Date of Birth: November 1, 1949
Place of Birth: Guttenburg, Iowa
Current location: Solon, Iowa
As a young man Joe Meder loved hunting and fishing, was intrigued with taxidermy, and studied wildlife with every opportunity. Joe earned a degree in Science Education at the University of Iowa where he studied and worked in its famous Natural History Museum Department, which was established in the1870’s. Notables such as Hornaday, Bailey, and Inchmunk attended and studied in this program. After earning a Masters Degree in Science Education, Joe became a full-time instructor at the University of Iowa from 1973-1981.
Joe, opened Kodiak LTD studios in 1981 on a full-time bases. He became active in competition taxidermy, and in 1985 won Best in World whitetail with an entry that captured everyone’s attention. The deer mount had extreme details of anatomy accurately replicated that few had attempted. In 1986 he won the NTA Best of Show with another deer in an aggressive pose capturing an attitude with even more impressive details and finishing. Joe had set new standards that are now a part of both competition and commercial taxidermy.
From that point forward, Joe became the most sought-after mammal instructor and judge in the United States. His studio, Kodiak LTD, became a magnet for trophy whitetail collectors, and he would soon remount most of the previous world record whitetails and many famous collector antlers. During this time he offered a one-week workshop 7 times each year with many of his students becoming National and World Champions. Paragraph
Joe has judged over 100 competitions at the state level, the NTA 8 times, the World Championships 14 times, and the European Championships 6 times, as well as national competitions in New Zealand and Russia. Joe served 11 years on the NTA board of directors, 2 years as both vice-president and president. He assisted Tohickon Glass Eyes in developing eyes for mammals and sculptured several lines of whitetail forms and many whitetail artificial parts now sold by McKenzie supply.