It's not for everyone, but Tim McLagan enjoys it
By Nina Mehlhaf, KTVZ.COM
In Central Oregon, there are those careers that are pretty common: a Realtor, home builder, small business owner, even a sponsored athlete.
Then there those few people with dirty jobs, jobs you wouldn't want to do or never thought about doing, or never thought you could make money at.
People in Central Oregon who most often, have a sense of humor and take risks, and all of whom are having a blast doing a job most of us, would consider "odd."
Take, for example, the daily work life of Tim McLagan, a Bend taxidermist.
"There are taxidermy schools but I learned from the school of hard knocks," says McLagan.
"We have a lot of fun in here, it's not an 8-5 job," he says.
Walk into McLagan's Taxidermy on North Highway 97 in Bend, and while there's only two employees, you're always being watched.
Whether it be by the glass eyes of a coyote, rattlesnake, water buffalo or pheasant, everything dead seems to come to life at the hands of master taxidermist, Tim McLagan.
"I would say it's an art, it's a dirty art during the season but it's a clean art later when you are putting everything together."
Putting hides, feathers, horns and antlers back the way nature almost intended them, has been his art and passion for 30 years.
"When I was a kid, I shot a wood duck, and we took it in and had it mounted. I walked into this guy's shop and he had 100 birds hanging and as soon as I saw that, I knew that was something I wanted to pursue," McLagan recalls.
Now McLagan is one of the busiest licensed taxidermists in Central Oregon.
And this is his high season, when hunters by the droves bring in their fresh kills.
McLagan has about a year's waiting list, finishing one mount a day.
"I'm putting in the extra muscles and eyelid details I want. The forms aren't accurate so this is the artistic part."
With his expert eye and sculpting hands, he can make any animal pose virtually any way he or the customer chooses just using clay.
"With this clay in there, I can move this ear if I want him to be alert, and have his ear forward or ear back and listening behind."
One would think taxidermy is not just an odd job, but a dirty one. And parts of it are, very.
"This is our water-based dextrin glue that's going to glue the hide onto the mannequin. This is the messy part,” he says as he slops the glue onto a deer “mannequin.”
McLagan keeps the humor going throughout his day, whether it's dealing with any one of the hundreds of mule deer that come through his doors…
"Yeah, I've actually had deer looking in the front door. I'd like to know what they were thinking," he says, chuckling.
…to the most exotic he's ever had, a Bengal tiger, to the most fun…
"Life-sized bears are the most fun - it's all fun."
And just like at your desk, he has pictures of his kids. It's just that right below that in importance, a photo of a deer eye…you know, just for reference.
"Now we can bring him to life and fix his eye."
Nipping and tucking, like an animal plastic surgeon for the recently departed.
Taxidermy is such a part of Tim McLagan's life, it's right there on his arms for the world to see.
"Every deer's different, every story's different, listening to the hunting stories when they come in, especially the kids. A lot of people do their first animal no matter what it is,” says McLagan.
"There are a lot of guys who won't mount anything, they just shoot for the meat. Hunting is not just to put a head-on-the-wall sport, it's to put meat in the freezer and part of our American heritage to do this."
Tim the taxidermist doesn't think he has an odd job, he doesn't know anything else. And doesn't really want to.
"I used to move furniture but that was a long time ago, I really don't know what I would do. This is my passion, I love what I do, working 7 days a week is not an issue, I love coming here every day."
