​Chase Courtney

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My name is Chase Courtney, and I’m from Florence, SC. I’m the owner of Carolina Creations Taxidermy LLC, where I’ve specialized in waterfowl for 20 years. Taxidermy has been in my family for nearly 50 years. My dad started the business in 1974 and did it full time for 30 years before passing it over to me. As a small kid, hunting and taxidermy were all I knew. I was either in the woods with my dad or in his shop petting ducks and obsessing over them. In my early teens, waterfowl hunting and taxidermy really started to light a fire in me. By the time I could drive, I would go to every local aviary or duck pond possible to just sit and watch them, trying to soak in as much as I could. I started mounting ducks and deer part-time at 16, and my passion has only grown since. I’ve always been big on learning from reference and the ducks that I hand-raised. There’s no teacher like the real animal, and the more you’re willing to learn, the more they’re willing to teach you! In 2022 I finally decided to compete and was fortunate to win North American Waterfowl Champion, Taxidermist of the Year, Frank Newmeyer Award for highest scoring bird, and 1st Place Competitors Award. What a blessing this profession has been to me. I look forward to the future of teaching and interacting with all of the great people in the industry.