Advantage Taxidermy, a locally co-owned business residing in Lincoln County is located a quarter-mile west of the Telford rest area. The owners are Dave Hubbard, originally from Wyoming, and Chuck Berg, originally from Wilbur.
Both Dave and Chuck had some previous taxidermy training. Dave took a mail order course when he was 12 and Chuck took a taxidermy class that was offered at his high school. In 1996 they met and found out they shared a lot of interests. One of those interests was their love for the outdoors. From hunting to camping, to vacationing and fishing.
Dave runs a cattle/hay business and Chuck is in the construction business. In 2003 they started to experiment with their artistic sides in the field of taxidermy. Originally, only for their own benefit but then it snowballed and Advantage Taxidermy was born. Dave had an art background in sculpture and Chuck in drawing and painting, both of which would come into play in their new taxidermy business.
Since opening, their business is growing on a steady increase surpassing each years previous benchmarks. The increases stem from continually taxing each other and refusing to stop learning new techniques to better their talents. They mainly specialize in big-game re-creations but also reproduce fish and birds.
Their motto is “we bring your trophies to life”. They add the little nuances that separate them from many in their field. A small footprint in the re-created sand bases, a pinecone or a unique branch, anything to bring the animal back to its original surroundings and make it look like “it could lick it’s lips.”
They started the business in Chuck’s basement in Wilbur, then outgrew the space available and moved it to Dave’s 12 x 20 outbuilding by his home. After several years and many growing pains they constructed a 32 x 60 building along Highway two between Davenport and Creston. It includes a large lobby of display animals, a workshop, storage room and salt room for prepping hides. It also has a full upstairs apartment where Chuck lived for several years and Dave’s son Chase, and soon to be daughter-in-law Cassie, reside.
They welcome all visitors to come and view their work and get acquainted so when the time comes to expand your trophy room you will feel comfortable entrusting their talents.
So why do these guys spend countless weekends and most of the winter re-creating wildlife? For the money, for the hunting stories, so they can see the biggest animals of the recent harvest? Yes, somewhat true, but mainly it’s a release, a chance to put a smile on a young hunters face or to bring a lost loved ones trophy of a lifetime back to its original beauty.
