About Us

I’m Katie Sandage owner of Wild By Design, and I’m leaving my mark in turkey feather art taxidermy. 

To me, taxidermy is more than preserving an animal it’s a way of honoring its life, and respecting its beauty as God created it.

I’ve been moulding my art to reflect more of a real life appearance of how the feathers sit on the animal, but also enjoy abstract feather pieces that break the norm. 

I purchased my taxidermy license this past spring (2025) after creating a frame mount from my harvested turkey and decided I wanted to create more frames. I posted out on local social media groups and gained so much interest. Hunters dropped off their harvests and I went to work. Every mount I create is both an art form and a learning experience, pushing me to grow in patience, precision, and craftsmanship. I take away something new with each bird and each feather I lay - and there’s a LOT of feathers! 

I’ve created turkey feather mounts from several sub species. Each one has a unique beauty I strive to showcase. When I post the finished results on my socials, I like to include a turkey fact that pertains to that sub species. For example, Eastern turkeys can have around 5,000 feathers! 

When I started, my husband said to me - “You love to pursue and harvest these animals and now you want to bring them back to life.” 

That is something I wish I could do after every hunt - breathe life back into that animal and relive the hunt and that feeling of gratefulness, and just speechlessness of how these animals are created in the Lord’s eye.

Being a woman in a male-dominated field isn’t something new to me and only motives me more to uplift other women to pursue new adventures. I’m an avid outdoors woman with passions that include hunting, fishing, camping, and just about anything else that involves the outdoors. 

This is just the beginning of my journey, and I’m excited to keep learning, refining, and sharing my art. 🦃 

Diamond feather frames start at just $300! 

When you’re ready to bring me your bird - do not pluck it! If you know how to cape, then cape it. If not, bring me the whole bird to avoid damaging feathers! I have my price list pinned to the top of my page. 

📍Perry County (Tell City) Indiana