Walking through what is known as the Mammal Halls of AMNH, you'd know right off the bat that taxidermy is something many people take seriously. Without it, there won't be any dioramas or elaborate museum displays to speak of, and museums would be dull and lifeless. Taxidermy, a term which originated from a combination of the Greek words "taxis" and "derma" is a science and an art, one that involves dead animals and a ton of creativity.

 

You could say that hunters and taxidermists go together like horse and carriage. Hunters are among the staunchest supporters of taxidermists and vice versa. Without a hunter's trophies, taxidermists wouldn't have anything to work on. Without taxidermists, hunters won't get total satisfaction from the games they hunted down.

 

Hunters hunt just about any animal while taxidermists stuff and preserve these. Among the most hunted animals in the world are bears. Perhaps it's the bear's elusiveness, sharpness, and ferocious character that hunters find appealing. As one of nature's most feared animals, hunters consider killing bears not just an achievement, but a victory; a huge one. It's no wonder, then, that hunters always bring their A game every time they hunt, making sure to read expert air rifle reviews so they'll know which rifles or weapons to invest in to make their bear hunting successful.

 

It's important for hunters to use the best air rifles when hunting bears to make sure they don't damage the skin totally, so taxidermists will have something good to work on. As big as bears are, you can just imagine how difficult it is for taxidermists to mount bears. The task is laborious - bears are too heavy, too big, and their skin has the tendency to shrink if not stretched properly.

 

Simply put, preserving and mounting a bear is challenging. However, people who are serious about hunting are bent on taking bears down because doing so gives them a different sense of fulfillment.

Moreover, bear taxidermy doesn't come cheap. Even if you hunt your own bear for mounting, you still need to pay around $1200 to $1600 to have a taxidermist mount it full-body. Half-body mounts are around $900 to $1300 while shoulder mounts cost roughly $500 to $600.

 

That's probably why there is a special bond between hunters and taxidermists. There's mutual respect between them because both are aware that what they do is more than just a way to satisfy a whim. Hunting gives a hunter a renewed sense of satisfaction and fulfillment while taxidermying allows a taxidermist to bring something back to life, in a manner of speaking. The contentment both feel with their respective jobs is immeasurable.