Aikman owns and operates Snake Trail Taxidermy at his home, 418 E. Columbia. Most people know him as an employee of State Bank of Arthur and the son of Mike Aikman and grandson of Jim Winningham. Fewer people know about his passion for hunting, which ultimately led to his interest in taxidermy.
While hunting coyotes in December 2004, he decided he would check into having one of his kills mounted and found out that a full-size mounted coyote would cost around $600, more than his bank account could afford at that time. As he thought more about it, he checked in his hunting magazines for ads about learning taxidermy. He bought books on the subject and sent for instructional videos. However, his first video demonstrated how to mount a life-size mountain lion. He thought this is too much and that he would never be able to do that.
But then he decided to start small and ordered videos on pheasants, geese, and squirrels. His first mounting was a pheasant, and he had to do a second one because he left the skin in an acid bath too long. The feathers fell out of the first one. “The instructions said to leave it in the chemicals for at least 24 hours,” he explained. “Something came up and my friends came over and invited me to go to a movie. I thought since it said at least 24 hours, longer would be all right. But the feathers on the neck and sides fell off in the chemical bath during the second 24 hours.”
He followed the instructions more carefully with the second pheasant, and it come out of the bath with no problems. “My family likes that mounting, but it looks pathetic to me. It was my first attempt, and I think I have gotten much better.” To sell mountings, a taxidermist must be licensed. Aikman applied for and received his state license in January 2005 and his federal license in January 2006. The federal license allows him to process waterfowl.
The process of taxidermy involves removing the skin from animals and transferring it to another “body.” The process includes using original bones and skulls for some animals. All fatty tissue must be removed from the skin; therefore, the need for the acid or chemical bath. Styrofoam “bodies” and glass eyes are available from supply houses for every type of animal.
Birds and fowl mountings involve the use of wire to attach and form the wings. Aikman uses notebooks filled with pictures clipped from hunting and outdoor magazines to get ideas for posing animals. An artform in itself, taxidermy requires some artwork. The color of lips noses, beaks, legs, and feet fade in the chemical bath, so some touching up is required.
He purchased animals on the Internet for practice. He sold his practice mounts on Ebay and received good comments. He sold his work to buyers in California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas, and Florida. In addition to purchasing animals on the Internet, his friends would bring in specimens. (Continued on Page 14)
James Aikman turns hobby
into taxidermy business
(Continued From Page One)
He started doing mounts for customers in January 2008. While driving home from Charleston one night, Aikman came upon an animal alongside the road. It had been hit and killed but the carcass was in fairly good condition. He didn’t know at first what it was. Later he learned it was a mink. He kept it in his freezer for two and a half years and finally processed it in September. He sold it on Ebay.
Aikman has 15 to 20 customers. His largest mounting so far has been a deer head. He had the deer, a fox, and a mallard displayed during the meeting. Another example of his work that he showed the Rotary Club was a squirrel he dressed in a Santa Claus suit and gave his sister as a gag Christmas present. She doesn’t like hunting, hunters, or anything that involves killing animals, he explained.
The time involved for completing a project depends on the type and size of the animal. He always tries to set aside two consecutive days to work on a project. Mounting a goose takes about eight hours. A deer head, about 12 hours. “What started as a way for me to save money has turned into a way for me to make money,” Aikman said. “I use the proceeds from my business to buy hunting supplies.” Although his interest in taxidermy was created by hunting coyote, Aikman has yet to mount one. “I would say a coyote and a fox, both life size, are the mounts I most want to do someday,” he said. Snake Trail Taxidermy can be reached at 543-3601. It’s website is www.snaketrailtaxidermy.com
The Rotary meets at noon every Thursday (except holidays) at Yoder’s Kitchen.
Article published in Vol. 103, No. 2 of the Arthur Graphic-Clarion