Inside the art of taxidermy: Montana craftsman brings trophies to life – NBC Montana

Now
32°
Fri
50°
Sat
53°
by Jason Hurst

MISSOULA, Mont. — You may have seen them in restaurants or offices — a shoulder mount of an animal on the wall or a full-body display. Dead, but still lifelike. That’s the extraordinary work of a taxidermist.
With hunting season underway, some hunters want to preserve their trophy, and that’s where places like Mountain Creek Taxidermy come in. NBC Montana got a firsthand look at how it’s done.
“I grew up hunting and fishing and trapping like a lot of young kids,” said Rob Henrekin, taxidermist and owner of Mountain Creek Taxidermy. “My dad had a few things mounted when I was a little kid, and I always thought it was pretty cool. Little did I know, all these years later, it would be what I do for a living.”
Henrekin said he started with an eight-week crash course in taxidermy, later learning even more through competitions.
Looking around his shop, you’ll see both European and shoulder mounts. Henrekin said shoulder mounts — those with the animal’s skin — are still the most popular.
While deer and elk make up most of his work, Henrekin has also handled exotic animals over the years. “I did a couple of tigers once years ago that were pretty neat to work on,” he said. “Big cats are a real challenge. That one came from a zoo.”
Even in tough economic years, Henrekin says the business stays steady. “I stay as busy as I want to be,” he said. “People who have something they want mounted usually figure out a way to pay for it.”
In his workshop, Henrekin’s skills go far beyond taxidermy. “I get to weld, I’m a seamstress, part-time carpenter building crates and bases, and kind of a barber — cleaning and grooming hair, sometimes coloring it,” he said.
For Henrekin, it’s more than a job — it’s a passion. “It never gets old to me,” he said. “I love what I do, and I love where I live. That’s a big part of what I like.”

2026 Sinclair, Inc.

source