Jeff Brain

Jeff is one of the big names in taxidermy; Canada’s premier fish taxidermist, he is also ranked worldwide in cold-water fish. Fiercely competitive, he isn’t afraid to show off his many ribbons and awards. This year, Jeff is scrambling to win a prize in the deer category at the Canadian Taxidermy Championships – until a surprise competitor shows up.  He lives with his wife and two boys in Orillia, Ontario. “I got into taxidermy in high-school to make a bit of extra money to feed my habit of cars. Mostly on weekends when the other kids were going out on the town, I was down in my mother’s basement working on dead animals.”

Benoit Brossard

Benoit is a lifelong trophy hunter and collector – the darker side of taxidermy. Over the course of his life, he has spent thousands of dollars getting the animals he’s hunted mounted for decoration in his overstuffed basement. “I’ve been charged by buffalo on safari. But I loved it – I would get out of the jeep and yell ‘Come on!’ My guide would run after me and say ‘Please Benny! Go back to America!’”

Dave Gibson

Dave recently gave up his seasonal fly-fishing business to do taxidermy full-time. He is passionate about life and grabs it by the horns, taking risks along the way. It is Dave’s first time competing at the CTA Championships and he is eager to win.  Dave lives with his fiancé in Fenwick, Ontario. “My goal and I’m not afraid to say it and I’m proud to say it, is I want to be the biggest and the best and I want people out west to say ‘Take your deer to Wild Niagara Taxidermy, Dave Gibson, because he does one heck of a job.’”

Chris Kemp

Chris has never really had an affinity for dogs or cats, but finds himself a pet taxidermist. He started off doing conventional “form” taxidermy with styrofoam mannequins, but has since found his own niche with freeze-drying. He is the only pet taxidermist in Canada. Chris lives with his family in Omemee, Ontario. “Sometimes I feel like a funeral home director, people are get all emotional with their pets. I can’t get too involved, otherwise I’d be a wreck. Usually I just try to be polite and act supportive, but once they’re out the door I’ve forgotten about it.”

Calvin King

Calvin has been a long-distance truck driver, a construction contractor, and an office worker. He recently took a major gamble by putting it all aside and paying Jeff Brain to teach him taxidermy. He will be competing against Dave this year at the CTA Championships. Calvin has a young son and lives in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. “My wife would be the first to tell you that taxidermy doesn’t belong in the living room, it belongs in the rec room. I don’t know why she says that – I think it should be in the living room. I think it should be in ALL the rooms of the house. She just has this ‘No gameheads above the stairs rule.’”

Ray Robinson

Ray is the zen master of taxidermy. Phlegmatic to a fault, he is a thinker and willing to wait as long as it takes to become a truly great at his craft. He is a highly ranked fish taxidermist and has taken Dave Gibson under his wing so as to pass the torch on once he retires. Ray lives in Thorold, Ontario. “People who are anti-hunting or anti-fishing cringe when I say that I’m at taxidermist because something has to die before you have something to do. A taxidermist doesn’t have a job until something dies.  We’re kind of like the animal morticians.” 

Janie Rumm

Janie lives in Uxbridge, Ontario, where she raises show-jumping horses. She lives on several acres of land with her horses, two live dogs, three cats, three budgie birds, and now Wonder, her freeze-dried dog. “The first time I saw taxidermy was on an episode of ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’, I didn’t know it existed until then and I thought ‘Oh what a cool idea, I want to do that with Wonder when the time comes.’ And at the time he wasn’t sick and I had no idea how much time he had left, but I just knew that that’s what I wanted to do with him when the time came.”