Union Center taxidermist Chris Cammack likes to make his animal and bird mounts look as real as possible. In fact, he's now making mountains - indoor mountains - out of polyurethane.

Cammack, 23, and his wife Felicia Cammack, 21, have launched a new business that creates artificial cast rock formations for indoor displays. Their company, Prairie Mountain Cast Rock, is based in Union Center along with their taxidermy shop, Prairie Mountain Wildlife Studio.

The mountains are designed for trophy rooms, living rooms and other displays to bring a feeling of the outdoors to the indoors, Chris Cammack said. They have contracted with RicoRock, formerly of Belle Fourche, to use the Rico's molds of rock formations.

RicoRock, created by Rock Formations in Southern California, used Black Hills cliff and rock formations to create casting molds. RicoRock uses a specialized concrete to create artificial rocks and waterfall features for swimming pools, amusement parks and other outdoor attractions.

Its portfolio includes projects at Disneyland, Knotts' Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

The Cammacks use the same molds, but they fill them with a lightweight material, polyurethane, rather than concrete. The result is a line of lightweight and portable rock formations for indoor displays.

In fact, they have a large mobile display that they transport to trade shows. They recently brought the display back from a trade show in Salt Lake City, and set it up at Call of the Wild, the free wildlife museum inside the La Grand Station convenience store at Interstate 90's Exit 61.

The museum features more than 60 taxidermy pieces from the collection of Keystone businessman Duane Pankratz. Displays include an African lion downing a running zebra, a mountain lion attacking a deer and a number of smaller animals, birds, mounted heads and other wildlife displays.

Ken Nash, who runs the museum, said he was stunned by the size, scope and realistic look of the display. "It looks like they built a mountain in there," he said.

Nash and the Cammacks arranged the animal mounts on and around the rocks.

Chris Cammack, a 2003 graduate of Sturgis Brown High School, attended Montana School of Taxidermy at Helena. When he came home to Union Center in 2004, he built his barn-like studio east of Cammack Ranch Supply, owned by his parents, Gary and Amy Cammack.

The rock wall reminds visitors a bit of the big dioramas at the Cabela's Outdoor Outfitters stores around the country. In fact, the Cammacks say they would love to build a rock wall for Cabela's.

For more information, call 985-5221.

Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421 or at dan.daly@rapidcityjournal.com