Millers Life Like Taxidermy

Hunting has been a part of Richard Miller's life since he was a child. His father raised and trained hunting dogs, and with his sons hunted pheasants, which Richard's mother would in turn can or freeze as sustenance for the family dinner table. While he certainly appreciated the food these hunting expeditions would provide, Richard was dismayed by all the beautiful feathers that would go to waste. His father introduced him to a Cleveland taxidermist who taught Richard where he could send away for mail order classes on taxidermy. Financed by the money he earned trapping, Richard began his taxidermy training, and by the time he was sixteen years old he had earned enough money from his taxidermy to pay for a new two and a half car garage to house his growing business.

When he was old enough to drive, Richard began traveling to Akron occasionally to continue his education under the tutelage of an experienced taxidermist. In 1955, Richard founded his own company, and in the late 1980s was joined in business by Manager Todd Kinzel who will be the company's new owner when Richard retires. We met recently with Richard and Todd, and listened as they provided this overview of Miller's Life Like Taxidermy's offerings;

Miller's Life Like Taxidermy specializes in quality taxidermy, tanning, and processing. We offer full-service mounting with 24 hour personalized service, in addition to being a check station for deer and soon to be a check station for turkey, as well. We are also federally licensed to mount migratory birds for schools and museums.

We are a one-stop-shopping solution for all your taxidermy needs and whether it is a mouse or a moose, you can get it done here. We do a lot of import work from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. We mount birds from Canada, and are well known for our work with leopards, lions, and other large cats from Africa and brown bears from North America. We are licensed by the Department of Agriculture to import animals from other countries and frequently handle the processing of imported animals for other taxidermists that are not federally licensed.

There are many people involved in the taxidermy industry, and we recommend that you thoroughly investigate any taxidermist before employing their services. You should insist on seeing a taxidermist's work and ask if they did the mounts themselves and the age of the mounts. Ask who is actually doing the work, how qualified they are, and then check with the Better Business Bureau. Once you have chosen a taxidermist, speak to them personally to learn how to best take care of your game in the field to ensure that the animal you bring them has been properly handled and suitable for mounting.

Miller's Life Like Taxidermy has an envious reputation as a world-class taxidermist. Call or stop by Miller's Life Like Taxidermy today, and don't forget to tell them Avon, Ohio Business & Living sent you!