Taxidermy?

Figured I'd see if I'm not the only freak on this forum lol.
I'm seriously considering taxidermy as a career after I do the Army. I find it to be a beautiful art; if not the mounts themselves, who doesn't love a nice fox/coyote/coon pelt on their wall or the end of their bed?

I'm getting into tanning pelts myself, I've got supplies, but unfortunately no animals. I'm going squirrel hunting one of these days, if my uncle gets his gun fixed [my mom doesn't 'believe' in owning guns, thus none in the house haha]. I know a lot of y'all are into hunting and whatnot. I totally support sport hunting/fishing, but I just can't stand hunters that go out, shoot a buck, take a picture, cut off the head and leave the rest.

But uh yeah, just another morbid teenager here. It's either taxidermy or exotic animal training, and I think stuffing dead animals might be a bit safer than training tigers. Anyone else here into the art? If so, do you do your own tanning/mounting, or just collect? If you do tan/mount, what methods do you use? And what animals? Just deer and hogs, or canids, rodents, etc.?

 

Not weird at all, just don't do pet taxidermy...I don't care what anyone thinks, dogs and cats always come out looking freaky as hell. I thought about being a mortician for a little bit. Kind of fascinated with the job, and how they deal with grieving families just as much as they do preparing a body. My mom thought I was sick lol

 

Hah, I was surprised when my mom said I can tan hides in the backyard. I just can't get any skulls from boiling, because apparently it stinks up the house, and I don't have a boiler outside.