CURRAN’S CUSTOM TAXIDERMY

By Dan Purkey

Taxidermy: The ART of preparing…cleaning, preserving…filling the skins of animals…and mounting with lifelike effect.” Taxidermy is not a hobby, but a true craft and art form! One only needs to spend an hour with Curran Manzer and his wife, Michelle, to understand many of the intricacies of this specialty.

Curran (a native Oregonian) graduated from Thurston High School, spent about ten years as a driver in the trucking business; then he found his true passion in 2008! As an avid hunter, watching a couple of his own pieces being prepared and mounted, Curran had a burning desire to learn the craft. He was accepted and graduated from the Missoula Valley School of Taxidermy in Thompson Falls, Montana.

Curran and Michelle started their business on Hill Road, but transferred their shop on the family site (39861 McKenzie Hwy.) in June of 2009. They renovated his grandpa’s workshop and storage facility, added their facilities and began creating an amazing showroom displaying their work!

Today, with the help of his team, he is recognized as one of the region’s premier taxidermy specialists - from Cottage Grove to Albany. Attending the annual Oregon Association of Taxidermists competition in Prineville (June 19 – 20, 2019 – open to the public), Curran has won an unbelievable amount of accolades, awards and ribbons!

He and Michele have created an all-inclusive process for the discriminating customer - preparation and mounting, rugs by Michelle and even beetle cleaning!

Besides having a fervor for hunting and riding dirt bikes, Curran and Michelle’s vision includes a five-year plan to create a buffalo hunting package on the family property (640 acres); which would include the hunt, the meat and potential mounting and/or rug additions.

Their phone number is: 541-746-7197 - and  normal hours are Monday – Friday, 10 – 6 pm. (Saturday and Sunday by apt. only). Come and visit the showroom!