Converse Taxidermy

Converse Taxidermy Converse Taxidermy is a family owned business in Upstate NY. Owned and operated by Robert Converse Jr. himself, a lifelong hunter and outdoor enthusiast!

I am a lifelong hunter and outdoor enthusiast. I also have a trapping background where I developed my skinning talents at a young age. I have a deep appreciation for wildlife and I know what a trophy means to the hunter. I study animals constantly in their natural environment and in my shop. Study and practice has greatly enhanced my ability to create a life like mount. I have over twenty-five yea

rs of experience and have done over nine hundred deer mounts. This experience combined with 100% hands on by myself only, is the perfect recipe for a finished product that looks like you should have to feed it. I concentrate on fur bearing species so it’s never a “get them out the door” production run. I reserve time and patience for quality…
In closing, I probably wrote more than you care to read after all, hunters don’t look at these websites to read the articles we want to see the pictures…Enjoy!

The VanAlstine Buck After another season since this Buck was taken, a Christmas, a New Year's and a blizzard, I'm fina...
01/10/2025

The VanAlstine Buck
After another season since this Buck was taken, a Christmas, a New Year's and a blizzard, I'm finally sitting down to do a write up. This dream started when this Buck started showing up on Jim VanAlstine's trail cam. He was already an eight pointer that most hunters wouldn't pass. Through the years this Buck grew into a big ten pointer that I estimate scoring 146-147 net typical. Jim realized his dream the 2023 season. The Buck sporting his final rack, a big eight pointer netting 138-139. He actually was old enough that his rack was decreasing in size. I aged him by teeth wear at 10-1/2. How could this dream be any more special,...by taking this Deer with your late beloved Father's rifle. Basically a family heirloom at this point,..a 1936 Marlin 32 special lever action. Jim's Father was given the rifle as an early Christmas present in 1953 and he shot the Buck in the pic that year. Could there be any more perks to this Buck?..yes, one more. He was taken a couple of miles within the blue line, which makes him an Adirondack Buck.
It was my honor to preserve this monarch of the wild for Jim,... truly what a hunter's dreams are made of.

01/01/2025

Cont. from video, I ran out of video space;...there are 17 subspecies of Whitetail Deer in the United States. The only true way to gauge a trophy is to compare it to others taken in your area. To give you a better idea, I've mounted 2000+, fairly local Deer. The largest being a 146+/- net. The average probably falls into 100 to 115 inches. Keep this in mind when you are wondering how big is big. Comparing subspecies shouldn't even be done,... it's like comparing a Florida Bass to a NY Bass,... it's not the same fish and it's not the same Deer. You can't get a 150-60-70 if they don't exist. Get a top end Buck for your area and you got a trophy.

The animals even know it's special. Christmas magic with my Gunny Boy. Merry Christmas to my customers, family and frien...
12/24/2024

The animals even know it's special. Christmas magic with my Gunny Boy. Merry Christmas to my customers, family and friends alike.❤️

Third day of the 132-2 ten pointer. Pinned up to make sure the hide adheres properly to all the valleys of the manikin. ...
12/19/2024

Third day of the 132-2 ten pointer. Pinned up to make sure the hide adheres properly to all the valleys of the manikin. Change the dressings. Fine tuning tweaking on all the critical areas,...eyes, nostrils, lip slot, ears, etc. Move to near the wood stove for drying.

Second day on the 132-2 ten pointer. First day is prepping the cape and manikin. Second day is the actual mounting. Thir...
12/19/2024

Second day on the 132-2 ten pointer. First day is prepping the cape and manikin. Second day is the actual mounting. Third day is pinning and tweaking. After four to six days drying is removing the pins, cleaning, grooming and air brush painting around the eyes, inside the ears, the nose pad and inside the nostrils.

12/17/2024

A little highlight of this NY season.

After a grueling amount of skinning, fleshing, salting, etc. I'm getting the assembly process back up and running. A bea...
12/17/2024

After a grueling amount of skinning, fleshing, salting, etc. I'm getting the assembly process back up and running. A beautiful Buck to start,..a 132-2 net typical B+C.
Please,....if you declare an antler amount in inches, also include whether it's gross/net, green/dry, what scoring system, official or not. Otherwise it's like saying a Deer weighs 260 pounds and letting everyone assume it's field dressed weight when it was live weight.

