Frontier Shop

My name is Timothy Barnes, and I am the full-time owner and operator of The Frontier Shop. I have been an avid hunter and fisherman since age 12. I became interested in taxidermy at age 14 when I was on vacation with a cousin who practiced taxidermy, and I became committed to the art when my parents took me to the Fred Bear Museums in Michigan and Florida, where I met and spoke with Fred Bear, founder of Bear Archery. I graduated from the American Institute of Taxidermy in Janesville, WI in 1980 at age 17. After high school graduation in 1981, I began working full-time running the family archery, muzzle-loading and taxidermy business. I have spoken to elementary school students about taxidermy and hunting to keep the deep-rooted hunting traditions alive in Southwestern PA. Camp Compass, a program for underprivileged youth, is also an important cause for me. I have mounted specimens for the young hunters, gratis. I am a state and federally licensed certified taxidermist. Additionally, I am a past Vice President, current board member, and current Competition Committee Chairman of the Pennsylvania Taxidermist Association (PTA). I was involved in the decision-making process to establish criteria required to become a PTA certified taxidermist (PTACT), and I also helped to write the competition policies and procedures for our annual convention and taxidermy competition. Feel free to browse through the photo gallery of my award-winning mounts. I look forward to your comments and I hope to see you soon at The Frontier Shop.