Tioga Boar Hunting Ranch offers hunters the chance to catch Pure Russian Boar, Black Boar, Red Boar and more. As one of the largest hunting preserves in the East, Tioga is home to exotic game in the Allegheny mountain range of Northcentral Pennsylvania.
In the old days, once a hunter caught big game, he had a taxidermist do his job to make it the kind of trophy one could hang in the living room or dining room. “I caught this” was the mentality. “You should be impressed with my hunting skills.” Generations ago, it was common for deer heads and other animal heads to be poking out of walls of hotels, restaurants, and, of course, homes of proud hunters.
Taxidermy, though, went out of style for a couple decades, but get this: it’s fashionable (again) and now it’s becoming something more and more women do. Hunting and taxidermy are no longer male-only pursuits.
Why are more women taking up taxidermy? For the art of it. In a world where creativity abounds and Pinterest reigns, it’s not unusual for women to take taxidermy classes taught by a woman with the intent to turn dead animals into enduring, admirable art objects.
Perhaps people have become tired of the dinner and movie routine? Young couples are going on dates that involve taxidermy classes. The whole “do it yourself” thing has caught on, even when it comes to stuffing and mounting dead animal skins. The farm-to-table, “sustainable” world of the Millennials has room to accommodate taxidermy as a noble pursuit.
Young people today are not against displaying a deer head in their home. Besides natural history museums, deer heads (etc.) are becoming popular in the art world. In Toronto, taxidermy is even combined with Dr. Seuss at the Liss Gallery this December.
So, if you do catch big game at Tioga, consider having a taxidermist preserve it. “Ethical taxidermy” is about appreciating and paying respect to something that would otherwise be left to rot. Through taxidermy, that animal “lives on” in a unique way for many to see. And yeah, you’re allowed to be proud to display that which you caught on your hunt!