After years spent on the road and across the midwest, a local outdoorsman has returned home with a one-of-akind business designed to preserve hunting, fishing and family memories in a way few have ever seen.

Clint Smith, who grew up just north of Marble City and was raised roaming the woods of eastern Oklahoma, recently moved back to the family homestead with his daughter and officially launched Eden Heirlooms Digital Taxidermy and Memory Restoration. The business blends Smith’s lifelong love of the outdoors, his background in wildlife photography and cutting- edge technology to create ultra-realistic, custom artwork and digital keepsakes.

Smith’s path back home was anything but ordinary. In his mid-20s, life took him out of Oklahoma to Colorado, where he focused on raising his daughter. Following a divorce, he became an over-theroad truck driver, traveling extensively throughout North America and living in places such as Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nebraska.

“It was during those long hauls when I picked up a camera and discovered a natural talent for wildlife and landscape photography, eventually building a personal archive of tens of thousands of images,” Smith said.

In 2019, after retiring from trucking to become a full-time single father, Smith said he began exploring technology as a new career direction. As he experimented with AI-based image tools, he noticed a gap in the market: there were no systems capable of producing truly hyper-realistic North American wildlife imagery. Drawing from his extensive photo library, he began developing his own wildlife-focused image generation software, a project that is still evolving today.

“Those early experiments led to something bigger,” he said. “Word spread locally after I began helping hunters digitally place their harvested animals into scenic, lifelike environments. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a business and Eden Heirlooms was born.”

Today, Smith is one of only a handful of professional digital taxidermists in the United States and the only one serving the midwest. His process relies on a highend graphics workstation with advanced AI hardware, professional- grade monitors and custom workflows that allow him to fine-tune every detail.

Unlike services that rely on stock images or repeated backgrounds, Smith creates every piece from scratch, never reusing a scene or pose.

“Customers provide photos of their harvest or memory, and describe the setting they envision,” Smith said, who then builds a completely original composition tailored to them.

The results, he says, are designed to feel real — down to subtle details like posture, markings and atmosphere.

“Finished pieces can be delivered as highresolution digital files or professionally printed on canvas in a wide range of sizes,” he continued.

What truly sets Eden Heirlooms apart, however, is its “Living Digital Taxidermy.” Smith can transform a custom image into a short animated video, adding gentle movement such as breathing, ear flicks and environmental motion, along with authentic animal sounds.

“The effect brings the moment back to life on phones, digital frames and social media. The service is currently available for whitetail deer and elk, with more species planned,” he said.

While hunting trophies remain a core focus, Smith’s work extends far beyond the field. He also restores and enhances old family photographs, creates memorial pieces, designs Native American and PowWow dancer showcases, and produces announcements and business advertisements. The goal, he says, is to preserve memories of all kinds.

Digital taxidermy also fills a practical niche for many hunters.

“Traditional mounts can be costly, require significant space and maintenance, and deteriorate over time,” he said. “Digital and canvas pieces offer an affordable, low-maintenance alternative that can complement or replace traditional displays while lasting for generations.”

Now settled back in eastern Oklahoma, Smith is building Eden Heirlooms from the ground up while continuing to refine his technology. He hopes his return home — and his unique craft — will resonate with fellow outdoorsmen and families looking for meaningful ways to preserve their stories.

More information and examples of Smith’s work can be found at his websites, ehdigitaltaxidermy. com and ehtaxidermyprints. com.