Pete Sweitzer with some mounted deer heads and several of the ribbons from various competitions.

Pete Sweitzer is in an ironic situation. An avid hunter and fisherman, he set out to learn taxidermy so he could preserve some of the fish, birds and animals he bagged. Now, his business is booming. So much so that he's constantly busy, but still doesn't have time to do his own work!

"I've been interested in hunting and fishing all my life," he says. "and I'd looked at some pretty sorry taxidermy work over the years. I thought I'd see if I could improve on it, so I sent off for a correspondence course, like most budding taxidermists do."

"I'd looked at some pretty sorry taxidermy work over the years. I thought I'd see if I could improve on it"

The course was pretty good, he adds, and taught him the basics. "That was in 1972," he continues, "and I worked on my technique for quite a while. I set up my business, which I called Hunter's Choice Taxidermy, and I work out of my home near Lerna. I joined the Illinois Taxidermy Association several years ago. I'd go to shows and talk to the guys who were really good. It helped to visit with other taxidermists, and I was fortunate. Nowadays, we all share information and everybody helps everybody else. It wasn't always like that, and for a long time. the pros had all their little trade secrets. We compete, too. I've gone to a lot of shows over the years, and I've

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been fortunate to win a lot of ribbons and bring home a few plaques. I won the 1992 State of Illinois 'Best all-around taxidermist' award, too.

"And I try to help those who are coming along behind, like the others helped me," he says.

Taxidermy has come a long way in the last couple of decades. he notes, and that makes for better looking, more realistic trophies.

The top photo shows a fox habitat, which includes not just the animal, but some of the surroundings in which it might be expected to live. The lower photo is of a stillborn fawn that Pete mounted just to show its beauty.

Years ago, taxidermists tanned the hides of the animals they were to mount, and put them over a form—often homemade—of papier mache'. Things are different now. Realistic forms made of urethane foam are readily available, and show blood vessels and the like. There are any number of artificial eyes, teeth, and so on also on the market.

"Now you can buy many different kinds of forms, depicting animals in many different positions, and they're getting more realistic all the time." he adds. "That makes the taxidermist's job a lot easier."

Another trend over the years has resulted in the creation of "habitats." Instead of simply stuffing an animal, taxidermists today will often put them on a base, sprinkle it with snow, build in some grasses, and maybe add a butterfly or the like.

While by far most of the animals Pete works with are brought in by hunters, he has one particular "habitat" that depicts a beautiful fawn.

"Many people ask me if somebody was heartless enough to kill a fawn that little," he says, "and I tell them that's not the case at all. A friend of mine raises deer, and the fawn was stillborn. He called and asked me if I'd like to have it. and I accepted the offer in a minute. I have a plaque I set up when I display it, and I have a little poem engraved on it that spells out that life isn't always fair, and that Mother Nature occasionally deals out a bad hand."

While roaming the woods. Pete occasionally ran across mushrooms, and decided to try making casts of them for some of his habitats. Others saw his mushroom molds and offered to buy them, so he decided to get into a sideline business. Now, he offers imitation mushrooms to supplement his taxidermy business.

Those interested in contacting Pete can reach him at RR 1. Box 109, Lerna. IL 62440. His phone number is (217) 849-3500.

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