Rogers Artisan Crafts Award-Winning Mounts

Karen Stanford Gerhardt has made a successful career out of a male-dominated pastime.

Nearly 20 years ago, at the urging of her husband, Gerhardt traded in her paintbrush and canvas for a medium that allowed her to use the natural world to recreate the beauty and elegance of the animal kingdom.

Now Gerhardt is a world-renowned taxidermist with a client list that includes Tyson Foods Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executives and animal enthusiasts throughout the country.

Gerhardt said her gender has never been an issue with her customers and one look at her long list of national and international awards proves that Gerhardt can not only work in, but can dominate a man’s business.

According to the National Taxidermy Association, less than 10 percent of its members are females.

For nearly fourteen years, Gerhardt has owned and operated her own taxidermy shop on the banks of Beaver Lake in Rogers.

Gerhardt is up to the task of recreating anything from large game to small prey.

A typical year for Gerhardt includes about 100 deer, 50 ducks, 25 fish and a half-dozen elk.

In early September, Gerhardt took in two black bears from customers in Colorado.

Her prices range from $750 for elk to $12 per inch for fish.

Gerhardt said her prices are slightly higher than others in the area, but customers know that her attention to detail is worth the extra dollar.

“Her reputation is so good hunters are clamoring to have her mount their stuff,” said Steve Chrychel, interpretative naturalist for Hobbs State Park conservation area. “Guys have absolutely no qualms about taking their stuff to Karen. There’s no discrimination there.”

 And when the Friends of Hobbs State Park needed life-like animals to use for educational purposes, Gerhardt was the first person they called.

“[Friends of Hobbs] wanted the animals to look like they were in action and to achieve that takes artistic talent and a lot of extra time,” Chrychel said.

“That’s why we asked Karen to do it. You just can’t help but be impressed by her work.”

Gerhardt said her attention to detail is what keeps her customers coming back and the awards coming in.

“When you have your work judged they look for accuracy of anatomy,” she said. “They shine a flashlight up the nasal passages to make sure everything is accurate. You have to have all the muscles in the right spot and have everything – down to the eyeballs – look like it did when the animal was alive.”

Gerhardt attributes her success in the industry to the years she spent hunting, fishing and helping on the family farm in northeast Kansas.

Her time outdoors translated into a passion and admiration for all things wild.

It didn’t take Gerhardt long to master the art of taxidermy, and in 2006 she was named national champion for small mammals.

 “I was pretty much self-taught with video tapes and workshops,” Gerhardt said. “I think my artistic ability and just having a knowledge of the anatomy of many animals has been my biggest asset.”

Gerhardt said she didn’t get into the business for the fame or the awards, only for the opportunity to create great works of art.

“I never started in this business to be the best,” she said. “I just wanted to put out the best possible product I can.”