The catholic priest who shot this bear wrote trophy skin - perfect condition on his craigslist description.We met him in the suburbs in a driveway to make the exchange. $350 cash to unload him of his burden. We didnt know he was a man of the cloth or the backstory- (but I always try to first learn the history of any piece that crosses the threshold here) so I pressed... And was surprised by his reluctance to share details. He explained that he was parting with It because he felt guilty about that part of him that once took a life for sport. - he showed us the tiny zig zag cut edging felt backer and explained how much he loved the color and couldnt decide between green and red. He felt like he made the right choice. It was clear he was torn about letting it go.Which made me feel bad for him as I was rolling it to load up. We told him wed give it a good home.And we tried.But 6 months later our neighbors lab puppy came over and decided to chew its face off- he got its nose, and part of its cheek before we could stop him. Davids dad tried to patch it with wood putty, sharpie and airplane model enamel paint. (Look close next time youre here- youll see it starting to fall off again in chunks)I guess it wasnt ever meant to be perfect. Nothing and no one here is.Honestly,He fits in a little better here now.Whenever I walk in this room at night (like here- 4 am when Im working & reading) ... I wonder if that priest is still around. If he still carries regret.For taking a life as a trophy...Or for letting go of this sacred memento of that hunting trip hed taken with his dad as a kid.That time he made his dad proud of him for his first kill.Understandable why he was conflicted.Friends....Though sport hunting & mounting does still exist, we strive to use ethical sourcing (which means that all of our taxidermy is vintage, or died of natural causes). We dont hunt for sport, or support modern day suppliers of sport killing. With the right context taxidermy can help promote an education of the natural world, and is part of what makes this place authentic (were listed on the Natl Register of Historic Places). @sdamiani