Jordyn Bussell Young, Alba, already stays active as a wife, mother, Realtor, hunter and fisherman, but recently trained in waterfowl taxidermy to add even more to her résumé.

There are some professions that tend to be male dominated. For example, in the world of barbecue it is a man’s world when it comes to being a pit master. One exception would be Tootsie Tomanetz at Snow’s Barbecue in Lexington.

When it comes to taxidermy it is mostly a man’s world. Then there is Jordyn Bussell Young of Alba, a newcomer who recently earned her certification as a taxidermist specializing in waterfowl.

That would be Jordyn Bussell Young, wife, mother, Realtor, hunter, angler, bow fisherman and now waterfowl taxidermist.

With a full plate already, Young’s foray into taxidermy is not as much of a career change as it was a practical move to save money instead of spending it.

“To be honest I was so tired of my husband spending hundreds of dollars on mounts I decided I can do that myself,” she explained.

She went from mulling the idea to developing a plan in earnest after her then 5-year-old daughter, Shyanne, and the family’s Labrador retriever both took their first ducks last season resulting in an $800 taxidermy bill for two mounts.

Adding to the impetus to learn taxidermy is her husband’s, Dalton, hunting quest.

“My husband is into duck hunting, and he wants to mount one of each species that he shoots. That could run into thousands and thousands of dollars,” Young said.

So this year she found herself in a week of one-on-one training with Matt Smith of Blue Ribbon Taxidermy in Glen Rose.

“I was the only person in the class, so it was not cookie cutter training. I really enjoyed it,” Young said.

The 26-year-old, who grew up in Mineola, said the course covered basics like skinning and fleshing a bird, how to measure for forms and other basics, but she was also able to get some advanced lessons working on “Frankenstein” ducks that had been brought into Smith’s shop.

“There was one that had downy feathers, but the wings had been shot off. He said I was going to have to cut those off and put on some he had in the freezer,” Young recalled. There was another that had had its neck severed that she was required to reattach while mounting.

While hunters are often anxious to get their mount on the wall it is something that cannot be rushed to be done right. The process of skinning and fleshing can take a day or two and is key to creating a long-lasting mount.

“The hard part is getting all of the fat off, and if you don’t get it off it is going to rot so you really have to pay attention,” Young said.

Once it is on the form it can take upwards of a month to dry.

Young says that still being new to the field she plans to start slowly this season working only on ducks. In the future she could expand to some upland birds and geese, however, standing only 5-2 she needs to work out some logistical problems to handle something as large as a goose.

“Jordyn showed no trepidation whatsoever and although many of my students are understandably nervous, she was not,” said Smith, who trains about 25-30 people in waterfowl taxidermy each year. “It was apparent that Jordyn is wired to excel whenever she’s faced with a challenge so she was able to absorb the information readily and was actually excited to tackle what can be a very difficult trade to learn.”

Smith said Young was like a lot of his students either looking to learn a new hobby or start a part-time job. However, he said he also works with experienced taxidermist wanting to expand their ability and technique with birds.

Young expects to be one of those hobbyists/part-timers, but sees it as a potential fallback position if real estate sales ever slow.

She has converted a bonus room above the garage at the family’s Lake Fork home into a studio. That makes it easier for her to work on the birds when not busy with family, real estate, hunting or whatever.

Showing there is a demand for taxidermists specializing in ducks Young has already taken in 20 birds just by word of mouth. With that many in-house she has quit taking in birds, but has created a reservation list for future openings.

Until then she recommends hunters store their birds in a freezer by covering beaks and feet with paper towels and placing them in freezer bags for smaller species or slide them head first into a piece of pantyhose leg.

Although she prefers the relative warmth of a deer blind over a duck blind, she is not planning to expand into deer or other mammals.

For information or to get added to the reservation list for a mount, contact Young at 903-258-6386.