Midwest Fur Dressing

Taxidermist in Rice, Minnesota

(320) 393-7000310 Division St S, Rice, MN 56367View on Yelp
Midwest Fur Dressing - taxidermy in Rice, MN

About Midwest Fur Dressing

Midwest Fur Dressing in Rice, Minnesota stands out from most taxidermy studios because it combines hide tanning with traditional taxidermy services. Rice sits in Benton County just north of St. Cloud, an area with strong hunting traditions and easy access to both northern Minnesota wilderness and central Minnesota farmland. Offering both tanning and taxidermy under one roof means customers don't have to coordinate between two different businesses for a finished product. That convenience, combined with the technical depth that tanning expertise brings, makes this a valuable resource for serious hunters in the region.

Services

Tanning
Taxidermy

Services & Process

Midwest Fur Dressing handles both the tanning side and the mount side of hide preservation. Tanning services involve treating raw hides with solutions that stop decomposition and produce a soft, durable leather or fur product, whether you want a deer hide for a rug, a beaver hide for display, or a coyote pelt preserved as a flat skin. On the taxidermy side, they handle standard mounts including whitetail shoulder mounts, fish mounts, and likely skull cleaning. The combination means a deer hide can go from raw skin to finished rug mount or tanned leather without leaving the same facility.

Service Area

Midwest Fur Dressing serves customers in Rice and throughout Benton and Stearns counties in central Minnesota. Their combined tanning and taxidermy services draw clients from the St. Cloud metro area and from hunters working the surrounding farmland and forest edge habitat. Customers from as far north as Brainerd and east toward the Twin Cities corridor make the trip for specialized hide work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a tanned hide and a taxidermy mount?
A tanned hide is the preserved skin itself, processed so it won't decompose and can be used as a rug, wall hanging, or flat display. A taxidermy mount uses the hide stretched over a form to recreate the animal's three-dimensional appearance.
Can you tan a deer hide so I can use it as a soft leather?
Yes, brain tanning, chrome tanning, and other methods can produce genuinely soft, workable leather from a deer hide. The end use determines which tanning method is best, so be upfront with the studio about whether you want a soft garment leather, a stiffer display piece, or a fur-on rug.
How long does the tanning process take?
A full tan on a deer hide typically takes several weeks to a few months depending on the method used and the shop's current volume. It's a slower process than mounting because the chemical treatment needs adequate time to fully penetrate the hide.
Do you work with fur bearers like beaver, mink, or muskrat?
Yes, fur dressing shops routinely work with the smaller furbearers that trappers and hunters bring in. These hides require different techniques than large game, and a dedicated fur dressing operation has the equipment and expertise to handle them properly.
Is a rug mount the same as a tanned hide?
Not exactly. A tanned hide is the processed skin without added structure. A rug mount takes a tanned hide and adds a felt or leather backing, a shaped head form, and sometimes open-mouth detail work to create a finished floor or wall display piece.
Can I bring in a hide that someone else already caped or skinned?
Yes, as long as the hide was handled cleanly and preserved properly. Salt-dried hides and frozen hides are both acceptable starting points for tanning. Let the studio know the condition of the hide when you call so they can tell you what to expect.

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