Dan was born and raised four blocks from the Yellowstone River in Livingston Montana, just 56 miles north of Yellowstone Park. Dan was the fortunate son of a father who took him fishing or hunting almost every weekend of the year well before he could even walk. They hunted upland birds across Montana and the Dakotas, waterfowl along the Yellowstone and Madison River, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia; and big game throughout Montana. After receiving his discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1977, Dan was on his way to a job in Florida and stopped to visit his parents who were wintering in Yuma Arizona, liked the area, and just never made it any further.
Dan's introduction into taxidermy started nearly 15 years ago when he purchased video tapes so he could mount a bird to use as a reference for painting hand carved decoys. The more birds he mounted, the more his interest increased in the taxidermy field. His first formal training came from Mr. Bob Hancock owner of Saguaro Taxidermy, formally from Phoenix Arizona. Bob nurtured Dan's love of avian taxidermy and forced Dan to please his worst critic - himself. Dan went on to study more avian techniques from Mountain Valley School of Taxidermy in Phoenix with the former president of the National Taxidermists Association, Harry Polson. Dan's latest training came in the winter of 2003 with a one-on-one seminar with the Master of Masters Stefan Savides in Klamath Falls Oregon.
Dan's love of birds and avian taxidermy is apparent in each piece that leaves his studio. The craftsmanship and attention to detail from Desert Wings Taxidermy will ensure, with proper care that the mount and the memories of it will live forever.
We would like to personally thank you for visiting the site for Desert Wings Taxidermy and to welcome any prospective customers. Here at Desert Wings Taxidermy, we offer Waterfowl and Upland Game Bird Taxidermy only. We are fully licensed through the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 Office as well as with the Arizona Department of Game & Fish.
