In May of 2010 after working 15 long years in a warehouse, it was time for me to find another career path that was enjoyable and rewarding. I’ve been hunting and fishing since I was 5 years old with my dad. I decided that I wanted to learn more about the art of taxidermy, so I started researching how taxidermy was done. I watched video after video on YouTube before biting the bullet and registering myself into Rinehart Taxidermy Institute in Janesville, Wisconsin working with John Rinehart. After spending 4 weeks in class learning the basics, I bravely decided to start my own business. Close to Nature Taxidermy was established in April of 2011. Since then I have met and worked with many taxidermists across the country and one taxidermist in particular has made a profound impact. Chuck Testa from Ojai Valley Taxidermy has been my “Mr. Miyagi.” His knowledge, education, friendship, expertise, and his push to work hard made me a better taxidermist. He totally revamped my taxidermy knowledge and career. Now that I have practiced and continued to develop a stronger knowledge of taxidermy, I felt that it was time to provide others an opportunity to learn taxidermy. My goal is to help you learn the foundation of taxidermy and give you the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful art.