Local taxidermist wins ‘world’ honors By Larry Myhre
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal.
It was a love of art and the outdoors that steered Mark Baker towards the field of taxidermy.
“After high school I was trying to figure out what to do with life,” Baker, a Sibley, Iowa, native said. “I always had a passion for art and the outdoors and taxidermy is a perfect way to combine the two of them.”
So, one year out of high school, Baker signed on at the Northwest Iowa School of Taxidermy at Spirit Lake, Iowa.
That was in the year, 2000. After graduation, he signed on with Coulson Taxidermy in Des Moines. The firm is one of the largest taxidermy studios in Iowa. He worked there fulltime for six years. He met other taxidermists and began helping them out in their shops.
Two years ago, he and his wife Jill, an accountant, moved to Lawton, Iowa, where Mark operates Mark Baker’s Taxidermy.
“Getting a business started is a slow process,” he says.
However, a big boost along that road to success came recently when he captured “Best of Category” award in the Professional Division at the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships in St. Charles, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.
Mark’s mount of a hen mallard, floating on water with a drake resting on a snow covered bank won the best of category award. The drake mallard scored 95 out of a possible 100, making it the highest scoring bird at the show.
He also won second place the Professional Division of Competitor’s Award which represents the four highest scoring mounts at the show.
His mallard and hen, a pheasant, a gadwall and a teal/widgeon cross garnered the points for him.
While this was the first time Mark has entered the world competition, he has entered the Iowa State and Minnesota State taxidermy contests since 2005 and has a whole lot of ribbons to prove his ability.
“There are two levels of competition at both the state and world show,” he says. “That’s ‘Professional’ and ‘Masters.’ I’m at the Masters level in state shows but entered as a Professional at the World show.
Although Mark considers bird taxidermy to be his specialty, he also knows his way around big game.
“My favorite birds to mount would have to be waterfowl in general,” he says. “As a taxidermist, you either like ‘em or hate ‘em. That’s why a lot of taxidermists wholesale them out.”
And that is where Mark comes in.
“Most of my business right now is wholesale work,” he says. “Other taxidermists take in the work and subcontract it to me. I do the work and give it back to them.
“I’ve also done work for Scheels stores and Cabelas stores around the country,” he adds.
To promote his business, he attends Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited annual banquets and had a booth at last year’s Nebraska Outdoor Expo in Ponca.
“It’s a challenge, that’s for sure,” he smiles.
If you would like to see firsthand Mark’s skills with bird mounts check out the wood duck mounts in a large glass case at the Sioux City Scheels store.
Then you’ll know how a world competition recognition is possible.