Deer season is upon us!! Golden Taxidermy has been in small town Meridian for around a year now and are close to celebrating their 51st year in the industry. You may have noticed the kangaroo, exotic deer, or the most recent seasonally appropriate turkey displayed in their store front windows in downtown Meridian.
It all began as a schoolboy’s dream to preserve the beautiful things of nature. Many years ago with a few supplies in a makeshift studio in a mother’s kitchen, a dream was born.
Owner Larry Golden’s hobby had become a dream come true when he and his wife Lydia started their first commercial business in Mississippi in 1972 until they decided to move to Meridian in 1983. Their shop just outside of Meridian was a success but it was on their hearts to move to the mountains.
Around 1994-1995 they followed their hearts, packed up their business and moved to Idaho. Around 2007 the most extreme challenge presented itself, and they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to head to the last frontier of Alaska to further perfect their taxidermy trade.
Who doesn’t miss Texas when they’ve been gone for so long?
“We were homesick for Texas,” Larry said. They primarily raised their children in Bosque County, and as a family, decided they wanted to come back to their roots, Larry said.
Larry joked and said all his children grew up and played in their shops as long as he can remember. His son Micah Golden entered taxidermy contests and began winning at around nine or ten years old. Today, Micah works side by side with Larry in the family business.
Larry’s daughter Elizabeth has recently moved back to Bosque County and has started creating handmade hide pillows and many other creative decorative items, which are proudly displayed in their shop.
Larry’s wife Lydia has perfected the art of creating hide rugs throughout the years. He said she’s probably made an uncountable number of rugs and is well known and sought after for her skills.
Larry said their taxidermy tools along with Lydia’s sewing equipment are available to be seen should anyone want a tour of the facility.
They’ve done projects from a child’s first animal harvest to trophy harvests from as far as Australia, Africa, and all across the U.S. Larry said it was an honor to have had the opportunity to create Cabela’s trophy game displays.
“Our choice of tanneries, the use of the finest materials, and the desire to recapture a part of the beauty God put in all his creatures combine to bring the best quality we can provide,” Larry said.
The Goldens have gone a step farther and created their own white-tailed deer mannequins to capture more detail than that of factory produced mannequins.
Larry and Micah are currently working with a local Bosque County game ranch owner to transform a space above their hunting cabin kitchen into a beautiful full size wildlife trophy area complete with multiple deer suspended jumping into the air along with other native wildlife in the background. To make the space as authentic as possible they are recreating Bosque county native vegetation and rocks beginning with a wooden platform. Spray foam is used and hand carved to create a flowing hill landscape, trees, and a flowing water feature. The deer to be used for this feature are yet to be harvested.
Bosque County Express will be following the Golden’s journey in building these unique trophy rooms phase by phase, keep checking www.bosquecountyexpress.com and our print editions for updates.
If you are interested in turning your trophies into a unique work of art, reach out to Golden Taxidermy. Their family takes great pride to preserve the beautiful things in nature in many unique ways.
If you want to see some of their work, you can come by their shop located at 106 W. Morgan in Meridian, find them on Facebook “Golden Taxidermy,” or give them a call at 254-435-3006.
