I need your help. In 2004 I was lucky enough to draw an oryx tag for the soldier only hunt on Ft Bliss, TX. I was able to shoot a very nice bull and took head and hide to Rio Grande Taxidermy in El Paso, TX to be mounted. Immediately after the hunt I was sent off to Ft Huachuca, AZ for a military school then on to Ft Carson, CO and then Iraq. During this time my wife kept in touch with the taxidermist for me to arrange for the mount delivery and such. But while I was in Iraq the shop seemed to disappear. No calls were answered and 2 certified letters my wife sent were returned.

Needless to say I am very upset about losing my mount. I am hoping somebody out there may know what happened to the shop. A name, address, phone number, or even a rumor would help. Here is the contact info I have for the shop. But I had a friend that recently arrived at Ft Bliss try and stop in and the shop appears to be closed up and empty.

Rio Grande Taxidermy
1019 Missouri Ave.
El Paso Tx 79902
#915-351-9370
fax-915-351-9791

Hopefully somebody out there can help me out.

William Berger

William,

There is nothing more damaging to the taxidermy industry than what this individual has done to you and the other customers who have entrusted thier trophies in their shops care.

Each state has a Taxidermy Association which provides continuing education and an arena for the taxidermists to compete with their work and get a critique from a National Master taxidermist judge to expose them to improvement for their work. Texas has the second largest state association. Their president is Dr. Dan McBride, a fine and honest man in all areas in and beyond taxidermy. E-mail me and I will send you his phone number. Hopefully he can assist you in finding your taxidermist and if he cannot help he possibly may be able to head you in the right direction.

We had aquired new clientele that had had a similar mishap happen to them with regards to a female taxidermist in Texas several years ago.

Hopefully your taxidermy studio has just relocated and you will be reconnected with them! Best of luck to you and if for some reason Dr. Dan cannot help, repost here or e-mail me at halflingrugger@cox.net and I will give you a few other numbers of taxidermists who may have some information.

Kindest regards,
Mary Hilliard-Krueger

Thank you very much for your assistance. An email is on its way to you.

Lost a Mtn. Goat myself......For a while. Unfortunetly, the taxidermist passed away, but once things were settled, his executor contacted me for disposition. It was a fantastic shoulder mount that I will always treasure.
Most taxidermists are people like us who have unforseen things happen to them.
I just hope for you sake, this is just one of these things. Hopefully, just a relocation of the taxidermist. Best of LUCK to YOU!!!

I hope you get your Mount back. Just keep trying it might turn up somewhere.
I have a friend that lives in Montana His wife Drew a Big Horn tag ,She shot a nice big horn. Took it to a Taxidermist well known in the area . Some how it got lost he said . They are all pined by the state .After about 4 years
they found the Big horn it was sold by the Taxidermist.he did time in jail and was fined. My friend got their Big horn Horns back.

I located a Gustavo and Mercedes Calzada in Deleon......and the tax office also showed that they took out a loan in El Paso.
Might start there....couldn't locate a number.