Union City taxidermist winding down 50-year career

UNION CITY – After having physically preserved thousands of special memories and experiences for area residents over nearly a half-century, Union City taxidermist Blain Blakeslee is winding down his business.

The 65-year-old, a 1979 Union City Area High School graduate, says he anticipates accepting work through this fall’s hunting season, and closing by spring.

Running his own business from his home for decades was a means to an end, he says, allowing him the luxury of being involved in his two daughters’ lives on a daily basis. Ironically, he’s closing up shop for largely the same reason, to enjoy more time with his family.

“I want more time with my wife, my children, and my grandchildren,” he said. “I want to attend a sporting event or go hunting with my family without worrying that I’m missing telephone calls or that someone might be waiting at the shop.”

The name of Blakeslee’s business, Artistic Wildlife Taxidermy, is appropriate. His artistic bent includes a mural of a barn, painted on that same barn, on Route 8 south of Union City. He was also responsible for carving all but one of the chainsaw carvings that were installed around Union City’s downtown last summer.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked he will continue with his chainsaw carving, “but it will be at my own pace.

“I enjoy working for myself and creating what interests me,” he continued. “I may accept commissioned pieces from customers, but carving will fit around my life and my family – not the other way around. I want the freedom to decide what I make, when I make it and how much work I accept.”

Blakeslee first began dabbling with taxidermy around age 13 or 14 by helping a cousin, followed by experimenting on his own while in high school.

“Back then, taxidermists didn’t share very much information,” he said. “Taxidermy was almost treated like some kind of voodoo, and competitors certainly didn’t want to teach someone who might eventually compete with them.”

An exception at the time was well-known Union City naturalist Jerry McWilliams, who Blakeslee said allowed him to spend a few weeks with him, watching him mount deer heads.

“I have always appreciated that he was willing to reach out to me,” Blakeslee said.

His first taxidermy attempt was when a friend dropped off a hen pheasant for him to eat, but he instead decided to try preserving it.

Asked how it turned out, he joked, “Let’s just say I killed it again. It was not very good.”

“What really got me serious about taxidermy, though, was wanting a life-size deer mount,” Blakeslee continued. “I couldn’t afford to have one done, so I thought, ‘What the heck – I’ll teach myself how to do it.’ That challenge is what truly got me started.”

Since then, Blakeslee has preserved thousands of animals, birds and fish.

“Over nearly 50 years, I have worked on just about everything imaginable – fish, birds, North American mammals, African animals and even protected species that I was legally permitted to preserve for organizations such as the Audubon Society,” he noted.

“Some of the smallest were tiny songbirds prepared for educational purposes,” Blakeslee said. “Among the largest were a partial giraffe mount, a life-size buffalo and life-size elk.”

Anyone who has traveled to or past his Union Township home would be hard-pressed not to notice the life-size elk on the roof of Blakeslee’s home, built into a protective alcove.

“The African animals stand out because I didn’t receive many of them,” he said. “Each one was interesting, and I enjoyed learning about animals that I normally would never have had the opportunity to work on.”

The decision to publicly draw the curtain on Artistic Wildlife Taxidermy has actually been ongoing for some time.

“I began winding down several years ago by no longer accepting certain kinds of work, including bears, turkeys and other specialty projects,” Blakeslee said. “This year I publicly announced that I will accept only a limited number of deer heads on a first-come, first-served basis.

“When I reach that number I’ll put a sign on the door saying that I’m no longer accepting them,” he added. “I expect that will probably happen sometime during rifle season.”

Blakeslee said he’ll miss the creative aspect of taxidermy, “but I have other outlets for that. I can pick up a chainsaw and carve, or pick up a paintbrush and paint. I’ll still have that creative release.”

But at this point in his life, the most precious commodity is time.

“It all boils down to wanting to enjoy time with my family, leave my phone at home and stop worrying about missing work,” he said.