Taxidermist creates common, exotic trophies

The living room in the Conroe home of Barrett Simpson, general manager for Conroe Taxidermy, could more accurately be described as a wildlife habitat. That the room has a couple of couches, a few recliners and a widescreen high-definition television is mostly an afterthought. The dozens, if not hundreds, of mounted animals frozen in time brings to mind a photograph at a Noah's Ark reunion.

However, most of the trophies, save for the menacing lion posed in a prowl that he himself killed in Africa, are not Simpson's.

"These are all waiting to be picked up by customers. Except that one," he said, looking back at the lion.

Established 45 years ago by Barrett's father, Mike Simpson, Conroe Taxidermy has grown into one of the most prolific taxidermists in the south. The company outputs more than 2,500 trophies each year.

"We like to take your memories and turn them into a piece of art work that hangs on your wall forever," Simpson said. "Every time you look at it, it takes you back to that experience."

While Conroe Taxidermy creates thousands of common deer shoulder mounts each year, Simpson said the company specializes in bigger game animals, such as lions, bears, cape buffalo and leopards. A few customers have even brought in, or had shipped to Conroe Taxidermy, elephants and giraffes.

"There are plenty of countries where [some animals] are endangered," Simpson said. "At one time there were free ranging black bear roaming around Texas. Now you can't hunt them in Texas. But you can hunt them somewhere else."

Although original owner Mike Simpson only works in the office a few days per week, his sons, including Barrett, Travis Simpson and Michael Simpson handle the day-to-day operations of the business.

The process of creating a mounted trophy is a lengthy and complex one. Depending on the size of the animal and if the customer wants something as simple as a shoulder mount or as complex as a full-size mount created within a habitat, the process could take up to nine months.

Conroe Taxidermy employs eight taxidermists who mount trophies, three who airbrush, five who perform skinning and sewing, two who work in shipping and receiving, and a team that does deliveries and installation and build habitats.

"At our level of taxidermy, you have to have a natural artistic eye to blend the skin into its proper anatomy," Simpson said. "For that, you have to be an artist."

Conroe Taxidermy, 11845 Clark Lane, Conroe, 281-367-2745, www.conroetaxidermy.com