What Is Scheels and Do They Sell Taxidermy Supplies?
Scheels is a major American retail chain specializing in sporting goods, outdoor equipment, and recreational gear. If you're researching taxidermy supplies or looking for materials to support a taxidermy practice, understanding what Scheels carries—and what they don't—is useful for planning where to source your needs.
About Scheels as a Retailer 🏬
Scheels operates as a full-service sporting goods and outdoor retailer with locations primarily across the western and central United States, though the chain has expanded in recent years. The company is known for carrying a wide range of equipment across hunting, fishing, camping, team sports, fitness, and general outdoor recreation categories.
The retailer's model emphasizes in-person shopping, with stores typically larger than competitors' locations and featuring department-style layouts organized by sport or activity type. This format allows customers to browse multiple product categories under one roof rather than shopping specialized smaller retailers.
Scheels is independently held and has been in operation for over a century, giving it a long history in the sporting goods market. The company maintains both physical locations and an online shopping presence, which affects product availability and the ability to check inventory before visiting a store.
Taxidermy Supply Availability at Scheels
The direct answer: Scheels is not a primary or specialized source for taxidermy supplies.
Scheels focuses on equipment for active outdoor recreation—hunting, fishing, camping, shooting sports—rather than on the materials and tools needed for taxidermy work. Their inventory does not typically include taxidermy-specific items such as:
- Specialized taxidermy glass eyes
- Tanning and preservation chemicals
- Custom-fitted forms and mannequins
- Sculpting and finishing tools designed for mounting
- Anatomical reference materials or molds
This distinction matters because taxidermy requires highly specialized materials that differ significantly from general hunting or outdoor gear. A taxidermist's supply needs fall into a different category than what a Scheels customer looking for fishing rods, hunting boots, or camping equipment would expect to find.
Where Scheels' Inventory May Overlap with Taxidermy Work 🎯
That said, there are narrow areas where Scheels' product range could intersect with taxidermy-adjacent needs:
Hunting and field dressing supplies: If you're a hunter preparing your own game for taxidermy, Scheels carries hunting knives, field dressing kits, and game processing tools. These help with the initial preparation of specimens before they're delivered to a taxidermist—an important step that affects the quality of the final mount.
Cutting and hand tools: Basic cutting, carving, and finishing tools sold in Scheels' general merchandise section might theoretically serve other purposes, but they would not be the precision instruments or specialty tools a taxidermist would select for actual mounting work.
Protective equipment: Safety glasses, gloves, and work aprons available in the store could support a taxidermy workspace, though again, these are general supplies rather than taxidermy-specific items.
In short, Scheels is useful for supporting activities related to acquiring game specimens, but not for the actual taxidermy craft itself.
How Taxidermists Source Their Materials
Understanding where Scheels fits in the broader taxidermy supply landscape helps explain why it's not a primary resource for this trade.
Specialty taxidermy suppliers are the standard source for professional and serious amateur taxidermists. These businesses, many operating both online and at regional taxidermy conventions, carry:
- Pre-formed animal heads, bodies, and base forms manufactured specifically for mounting
- A full range of glass eyes in species-specific sizes and colors
- Preservation and tanning chemicals calibrated for different types of wildlife
- Specialized sculpting compounds and finishing materials
- Reference materials, instructional resources, and anatomical guides
Taxidermists often build relationships with specific suppliers over time, as consistent access to quality forms and materials directly affects their finished work and reputation.
Professional networks and taxidermy associations also connect practitioners with suppliers and help disseminate information about which vendors offer reliable quality and service. This ecosystem exists partly because taxidermy has specialized material needs that general retailers cannot efficiently serve.
Factors That Influence Where Taxidermists Shop
The choice of where to source taxidermy materials depends on several variables:
Availability and proximity: A taxidermist in a region with local specialty suppliers has different options than one in a more remote area, where online ordering becomes essential.
Project type: Small projects like bird mounts or fish may require different supplier options than large game work. Certain specialty suppliers may excel at specific niches.
Budget considerations: Specialty suppliers' pricing varies, and some taxidermists source certain common items (like eyes or basic tools) from multiple vendors to manage costs.
Established relationships: Many working taxidermists have preferred vendors built on years of successful transactions, quality consistency, and customer service.
Training and apprenticeship: How and where a taxidermist learned their craft often influences their initial supplier relationships, which they may maintain throughout their career.
Evaluating Your Own Supply Needs
If you're considering starting taxidermy work or supporting a taxidermist's needs, your shopping strategy should reflect your specific situation:
- If you hunt: Scheels is an appropriate place to purchase field dressing and game preparation supplies to ensure high-quality specimens before delivery to a professional taxidermist.
- If you're learning taxidermy: You'll need to identify specialty suppliers appropriate to your focus (birds, fish, small game, large game) before purchasing materials. General retailers cannot fill this need.
- If you're supporting a working taxidermist: The taxidermist themselves has already established supplier relationships; your role would typically be providing game specimens in good condition, not sourcing their materials.
The bottom line is straightforward: Scheels serves the hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation market, not the taxidermy trade. While the two worlds intersect in the context of hunters preparing specimens, they operate through different supply chains with different expertise requirements. Knowing this distinction helps you direct your research toward the appropriate vendors for your actual needs.