Laufenberg turns deer harvest into county-fair lesson

For 14-year-old Dane Laufenberg of Columbus, Wisconsin, the Dodge County Fair in Beaver Dam is about more than showing what he can make. It’s a chance to turn experiences into projects, learn something new, and share that knowledge with others.

A sixth-year member of Astico Perseverance 4-H Club, Dane brought a natural sciences educational display for competition at the Dodge County Fair, this year. The project is inspired by a significant milestone in his young life. “I chose this project, because it was my first year harvesting a deer,” Dane said. “It was a doe. I wanted to make an educational display about the doe.”

His project combined hands-on work, research, and a little creativity. By examining the doe’s teeth, Dane determined the deer was approximately 4.5 to 5.5 years old, “probably closer to 4.5.”

Creating the European mount was a project in itself. “I removed the head from the rest of the body, skinned it, boiled it, and then let it sit in the water for three days,” he explained. After cleaning the skull, Dane bleached it to create the finished European mount.

From there, he built the educational display, creating wooden walls and using a laser printer and SVG file to cut words into wood. He added numbered labels to the skull, painted the background and finished the display with moss and a rotating plate so visitors could easily view it.

But for Dane, the project has meaning beyond the craftsmanship. “I chose this project, because it was the first deer I harvested, and I wanted to memorialize the experience,” he said.

The deer display is just one of several projects Dane is exhibiting at this year’s fair. He entered photography, a laser-printed wooden ornament, and habanero-pineapple jam. He will also show his short-haired cat, Rage.

“I’ve met a lot of people working on my projects and talking to them about what they’re doing,” Dane said. “My favorite part of exhibiting at the fair is the process of making my projects before taking them to the fair.”

Visitors can learn from Dane’s display in the youth building during the 2026 Dodge County Fair, today through Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026.

Written by Dori Lichty -- farm wife, 4-H and FFA Mom, and full-time communicator

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