Sale Features Stuffed Stuff Creatures Sold At Taxidermist Closeout Auction

About 25 people walked up to a couple head of deer in a north Spokane parking lot Wednesday, tugged on their horns and patted them gently.

Hunters and curiosity-seekers gawked at a perfect peacock perched on a branch nearby and examined the dental work of a black bear and a Spanish goat.

But this was no petting zoo or wild paradise.

It was an auction of splendidly stuffed creatures hailing from Montana to Africa, frozen in time thanks to a little taxidermy.

Some of the people checking out the wildlife in a parking lot behind All Trophy Taxidermy on East Francis Wednesday night were looking to mount it on den walls or re-create nature in their family rooms.

More than 30 preserved creatures and other unusual animal parts from All Trophy were auctioned. The shop is closing after 13 years in business.

While auctioneers took bids on a lamp made from an elk foot and wall hooks made from deer hooves, Pat Dexter and her family searched for some creatures to re-create the outside inside.

After considering the mounted ducks and a partridge, the flying wild turkey on a fence caught her interest.

The Mount Spokane family once had a live wild turkey of their own. He was eaten by a coyote. Maybe a stuffed bird was a better idea.

“I just love animals,” Dexter said. “I could never kill one.”

Priest Lake hunter Bill Ricker just came to stare at the deer and hang out with his buddies.

“This is part of hunting,” Ricker said. “There’s no hunting this time of year, so we come here to check things out.”

He bought nothing but admired several African animals, including a zebra cape complete with the animal’s tail.

John and Twila Lamers, owners of All Trophy, lamented the loss of their hobby turned business. But, what once was fun had become a chore, Twila Lamers said.

“It’s very labor intensive,” Lamers said as the auctioneer sold a goat foot thermometer for $15. “It’s one of those businesses that should remain a hobby.”

The animals auctioned off Wednesday came from hunters across the Inland Northwest, as well as from a few of John Lamers’ hunting trips.

Staring at the head of an elk, which was tagged to sell for $1,200, one might wonder where to display such a piece at home.

But, after a decade of stuffing sheep, bass, ducks and more than a few elk, Twila Lamers was confident someone would find the perfect place.

“You would really be amazed of the hunters in this area that have big trophy rooms,” she said. “Some people just want an animal. This is the place to get it.”