A-This is what a deer looks like when it arrives. Most people who hunt remove the meat from the deer first and take it to the butcher, so all that’s left is the empty hide and the skull.

B-Frank begins the skinning process by cutting a straight line down the hide covering the back of the skull. This is the first step to removing the skin from the remaining bone.

C-Here is another shot of Frank beginning to cut the skin from around the skull. Details like muscle striation are clearly visible. It reminds me of an anatomy chart from biology class.

D-The weirdest part about skinning an animal is that the eyeballs remain in the skull until the skull is ultimately discarded (Frank just throws his in the garbage can). The eyes are much bigger when the surrounding fur is gone.

E-Frank is casual and friendly throughout the entire process, answering my questions and even the telephone, bloody gloves et al. A friend of his from New Hampshire calls to touch base about an upcoming competition. That is how Frank meets most of his friends in the taxidermy business.

F-This is what the skull looks like with the skin peeled inside out to the tip of the nose.

G-In order to remove the antlers, Frank saws the off the top brim of the skull before tossing the rest in the trash. I get a glimpse of the cross section of the deer’s brain.

H-This daunting contraption performs the last task before salting and hanging the hide. It’s called a fleshing machine, which Frank says he is lucky to have for its rapid efficiency in removing remaining muscle tissue from the skin. Frank pulls the hide taut between two hands and basically brushes it against the edge of the circular blade that spins toward the hide. The flesh is immediately cut from the skin and flies into the garbage. (Frank was originally going to discard this hide, but I asked if he would flesh it and finish preparing it for me to take home myself. He is a very generous person, especially when it comes to time and patience).

I-This is what the body frame looks like before the fur is added on. It is made of a hard, polyurethane foam, and comes in multiple sizes made to order. Before Frank can stretch on the hide, he has to make minute alterations evident in the grey strips around the nose; it is a clay he uses to sculpt details like eyelids and certain glands. He also has to make sure the antlers fit the span of the top of the head.

J-Creating a septum is just one of example of the fine tuning Frank employs while preparing a mount, and according to him, is one of the details that distinguishes quality taxidermy.

L-Here is the mount on a revolving stand with all the appropriate adaptations. The hide is pulled on bottom-first.

M-Frank sewing up the back of the hide.

N-The final product. Frank pins styrofoam strips along the indentations on the front of the deer to maintain the shape. Understanding anatomy is key to an accurate representation.