I always had a love for the outdoors, starting hunting and fishing early with my dad and growing into tournament bass fishing with two clubs in Missouri and hunting across the state; one unforgettable fall afternoon at dad’s private lake outside Hallsville, MO, left alone in the duck blind while dad went deer hunting, I shot a Mallard that dad had mounted around 50 years ago and which still hangs in my office today, and that moment introduced me to a local taxidermist who became a great friend and mentor, engraving duck hunting into me forever; after 35+ years running my own Construction and Remodeling company, I knew it was time to start my Taxidermy business to preserve memories for other hunters and their kids, and in the summer of 2026 I built my own studio and shop, and after months of training, I’ll finish my training in October with a World Champion in Avian Taxidermy and open Migration Memories in Hallsville, MO, right where it all started.