By BETH ZUMWALT
Beth Zumwalt/Pike Press
Derek Oitker of Oitker’s Taxidermy shows just one of the deer mounts he has done already this season. Oitker says he is busy year around, but, September starts his busy season as Missouri hunters start to bring in deer. Oitker recently moved his shop to 1256 W. Washington Street in Pittsfield.
After five years of operating out of his farm, near Baylis, Derek Oitker has moved his taxidermy business to town. He is in the former Doug’s Bump Shop building at 1256 W. Washington Street.
“There is a lot more room here and it is much more efficient,” Oitker said.
Oitker said he studied with Kindred Spirits, a taxidermy shop in Iowa and has also been to several seminars and learned some techniques on-line. He has also received help from Todd Smith, a local taxidermist.
“There is plenty of work to go around,” Oitker said. ‘I do primarily white-tailed deer,but have done some mule deer and elk.”
While Oitker says he would like to grow his business, he is approaching it slowly.
“I want to scale-up,” he said. “But, I want to be able to get each deer in and out quickly. I don’t want to be taking in new deer, when I have year-old deer still in the shop.”
Oitker says his turn-around on deer is less than a year and he wants to keep it that way.
