The Art Of The Wild Captured By Local Taxidermist

Tate Follett is a 6th generation North Parker. He grew up hunting and fishing every opportunity he got, whether it was riding his bike to the Michigan and Illinois Rivers to go fishing after school or waking up early to go coyote hunting with some buddies. He has always been passionate about hunting, animals, and the outdoors, so pursuing a career in taxidermy was a natural direction for him to take.

Tate’s career change came about when he moved from Walden to Craig, Colorado and could no longer continue his career as a logger. He attended taxidermy school in Montana and then spent some time learning from Leland Reiner with Big Cat Taxidermy in Craig, Colorado before he ventured out on his own and opened Owl Ridge Taxidermy. Tate started taking animals in 2015 and then moved to Laramie, Wyoming in 2016 where he currently lives and continues to operate his taxidermy business. He enjoys spending extra time to make his mounts look as life-like as possible.

Tate spends his “off” season continuing to learn tricks of the trade and attends numerous taxidermy conventions. At these conventions, he has entered several animals demonstrating his work into competitions. These conventions help him continue to improve his techniques by attending seminars from world championship winners while making connections with others in the taxidermy business.

Tate continues to get the majority of his animals from the Walden area. He works closely with North Park Meats as well as several outfitters in the area including Red Feather Outfitters. He will come pick up any animals in Walden!

Tate offers numerous services including:  European mounts with a 48-hour turnaround  Horn mounts  Custom wood plaques for European or horn mounts  Shoulder mounts  Wall pedestals with custom habitat  Floor pedestals with custom wood bases  Life-size and half life-size mounts  Shed restoration and antler repair  Tanning  Rugs