Wildverse
A podcast all about the wild world of taxidermy and the wild universe - wildverse! We explore all types of taxidermy (and taxidermy-adjacent) subjects including hunting, art, wildlife, and much more! We are full-time taxidermists that have a HUGE passion for taxidermy and the wild world! We hope you love it, and we can’t wait to share even more fun episodes. Thank you for listening! - Heather and Ashley
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
Episode 17- Meat Eater Trivia Challenge
Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
In this months trivia episode we decided to take a page from one of our favorite podcasts “The Meat Eater Podcast” and play their game Meat Eater trivia.
In true Wildverse fashion, we start out with a “would you rather” question that we think will have a landslide of similar answers! We can guarantee you’ll learn something new on this episode as well as maybe feel a little foolish like we did at times…
Play along and let us know how you do! From topics on conservation to wildlife and hunting, see how your scores compare to ours! See if the winner of your episode is Ashley, Heather.. or YOU!
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Episode 16 - "Behind the Scenes" with Randy Mitchell of Wild Rooms
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Randy Mitchell is the owner of Wild Rooms - www.wildroomsmi.com He creates those big mountains of habitat that display dozens of mounts, and those scenes that are so lifelike, it makes you feel like you're really there in the forest amongst the animals. If you've ever wondered about the logistics and what goes on behind the scenes of trophy rooms, you won't want to skip this one!
Also, we get a tour of a big showroom with HUNDREDS of mounts! View the whole showroom tour on YouTube!
Get in contact with Randy at wildroomsmi.com
Follow us on instagram and Facebook for more info on today's episode and lots of more great content!
Thank you so much for watching! -Heather and Ashley
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Episode 15 - Habitat Trips & Habitat Tips
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Wednesday May 08, 2024
In this episode we share about our trip to Colorado and how we searched high and * not so low* for cool pieces of twisted juniper!
Hear the why, how and where of our trip along with the fun stories of our adventure along the way.
We also share our own tips and tricks that we use when creating the habitat scenes for the mounts we do in our own shops. You never know, you might hear a new way to do your own habitat!
For instance, do you know how to get rid of those pesty hot glue strings? Or how to add flow and balance to your scenes?
Follow along on our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to see more content about what we discuss in this episode!
Thanks for listening! - Ashley & Heather
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Episode 14 - Prohibited Animals
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Have you ever wondered whether you could mount a polar bear? A giant panda? An eagle? What are some animals that I can't legally taxidermy? Well we've got the answers!
We dive into some of the most common animals that pose the question - can you mount it? (can you taxidermy it?) And some of the answers may surprise you!
We answer the questions:
Can you mount a polar bear? Can you mount a giant panda? Can you mount an eagle? Can you mount an owl or hawk? How about a songbird? Can you mount a mountain lion? Can you mount a flying squirrel? Can you mount an African lion? And much more!
Follow us on instagram and Facebook for more information regarding this topic of prohibited animals!
Thank you so much for watching! -Heather and Ashley
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Episode 13 - Talking Tanning with, the PRO-1 and only, Paul Cales
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Paul Cales is the founder and owner of PRO-1 Performance Chemicals, which is also the sponsor of this episode and many of our others!
PRO-1 sells high quality tanning chemicals, and everything you need to tan animal hides - even down to the pH paper! Paul has also created PRO-1 Hide Paste - one of the most versatile and widely used hide pastes on the market.
In this episode, we find out more about Paul and a lot about tanning!
Find all the PRO-1 products for sale at http://www.pro1performancechemicals.com
Thank you so much for watching! - Heather & Ashley
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Episode 12 - Taxidermy Show Recap
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Heather attended the 2024 Maryland Taxidermy Convention and the 2024 Pennsylvania Taxidermy Convention! So let's talk about it!
We talk about the competitions, awards, (OUR AWARD!!), live mounting taxidermy competitions, other fun stuff that happens at the shows, and what is more to come this year in the way of taxidermy conventions.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more information from the shows!
Thank you so much for watching!! - Heather and Ashley
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Episode 11 - Taxidermy TRIVIA (Game 2)
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Our monthly trivia episode! Test your knowledge in the categories of conservation, biology, anatomy, animals, and taxidermy with random questions. We take turns asking each other questions....see if you can score better than us!
How well did you do?
For more content and more taxidermy facts, follow us on instagram and Facebook.
Thank you so much for watching!! -Ashley and Heather
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Being a taxidermist is a relatively safe profession or hobby, yet it still comes with some risks.. we are dealing with real animals, after all.
What are some risks of being a taxidermist? Can I contract rabies working with recently deceased animals? How about tularemia or anthrax? What even is rabbit fever?
Find out all about this stuff and more in this episode!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for even more information about the topics we discussed.
Thank you so much for watching! -Ashley and Heather
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Episode 9 - Taxidermy FAQ
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Some of the commonly asked questions we get as taxidermists and about taxidermy in general! Even if you know the answers to a lot of these, the answers we give might be different based on our experience, or the answers might help you to answer these same questions in the future.. the are frequently asked, after all!
We cover:
1. What is taxidermy?
2. What do you do with the excess skin?
3. What happens to the meat when you want to have an animal taxidermied?
4. What do you call taxidermied animals?
5. Why is taxidermy called “stuffed”?
6. Do you have to go to college to become a taxidermist?
7. Do you need a license to practice taxidermy?
8. Can you make a good living doing taxidermy?
9. Where do the animals come from that we mount?
10. What’s the hardest animal to taxidermy? (And why)
11. What’s the easiest animal to taxidermy? (And why)
12. How does the skin not rot?
13. Can you taxidermy a human?
14. Can you taxidermy roadkill?
15. Can I have my dog/cat taxidermied?
16. How soon should I get an animal to a taxidermist?
17. Why does it take so long to get my mount back from the taxidermist?
18. Is taxidermy toxic/safe to touch?
19. What can I use to clean my mounts?
20. Can I wash my mounts?
21. How long does a taxidermy mount last?
Check out our Wildverse Instagram and Facebook for more information and content about what we discussed in this episode.
Thank you so much for watching!! - Heather and Ashley
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
What is going on in Colorado right now? No, not the snow report... hunting bans and some crazy wildlife management!
We talked with Leland Reinier of Craig, Colorado. Leland is a taxidermist, he owns Big Cat Taxidermy, but he's also a houndsman, hunter, and he's lived in Colorado his whole life. Colorado is currently facing a total mountain lion hunting ban - deceivingly called the "trophy hunting ban". That, along with the introduction of wolves recently, Colorado is in quite a harrowing position for outdoorsman - and taxidermists!
We talk about all that and more in this episode of Wildverse! Check out our instagram and Facebook for pictures and even more content about this episode!
Thank you Leland for joining us, and thank YOU all so much for watching! - Ashley and Heather