Pentwater volleyball scores district 3-peat
Pirates’ Ackley earns runner-up at state
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Thursday, November 12, 2015
9-0 JV season sparks hope for Hart football future Page B1
Two sections 24 pages
Oceana’s
Herald-Journal
Oceana County's weekly news source since 1869
Christy Hood’s preserving memories, animal’s essence By Anne Pawli OHJ Contributing Writer
Coyotes and badgers and bucks, oh my! Christy Hood’s Walkerville studio, Shooterz Taxidermy and Tannery, showcases these and other amazing critters, as beautiful now as when they were alive and roaming the forests and fields. Hood earned a Bachelor’s of Science in business administration from Colorado Technical University. She used that degree at several area businesses before embarking on this new career. Now she’s preserving the memories of young hunter’s first deer or the trophy rack of a lifetime. And it was all her husband’s idea. Christy recalled her husband, Robert, had shot a deer worth preserving several years ago. He contacted several taxidermists and heard two discouraging messages; either the cost of a shoulder mount was too pricey, or the wait too long. That’s when he learned about the Game Head Class at American Institute of Taxidermy, in Wisconsin. “The cost of the class was triple the amount for getting the deer head mounted,” said Hood, but Bob figured when all was said and done, Christy’s new-found knowledge and skill would more than pay for itself. Christy took the one week head mount class in 2010, the only woman to do so that year. The couple invested their savings in Christy’s business, purchasing equipment, classes and recently building a work studio and office for her. Bob’s plan, however, didn’t quite unfold as he thought it would. “I was supposed to teach Bob so we could both do this, but he just didn’t have the patience.” It can be tedious, time-consuming work. Hood skins the hides, removing as much unnecessary fat and tissue as possible. The more fat removed from the hide, the more noticeable the muscle and sinew on the finished product. “The more I can thin, the nicer it looks when it’s dried,” Hood explained. Bears are a lot of work; they have 15 to 20 pounds of fat that needs to be carved out. When she’s satisfied with her work, she rolls the hide and freezes it until she’s ready to complete the project. Her next step is to preserve the hide in her tanning room, a process which helps prevent it from rotting while drying. Customers choose a pose for their mount and, when the hide is ready, she goes to work. Faces require individual attention. She uses a #22 razor blade to remove every unnecessary ounce of flesh from the face, including tear ducts. Hood slides the hide onto a lightweight manikin made of polyurethane foam, places ear liners, inserts eyes, touches up imperfections, and then meticulously removes any evidence of human touch. The first three days are critical to obtaining a fine finished product. The hide is still pliable enough to be tweaked during that time and the slower it dries, the less it pulls. When everything’s perfect, Hood stitches it all in place. Altogether, the hide preparation takes 8-12 hours and start to finish, one deer mount requires about three solid weeks of time, including a couple weeks for drying. She completes an average of 60 mounts each year. Hood is already making a name for herself in the male-dominated profession. Her badger mount won the People’s Choice Award in 2014 at the Michigan Taxidermist Association
PRESERVING MEMORIES continued on 7a
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Illegal bear kill nets 5 days in jail
An Ottawa County man will spend five days in jail and pay $1,900 in fines after pleading to the unlawful taking of a bear earlier this fall in Oceana County. Oceana County Prosecutor Joe Bizon announced Monday that Derek Hassevoort, 27, pled “guilty” to unlawful taking of a bear Nov. 9 for allegedly killing a female Hassevoort bear in the presence of its cubs. “The taking was unlawful because the sow bear was accompanied by cubs,” Bi-
UNLAWFUL BEAR KILLING continued on 7a
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Electric Forest gets permit for 2016
Request for extended music hours declined by Grant Township
By Greg Means
Shoreline Media Writer
GRANT TWP. – The Grant Township Board continued its support of the growing Electric Forest music festival by approving a mass gathering permit for the 2016 four-day event, but residents who oppose it got a little satisfaction when the board rejected a request to extend the hours for music beyond this year’s deadlines. The approval of the mass gathering permit requested by promoters Madison House Presents came at the Nov. 3 town-
GRANT TWP. APPROVES ELECTRIC FOREST PERMIT continued on 3a
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Christy Hood of Shooterz Taxidermy and Tannery takes time out from working on a pair of deer shoulder mounts at her Walkerville studio. Hood says she gets most of her business, which is enough to keep her busy throughout the year, during a one month span around deer season.
