Doug Harloff
I created Back to Nature out of passion, for the outdoors and wild life. I grew up working on My dad’s farm in Batavia NY and loved to hunt at a very early age. I enlisted in the military back in 1984 and was lucky enough to get stationed in South Carolina. This is where I met the Reynolds, who ran a small taxidermy shop. I worked with the Reynolds for 3 years doing hands on work and learning all aspects of mounting deer heads, small game, birds, and fish. After discharge from the military I opened my own shop in Oakfield NY where I have been doing taxidermy for 24 years. I have a vast knowledge on all aspect of taxidermy and the experience to produce very high quality work. I have learned by doing, I only use professional comercial tanery for all of my hides and capes. There was a time I did my own tanning with mixed results, however I still do all prep work on a hide or cape to ensure quality and proper handling to ensure a beautiful mount. We have a wide verity of options to chose from, tanned deer hides, antler mounts, beetled European mounts, and full shoulder mounts, etc. We work hard to produce an outstanding quality product and to make/keep our customers happy. However we are not the fastest shop in the area. I firmly want to make sure every aspect f the job is done right. In doing so I take my time and mounts take about 1-1 ½ years.
As of 2013, will be able to go full time in the shop. This will make the process faster; due to more time spent in the shop, and produce even better mounts. Customers need to realize that taxidermy is an art, which requires a great deal of patience and time, to ensure a life like pose. While figuring how much money it cost an outdoorsman to pursue his hobby and time involved to harvest a trophy animal. Why would they want to price shop or have their mount rushed by a taxidermist, who does not take what they do seriously, or have been doing it for only a short time? I know the importance of producing a beautiful mount, of course I am also an outdoorsman and I realize how hard it is to harvest a trophy animal.
I am looking forward to entering my mounts at state and national competitions to learn from the best taxidermist in the country. I have the knowledge, experience, and confidence to ensure that Back to Nature Taxidermy will become one of WNY full-time premier taxidermy shop in the near future.
Master Taxidermist
Doug Harloff
As of 2013, will be able to go full time in the shop. This will make the process faster; due to more time spent in the shop, and produce even better mounts. Customers need to realize that taxidermy is an art, which requires a great deal of patience and time, to ensure a life like pose. While figuring how much money it cost an outdoorsman to pursue his hobby and time involved to harvest a trophy animal. Why would they want to price shop or have their mount rushed by a taxidermist, who does not take what they do seriously, or have been doing it for only a short time? I know the importance of producing a beautiful mount, of course I am also an outdoorsman and I realize how hard it is to harvest a trophy animal.
I am looking forward to entering my mounts at state and national competitions to learn from the best taxidermist in the country. I have the knowledge, experience, and confidence to ensure that Back to Nature Taxidermy will become one of WNY full-time premier taxidermy shop in the near future.
Master Taxidermist
Doug Harloff