Taxidermist opens second location

BY MATT VINE

A local taxidermist has opened a new location for good quality trophies.

Jeff Butler, 47, of Butler’s Taxidermy in Lenoxville, has opened a new location just north of Tunkhannock which will help area sportsman with their catch this year.

Butler is a 1986 Mountain View High School graduate, who had served in the military in Operation Desert Storm.

He had an interest in the taxidermy business since he was a child, but never pursued it until after his retirement from the military.

Butler’s Taxidermy has been in the art of bringing animals back to a life-like form for more than 22 years.

“The new location is convenient for our customers to get the best quality trophy possible.” Butler said.

The Tunkhannock location is owned by Jeff’s brother Ben, 37, who said that the new location acts as a drop-off point for the customers. A lot of the work is done in his garage behind his home.

Some of the work that is included in the making of the trophies consists of forming the molds to the exact shape of the animal, and forming the exact scene of where the animal was shot.

The younger Butler’s interest in taxidermy came from helping his father out at the Lenoxville location, off and on, since he was a child. He didn’t become licensed in taxidermy until 2009.

“My brother and I strive for customer satisfaction, with every project we receive.” Ben said.

Ben added that they want to give their customer’s trophies a life like representation.

“Everything we make is custom built to the customer’s preferences,” Ben said. “All of our wood is hand-crafted and shined to full detail.”

The Butlers also have a skilled team of around five licensed taxidermists to aid in the making of all the trophies.

Both brothers agree that the trophy is in the eye of the beholder to the hunters.

“We try to recreate to the best of our ability to detail of the exact scene where the hunter shot their game,” Jeff said. “We want them to remember the excitement of the hunt.”

The new location is at 626 Rt. 92 North, Tunkhannock, about one mile north of the Creekside Inn and Bar.

Further up Rt. 92 and three miles northeast of I-81, the Lenoxville location is just off SR 2021.

For more information, call 222-2348 or visit, www.butlerstaxidermy.com/index.html