Meet Riley Motrych: The 17-Year-Old Waterfowl Taxidermist
Just about every weekend around Shawnee, Oklahoma, Riley Motrych is either hunting, scouting for hunting, or bass fishing either for fun or in tournaments. And although he clearly loves the outdoors, it’s the indoors where we can express his creative passion through waterfowl taxidermy.
“I like taxidermy because I’m recreating the animal to look as realistic as possible and put it together in an artistic way and showcase the beauty of it,” he explained.
There’s that old saying about necessity being the mother of invention, and in Riley’s case taxidermy helps finance his hunting and fishing exploits.
One of Riley’s mallard mounts.
“People bring me ducks and I mount them and they pay me for it,” he said. The income helps pay for his bass-fishing boat, its maintenance and gas.
Turning back the clock, there was also some financial incentive that got Riley started in taxidermy. “I’d shot a couple of ducks that I wanted mounted. It was too expensive for me to have someone do it. I figured it out for myself, got a kit, watched YouTube videos and joined Facebook groups. My first duck was a mallard, and it turned out pretty rough.”
That was in 2021. Before long, though, he had decided to commit himself to the craft. So far, Riley figures he’s completed about 50 birds.
Otherwise, Riley’s life continues to be packed with outdoor adventures.
He’s been fishing for almost as long as he can remember with his father and grandfather. At six years old, he shot a four-point deer on the his grandfather’s property while hunting with his father. He joined a local 4H archery team that led him into tournaments, but had since moved on to bow hunting – his preferred method for filling the freezer with deer meat.
A pintail duck mount completed by Riley.
Now 17 and a high-school senior, he’ll leverage his high-school, bass-fishing team success into a partial scholarship through the bass fishing team at Murry State College where he’s thinking of pursuing an associates degree in business management.
Riley is fine with the next phase of his life because taxidermy has taught him how to navigate learning curves.
Riley proud of this four-pound bass.
“My biggest challenge is when some of the birds come in are pretty shot up and I have to come up with different solutions to figure out the best mount for the best presentation of a bird,” he said. “But I’ve learned a lot along the way. There’s definitely been improvement in the birds.”
As Riley will tell you, there’s more to being a successful waterfowl taxidermist than simply buying molds, beaks, bodies, heads and some paint.
A younger Riley with his grandfather, Don Waller.
“You have to have an artistic eye to create it and make it look as natural as possible. It’s important to know the anatomy of the animal to recreate it. You have to pay attention to the details.”
The quality of his work speaks through the growing number of customers he gets, mostly by word-of-mouth.
“I get to preserve their memories,” Riley said.
Irwin Greenstein is the publisher of Young Awesome Hunter and Shotgun Life at www.shotgunlife.com. You can reach him on the Shotgun Life Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/shotgunlife
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Irwin Greenstein is Publisher of Shotgun Life. Please send your comments to letters@shotgunlife.com.
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