Shep’s Thunder Valley Taxidermy
Your Trophies Turned Into Lasting Memories
Welcome to Shep’s Thunder Valley Taxidermy! We are a fully-licensed, family-owned and full-time taxidermy shop in the great state of Wisconsin, providing everything you need to help take your trophy from pursuit and harvest to proudly displayed on your wall.
We offer a full line of services from creating large and small game mounts, all fish mounts, bird mounts, and turkey fans, just to name a few. We are committed to providing you with the most accurate, detailed, and finest mount possible. As an avid outdoorsman, I have been around wildlife my entire life and thoroughly enjoy hunting and fishing. I will treat your mounts as my own and will ensure your trophy is provided the attention to detail I require in my own mounts.
The first step in preserving your trophy is to properly care for the animal before bringing it in to our shop. Click here to see our Care Instructions.
Located Just a Few Minutes Away From La Crosse and Onalaska, WI
Hours vary by season, so please call ahead to set up an appointment today to turn your success in the field into a mount you can showcase for years to come.
Click below to learn more about our taxidermy services.
About Shep’s Thunder Valley Taxidermy
Locally Owned & Operated for over 35 years
My passion for hunting, and fishing, stems from my love and enthusiasm for the outdoors. I remember being young and listening to all of the hunting stories my parents would share, and I couldn’t wait to be a part of those stories. They taught me how to shoot a bow at age five and a gun not too many years after that. As the years went on, I finally got the chance to sit in my own tree stand with a bow. Back then I was using a finger-tab and instinctive shooting compound bow set at 42 pounds without the bells and whistles that modern technology now offers. If I had to guess, it took me about 12 hours of tree stand time before I finally harvested my first deer with that bow.
For years I used to walk around my parent’s trophy room and look at their mounts, wondering to myself: How do taxidermists do that? I probably would have been in big trouble if I had been caught taking their mounts off the wall to examine them closer! I have always had artistic abilities and every picture I drew had something to do with the outdoors.
Prior to Taxidermy, I held two successful careers, but I have now found the ONE that fits me in taxidermy. It still seems like it was meant to be, as one day I walked into Shep’s Taxidermy to pick up a whitetail shoulder mount Gerald Shepard (Shep) had done for me. We got to talking and the next thing I know, he presented me with an opportunity to work with him and possibly take over his shop after he retires. After thinking about it for some time, I quit my job in retail management and took him up on his offer. While working with him, I got more involved with the taxidermy community, joined the Wisconsin Taxidermists Association, and got to know Mike Morley, the owner of Thunder Valley Taxidermy in West Salem, WI. Long story short, I was presented with an opportunity to own BOTH Shep’s and Thunder Valley taxidermy shops.
After going to taxidermy school and almost a two-year on-the-job learning process, I now own Shep’s Thunder Valley Taxidermy! I consider myself lucky and honored to be preserving my customer’s memories forever and to give them a product that they are proud to display. Creating memories of the outdoors is what I was meant to do. Thanks to Shep and Mike, I am able to carry on great traditions in the taxidermy and outdoor community. I look forward to continuing the work they instilled in me in helping you preserve all of your outdoor memories!
Sincerely,
Rick Tully
Contact Shep’s Thunder Valley Today!
Shep’s Thunder Valley Taxidermy
Hours | Vary by SeasonCall us to set up an appointment at 608-786-1397 or email at rtully75@gmail.com.