It’s been 50 years since Gerald Balciar left his hometown of Medford, Wisconsin, and drove west to Denver, Colorado. One of the biggest and best taxidermy shops in the country had offered him a job at $1.25 an hour—and that was enough to entice the 19-year-old Balciar to leave home. Plus, he knew that in Colorado he would finally see live mule deer, antelope, and elk.

Gerald Balciar (Colorado)

Up, Up And Away
Bronze
21″ High
I wanted a composition of rising mallards that would look good from all angles without a back side. I needed the cattails for suspension, but didn’t want to make it obvious.

Gerald Balciar (Colorado)

How Sweet It Is
Bronze
17″ High
I can sit at my kitchen counter and watch hummingbirds at the feeders in my front yard and back yard. They spend the whole summer in my yard.