You’ve just bagged a trophy worthy of mounting
Now what? By Anne Pawli
OHJ Contributing Writer
You’ve finally bagged that buck with the enormous rack, but if you haven’t planned ahead for the occasion, you may inadvertently sabotage your
By David Eggert Associated Press
opportunity for the perfect mount. The quality of your mount depends in large measure on how the animal is field dressed and how the head and hide are cared for before they ever get to the taxidermist, so plan to treat both with TLC. Before heading out opening day, plan how you’ll get your trophy from the forest to the taxidermist. Christy Hood owner of Shooterz Taxidermy and Tannery of Walkerville and other taxidermists suggest these pointers. • Don’t slit the deer’s throat to bleed it out. This kind of error is nearly impossible to repair. • Don’t drag the carcass. Dragging can break hairs, something the taxidermist cannot fix. Consider bringing a deer cart
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Michigan Legislature OKs roads plan with gas, fee hikes
A TROPHY WORTHY OF MOUNTING
The Michigan Legislature late Tuesday, Nov. 3 narrowly approved a plan to boost road spending, and Gov. Rick Snyder said he plans to sign it, major steps toward resolution on the issue after months of contentious wrangling and years of debate. The proposal, which includes a 7.3-cent gasoline tax increase and a 20 percent hike in vehicle registration fees, drew nearly all of its support from majority Republicans and was sent to the GOP governor. It would generate $600 million a year for deteriorating roads and bridges in 2017 and more in future years until topping $1.2 billion in 2021 and beyond. “This is the largest investment in transportation over the last 50 years in the state of Michigan,” Snyder said in a late-night news conference at his Capitol office. “This will lead to safer and better roads in our state and do it in a fiscally responsible
LEGISLATURE OKS ROADS PLAN
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Preserving memories
Oceana’s Herald-Journal • November 12, 2015 • 7a
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statewide convention and competition, during the Ultimate Sport Show, at the DeVos Center in Grand Rapids. Hood gets most of her work for the year over the course of one month, but people have been known to show up at her home or studio with fresh roadkill for her to mount. Someone once brought a dead coyote pup to her. That was the smallest animal she has worked on. The largest? Elk. And you can forget about skunk; she’s vowed never to do another, unless the price is really right. She has done fish, but waterfowl are off limits. Hood’s state license doesn’t allow her to mount anything migratory. Taxidermists must have a federal license to do that. There are other regulations she must follow as well, including ensuring each animal brought to her was legally obtained and tagged. Hood is required to save that information for seven years. She and other taxidermists are also advised to take certain precautions, including using gloves to protect themselves from ringworm and disease, and being vaccinated against rabies. Hood has enhanced her skills through courses in fish mounting and painting, taught by award winning taxidermist and wild life artist Bob Nielsen, fish carving with Rick Crane, at Anglers Artistry in New Hampshire and numerous seminars during the annual Michigan Taxidermy Association conferences. “In the old days, there was a science of taxidermy,” Hood reflected. “Now it’s preserving the memory of the hunt, the essence of the animal. To be able to picture it in a real-life setting.”
