Taxidermy takes shape at the hands of Embree
7/1/2026
If you have stepped inside a museum, a zoo, Bass Pro Shops or your hunting friend’s home, you have likely seen taxidermy. Step into Trinity Tattoo in Valley Junction, and it is impossible not to notice the taxidermy — and its quality — created by the hands of Jarod Embree.
“If I’m not here, I’m in a tree or doing taxidermy,” Embree said. “I can’t sing or dance, and I don’t work well with others, and I don’t like working for somebody else. So, the only way you can make money as an artist is either you’re really lucky or you’re dead, and then you’re not making shit anyway, so this is a viable solution for a trade craft artist, hands-on guy.”
If you consider “others” to be the people he tattoos — or the animals he works on — then Embree appears to at least work well on others.
The art of taxidermy was introduced to him by his uncle. Eventually, in 2017, Embree attended taxidermy school in Spirit Lake.
“Taxidermy school is not a requirement to be a taxidermist; however, it definitely helps at least get you out of the blocks,” Embree said. “Unless you went to taxidermy school for about a decade, you’re going to leave any school of taxidermy with about point 1% of the actual knowledge you need to be good, so it takes a shitload of practice.”
And, by practice, he means failure.
“I think I do a good job. I’m happy with what I’ve done,” Jarod Embree said. “Am I happy with the growth I’ve made in it? Yeah, I think most people would be. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be better in this arena.”
Embree emphasizes practice and repetition — and failure comes with them. He also credits close friends and mentors, including Ken Howard, a national champion taxidermist, for helping him develop his skills.
“If you’re trying to get good at artwork, or you’re trying to get good at any trade craft, I don’t care if it’s welding or tattooing or anything else, find that person and sit in it, like latch onto them, fit in their back pocket if you want to get good,” Embree said.
As for what separates an average taxidermist from a world-class one, Embree said it is not the materials they use but their expertise in the craft.
“They’re clean. I could walk into Menards and find half the shit I use, or Home Depot or Lowe’s. But you have to be a welder, you have to be a painter, you have to be a makeup artist, you have to be a sculptor, you have to have your head and ass wired together when it comes to knowing wildlife,” Embree said.
Embree has entered some of his work in competitions. Most recently, he earned second place in the McKenzie Best Life-Size Award category at a state competition for the first wolf mount he had completed.
“I’ve got more red ribbons than I would care to admit, but I do, and that’s fine. Just means I’ve got room to grow versus falling on your ass from there. I’m assuming it’s a hell of a lot nicer to move up than it is to be at the top and get your ass knocked down, so I’m trying to find some glory in that,” Embree said.
Plenty of regulations surround what can and cannot be mounted. Understanding the technical, wildlife and legal aspects all contribute to quality taxidermy.
Embree’s first mount was a mink, a member of the weasel family. The animal had been found as roadkill by his uncle. However, he is quick to note that does not mean he welcomes similar projects from the public.
“Don’t bring me your roadkill, people. It’s a miracle it turned out,” Embree said.
Since then, Embree has mounted a wide variety of animals, including birds, deer, a brown billy goat, wolves and foxes. Visitors to Easter Lake may have seen a snowy owl displayed at one of the buildings. It is another piece of Embree’s work.
He believes his strongest work involves canines.
“Canines in general — fox, small mammals — are what I like to work on. There’s more validity, there’s more validation for me, there’s a better payoff for me, there’s more art in it,” Embree said. “Birds are kind of the same way, in that respect. You can get birds preening, flying, landing, standing dead. There’s a lot of variety. Birds are very pretty, you know, ducks are very pretty, lots of different varieties, small, big, divers, puddlers, sea ducks, all the bill colors, feet colors, all the plumage. There’s all different kinds of artsy things you can do with them. You have to be very delicate. You have to really know your shit.”
Embree acquires animals through a variety of legal sources, including clients, fur farms and hunting. When hunting, he prefers using a bow. His tattoo shop is named after his first Llewellin setter, and Trinity’s first pheasant is mounted inside the business.
When asked what animal he would most like to mount that he has not yet worked on, Embree paused before answering.
“Because for me, first, it’s what do I want to hunt? You can buy anything and go to shows and buy something, but it’s a hell of a lot cooler to go hunt it, kill it, and then mount it for myself. So, in that respect, from a hunting aspect, definitely big horn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn, or a Roosevelt elk, a mountain goat, caribou, any of those would be great. A mountain lion, for that matter,” Embree said. ♦
Cyote Williams was born and raised on the south side of Des Moines and writes about entertainment, sports and personalties across the Des Moines metro for CITYVIEW. Phone: 515-953-4822 x333.