Hunting sure has changed here in NY, especially over the past 40 years or so. Don't hesitate next year. If you want one,...
12/11/2024

Hunting sure has changed here in NY, especially over the past 40 years or so. Don't hesitate next year. If you want one, get out there.

Mount finished recently;7 pointer taken by Dakota Young Memorable hunt for Dakota with his Grandfather Dale Darling. Con...
11/30/2024

Mount finished recently;
7 pointer taken by Dakota Young
Memorable hunt for Dakota with his Grandfather Dale Darling.
Congrats Dakota!

11/29/2024

I have reached my limit for this season. I won't be taking in any more Deer. I greatly appreciate the business. Sorry to those I have to turn away.

Thanksgiving Eve at Converse Taxidermy.Happy Thanksgiving!
11/28/2024

Thanksgiving Eve at Converse Taxidermy.
Happy Thanksgiving!

It's looking like the middle of hunting season. A number of racks have been picked up by the taker as well. Biggest one ...
11/20/2024

It's looking like the middle of hunting season. A number of racks have been picked up by the taker as well. Biggest one in there is a 143-4 net.

Ok, this is getting annoying. Page 22 of your syllabus,.. please read and follow directions. 90% of heads coming in have...
11/11/2024

Ok, this is getting annoying. Page 22 of your syllabus,.. please read and follow directions. 90% of heads coming in have no tag or information attached to them. The butcher is supposed to keep the tag with the meat. The taker is supposed to make another one and attach it to the head for transport to the Taxidermist. If you don't do this, be prepared to do it when you are here because I'm getting tired of chasing down this information. I have one foot in the retirement door,...I don't want to have to refuse you.

Do yourself a favor,... please don't hang them by the neck, they are already dead, no need for strangling. Those dark ar...
11/09/2024

Do yourself a favor,... please don't hang them by the neck, they are already dead, no need for strangling. Those dark areas is damage to the hide. You can imagine what it's doing to the hair side. It breaks the hair, pulls it out and stretches and deforms the hide.

I can't stress this enough. Every season I get a few in that are limited as to the style of mount they can get and in a ...
10/27/2024

I can't stress this enough. Every season I get a few in that are limited as to the style of mount they can get and in a worse case scenario the cape is ruined. Follow the blue lines and cut around the Deer at the thick red line. If you don't trust your butcher, make the cuts before you take it. Amish butchers aren't great at caping. Nothing against them, they just aren't concerned with Taxidermy.

Mount finished recently; Super Adirondack Buck taken by Jim VanAlstine.I almost forgot to post this. That's why I'm post...
10/26/2024

Mount finished recently; Super Adirondack Buck taken by Jim VanAlstine.
I almost forgot to post this. That's why I'm posting so late on the eve of the 2024 northern zone regular season. Taken just a mile or so inside the blue line but in is in. I'm going to follow up with a write up on this Buck but for now congrats! Jim on a superb Adirondack Buck. The biggest Buck I got in to mount of the 2023 season.
Good luck to all hunters this season.

Mount finished recently;Good looking Buck taken by Andrew RiveraMatching crab claws on either beam tips. Mounted on a Mc...
10/13/2024

Mount finished recently;
Good looking Buck taken by Andrew Rivera
Matching crab claws on either beam tips.
Mounted on a McKenzie 4600 full sneak head up series.
Congrats Andrew!

Business hours; Monday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 8:00 pm by appointment. Outside of business hours please text, 942-3420Dee...
09/30/2024

Business hours; Monday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 8:00 pm by appointment. Outside of business hours please text, 942-3420
Deer mounts only

Address

6412 East Ava Road
Boonville, NY
13309

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 8pm
Tuesday 10am - 8pm
Wednesday 10am - 8pm
Thursday 10am - 8pm
Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday 10am - 8pm

Telephone

(315) 942-3420

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Cont. from video, I ran out of video space;...there are 17 subspecies of Whitetail Deer in the United States. The only true way to gauge a trophy is to compare it to others taken in your area. To give you a better idea, I've mounted 2000+, fairly local Deer. The largest being a 146+/- net. The average probably falls into 100 to 115 inches. Keep this in mind when you are wondering how big is big. Comparing subspecies shouldn't even be done,... it's like comparing a Florida Bass to a NY Bass,... it's not the same fish and it's not the same Deer. You can't get a 150-60-70 if they don't exist. Get a top end Buck for your area and you got a trophy.

A little highlight of this NY season.

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