could not identify any of the taxidermy tools. “Sorry,” I said. “The only tool I brought is my pen.”
In the break room I asked my dear friend about deer. I really enjoy my time talking with Stewart about everything; however, we’ll start with some taxidermy facts.
Randy Stewart started this profession in the mid ’70s. “I bought Clingerman Taxidermy in 1993,” he told me. “So, that would be years ago,” he remarked. We both agreed with nervous laughter that time does not stand still.
“This year was different because of the youth hunts,” he told me. “All those hunts were very strong. That, of course, is great for taxidermy.
“Another interesting fact is that, excluding the youth hunts, most of the mounts that came into the shop have been from crossbow harvested deer. So far only one is from a compound bow.”
His customers come from Rochester, Auburn, Marion, Oswego, Webster, Ontario, Fulton, and Eaton. “Quite a few harvest their deer in Steuben County, however I have deer mounts that have come from Wayne and Cayuga counties,” Stewart said.
We talked about ticks, which have been a problem for years. Currently, the weather situation has been warmer and drought conditions remain in the first week of November. Stewart told me he has used Sawyers’s Insect Spray for years,
“If you are hunting deer or working pheasants with your dog, make sure you spray your clothes, before you wear them. Give your dog pills from your veterinary.”
The pills work by entering the blood stream of your animal. It’s lethal for any biting and sucking ticks that can carry some serious diseases.
Randy Stewart and I will sit in the breakroom for a few hours, which gives a chance to catch up on everything that needs to be discussed.
“After 30 years in the business I am slowing down,” he informs me. “I have limited my taxidermy to just game heads, and now I can spend more time with my family.
“My wife Renee is now retired from AA Tech in Clyde. Now we can do some hiking on local trails in the Finger Lakes region.”
When he mentioned the trails at Sterling Nature Center and Beechwood Park in Sodus, I perked up.
“That’s where I walk,” I offered. When my faithful friend of 63 years old told me he and Renee did six miles at Sterling, I countered with my “one mile” exhausting jaunt at the same park.
I looked out the backdoor window and saw something streaking while circling the yard. It was a dog. Stewart asked if I wanted to see it. Of course I did.
It was a springer spaniel, and it was covering the perimeter of their backyard in seconds. Springers are known for their high energy, and I could not even see the dogs’ legs moving. And the tail on this animal wags so fast it is a blur.
“This is Nika, our 5-year-old springer spaniel,” Stewart said, introducing me to the dog. Nika came over looked at me, then continued to circle the back yard … faster than a speed of light.
“I hunt pheasants with my friend Chuck Keymel, and my dog flushes the birds on Howland Island. Nika does an excellent job, however my shooting has not been the best.
A scheduled hunter was going to bring the taxidermy shop the latest job, so it was time for me to leave.
Of course, we needed the 2026 picture and our photographer was Donna, the lady with many talents.
I told my friend how much I enjoyed the entire morning, and that I will be back next November, “if the creek don’t rise and the deer keep moving.”
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