[Andyinpa]

Does anyone out there remember a wildlife museum with stuffed animals somewhere near the PA Grand Canyon area? About 40 years ago I seem to remember my parents taking me there when I was about 4 years old. I'm pretty sure it's not there anymore. What was the name?

 

[skwirl]

there was a taxidermy shop on rt 6 at the bottom of Shin Hollow rd had a caboose with it the owners eventually opened Rough cut lodge.......it then became a gift shop but still housed some of the taxidermists work.......the name was Newrucks

 

[6-DASHER]

I believe in my travels back in the 60's and early 70's a place called "Black Forest something"... It was in that area and I always enjoyed stopping in, usually with my hunting buddies about half drunked up !! Amazing we made it through those days.

 

[sparkchaser]

Was it fin fur and feather? It's not there anymore

 

[hunt4ever]

there was a taxidermy shop on rt 6 at the bottom of Shin Hollow rd had a caboose with it the owners eventually opened Rough cut lodge.......it then became a gift shop but still housed some of the taxidermists work.......the name was Newrucks

Yes we stop at the kaboose gift shop every year.
There is another gift shop a little past there I believe it's called call of the north gift shop. It was closed but has reopened with new management.

 

[Andyinpa]

I think it was Fin Fur and Feather. Where was that place?

 

[sparkchaser]

On route 44 and route 664 in Clinton county. Was owned by Paul Asper

 

[skwirl]

I think it was Fin Fur and Feather. Where was that place?

No where near the Pa grand canyon........lol

 

[6-DASHER]

Yes sparkcasher...that was the name....fin, fur, feather...Why do I keep thinking "black forest" was involved ??

 

[yobuck 1]

Fin fur and feather was a nice place to stop and browse
in the late 50s thru the 60s. They had some animals caged
behind the store including a nice size bear.
The owner whoe's name has been mentioned, became an early distributor for Artic Cat snowmobiles and warehoused them there. Apperently he became pretty successful, ultimately sold the franchise, and became pretty much a full time hunter around the world. Ultimatly opening the museum
and a much larger store behind the old location which still
exists. What with the overhead cost of running a place like
that I often wondered how they could stay open. But I guess
its easy to make a small fortune if you have a big one to
start with. I guess it ultimately got small enough that the
place closed. Id also (heard) that he had gotten into trouble with having protected animals in his exhibit.
Actually the grand canyon isn't all that far from there
at least by way of crow fly.

 

[WILDBROOKIE]

FIN FUR FEATHER CLOSED IN 2000 AFTER THE OWNER WAS FINED AND IMPRISONED FOR BLACK RHINO HORNS HE HAD A LONG LIST AND HISTORY WITH FISH AND GAME NOTHING BUT A BRAGGERT WITH MONEY EVEN USED ILLEGAL TAXIDERMIST THEN AS ''WE'' WERE LICENCED AT THE TIME WITH GAME COMMISSION

 

[RonM]

Right up from Pat Reeder's bar...

 

[Dennis Hill]

I heard he sold it and the new owner put a bed and breakfast in the big building, and moved what was left of the sporting goods into the gift shop

 

[Dennis Hill]

i ,believe it is still open ,but under a new third owner. was in there a few years back ,wasn't like it was back in the 60's , 70's and early 80's

 

[NorthernPotterCo]

from what I was told that Paul Asper was a Ski- doo dealer until he lost for some reason or sold it. that was back in the 1960 and 1970`s though

 

[simoncool]

I don't get over that way much, but there is some type of general store/sporting goods/diner in there that recently opened up. There has been a couple people try to make a go at it there since Asper owned it. I don't think any of them have been too successful. The place did pretty well in the 60s and 70s under Asper. Lots more tourists at the time...hunters, fisherman and snowmobiling was big. When that took a downturn in the 80's, all those businesses in the Pine Creek Valley felt it. It seems to be coming back a bit now, but not like the glory days. Asper, I think, had the first ski-doo distributorship in the lower 48, he was more than a local dealer. He made a pile of money off that. Had he not been caught with illegal taxidermy he probably had enough cash to last several men several lifetimes. Instead, he went to prison.

 

[NorthernPotterCo]

don`t know what he was thinking , but like you said simoncool ,he could have had the world by the but if he didn`t do what he did. just wonder if he is out of prison and if he is still living

 

[simoncool]

don`t know what he was thinking , but like you said simoncool ,he could have had the world by the but if he didn`t do what he did. just wonder if he is out of prison and if he is still living

I never saw your post until now NPC...he died about 10 years ago, out of prison. I think he spent a year or two in lockup. That's all I know about it.

 

[NorthernPotterCo]

Thanks for the information simoncool.