Another way that many lovers of the land
keep nature close to their heart is a bit more
controversial in modern times. The art of
taxidermy is slowly fading away in many
parts of the country: It takes a special type
of person to be drawn to the practice to
begin with, but as the amount of taxidermists
started to decrease, the prices started going
up. While making a mount of what was
once a living creature can bring about some
interesting responses these days, not so long
ago it was quite commonplace.
Because we live in a time when people
consider “hunting and gathering” to mean
going to the grocery store, many don’t
understand why people hunt for their own
meat. For those who do, it’s not just about
the sense of accomplishment that comes
from providing their family with fresh meat,
it’s about a tradition carried on through the
generations. The meat is used well, and
those mounts honor the animal that was
taken.
Capt. Eddie Vitale believes that taxidermy
is a dying art, and chalks it up to more animal
rights activism and the younger generation
not being as interested in the outdoors. He
got started in taxidermy when his parents
took a deer they had hunted to a local
taxidermist in Missouri.
“The work was very subpar,” Eddie said.
“I grew up hunting and fi shing, and was
looking for a career path. I thought to myself,
I could do better than that. So I went to a
taxidermy school in Kansas and learned the
art.” His fi rst pieces in taxidermy school were
deer, and from there he tried a coyote and,
eventually, a bear.
“Deer are the number one animal mounted
in the U.S.” he said. “When I was in school I
learned how to mount game heads and lifesized
mammals, and from there I learned the
rest on my own.”
Eddie has now had his own shop, Bad to
the Bone Taxidermy, for about 13 years. He
grew up skinning and cleaning animals, so
he is comfortable with his chosen profession.
When he was asked to fi x an elephant
mount, though, it was an exciting venture.
Not many people get hands-on experience
with a mount of that size. The biggest mount
he has done himself was a 2,500 lb. water
buffalo. The smallest was a squirrel. One of
Eddie’s specialties is alligators, and he has
become well-known for his work as there are
many alligator hunters in this area.
September/October • 2020 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE 59
Honoring the Whole Animal