Lower 40 Taxidermy opens in Coshocton County

Following a lifelong passion for the outdoors, Ryan Conkle realized a dream when he opened Lower 40 Taxidermy. The ribbon cutting for his shop at 23896 state Route 60 was held April 14.

Conkle has had an interest in taxidermy for many years, but it wasn’t until late 2024 he began to think seriously about opening his own shop.

“I worked with local mentors Bret Mellor and Jerry Dillon and tried to learn as much as I could from them before I took classes,” Conkle said.

He attended Lone Leaf Taxidermy School in Mount Gilead and spent a lot of time with his mentors after he completed classes.

He officially opened Lower 40 Taxidermy in fall 2025 and had a specific number of deer he was willing to take that first season. He said he didn’t want people to have to wait for years to get their mounts back, and that can easily happen if too many deer are dropped off.

“I want to be known for quality, not quantity,” Conkle said.

He does white tail shoulder mounts and European mounts.

“I hit the number of deer I was willing to take on the last day of gun season and was still getting calls from both in and out of county during bow season. I turned away more jobs than I took in. Between my job and my family, I knew I couldn’t handle any more deer,” he said.

Conkle also said while this is a passion of his, he isn’t willing to take time away from his wife Bri and daughter Montana.

When asked why he enjoys doing taxidermy, he said, “I think the best way to answer that is I just have a love for outdoors. I’ve always been a very detail-oriented person, and I can combine my love for outdoors and the sport of hunting into taxidermy.”

He said he has been very humbled by the comments he has gotten from people who call him to mount their deer.

“I got calls from people that said they wanted me to do their deer because they knew the type of person I am. The support I’ve gotten has been incredible and unbelievable,” Conkle said.

He said he deeply appreciates the time Mellor and Dillon took helping him learn this skill. “And my wife, she’s been a tremendous help with setting up the business part. She’s just amazing,” Conkle said.

For more information follow Lower 40 Taxidermy on Facebook or call Conkle at 740-502-5183.