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zon wrote in a press release. “Mr. Hassevoort’s plea was unconditional, meaning he was not offered anything by the prosecution. The court accepted the plea and sentenced Mr. Hassevoort to five days in the county jail, to be served over two weekends, $1,500 in restitution to the State of Michigan for the bear (this is established by statute), $400 in fines and costs, also pursuant to statute. Mr. Hassevoort’s hunting privileges are suspended for the remainder of this year and the next three years.” With the help of the public, DNR conservation officers were able to present a case. A DNR official earlier this fall said the investigation revealed the hunter who was licensed to hunt bear in the Baldwin Unit had prior knowledge of the sow with cubs coming into his bait location, based on trail camera photos of this very distinctive collared bear. The official said Hassevoort registered the bear as required by law and DNR wildlife division staff recovered the radio collar at that time. DNR officers recovered the cape of the bear during their investigation near Port Sheldon in Ottawa County. The carcass of the animal was to be donated for food. To report violations to the DNR, call the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at 1-800-292-7800, or use the RAP online form. Incidents may be reported confidentially. The RAP line is staffed 24 hours each day.
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Christy Hood, above, stands before the numerous examples of taxidermy work on display in her Walkerville studio. Top left, a badger mount won Hood the People’s Choice Award in 2014 at the Michigan Taxidermist Association statewide convention and competition. Bottom left, Hood gets an idea as to how a shoulder mount will look by holding its antlers in place.
A trophy worthy of mounting or sled to the hunting site to safely transport the animal back to your vehicle. • If you’ve no choice but to drag, keep the front shoulders off the ground. Place a tarp or other protective barrier under the shoulders to protect the head and prevent the hide from rubbing on the ground. Avoid sticks, branches and rocks on the forest floor. • Don’t wrap a rope around the neck. If you must use a rope, tie it around the antlers. Keep the deer dry, off the ground and as cool as possible. • Don’t hang it by the neck. Use a gamble to hang it from the back legs. • Treat the cape as carefully as the meat on the inside. If you’re concerned about your ability to cape your animal, take it to a meat processor. They have coolers, know-how and can cut up the meat for you. • Warm weather is the bane of Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal both the meat and cape. Both beChristy Hood of Shooterz Taxidermy and Tannery places the cape of a deer on a shoulder mount form gin growing bacteria as soon as at her Walkerville studio. the animal dies. • In cooler weather, you’ll have a longer window of • Cape them first, gut them last. • A botched cape job renders all usable cape and will give your opportunity to get it to a processor Use a very sharp knife and be the hide unusable. Do not cut the taxidermist plenty of hide to work or taxidermist. careful. cape above the sternum. That’s with. If you must cut the hide, do
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from Page 1a
so along the top of the neck. You’ll never see the stitches. • Protect the hide and head from the wind on the way to the taxidermist, and get it to the professional as soon as possible. • If you’re delayed, put the head and hide in a freezer. Do not salt it. It will spoil. Step-by-step instructions for capping a Whitetail Deer for Shoulder Mount can be found online. After you’ve picked up your gorgeous mount from the taxidermist, Hood offers these suggestions to preserve its beauty for generations to come: • Don’t hang it over the fireplace or wood stove. Your mount may become sooty or smoke damaged, and the leather nose pad will dry out. • Exposure to cigarette smoke will yellow the mount. • Clean the mount with a damp cloth each year. • Use an odor eliminator when needed. • Keep cats away. They love to climb mounts and scuff up the hair. • Use a hair brush to keep fur looking nice.
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Sheriff’s office seeks info on bike shop break-in
The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office seeks information regarding the Nov. 2 break-in at the Wood Shed Bike Shop at 1659 N. 56th Ave. in Mears where more than $200 in bicycle accessories were taken. According to sheriff’s office Lt. Craig Mast, thieves took two $35 bicycle seats, six $9 pairs of bicycle handlebar grips, two $20 bike frame mounted pumps and two $40 head and taillight assembly kits. Anyone with any information regarding the break-in is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 231-873-2121.
Planning a Wedding? See the selection of invitations, Thank You notes, and reception supplies at …
Oceana’s Herald-Journal Downtown Hart
Strike up Some Fun this Fall! Open Bowling Hours:
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