Ralph Berg, Jr. was born in Great Falls on October 18th, 1940. While he was growing up, he acquired the nickname "Tuffy" after several bouts with his sisters and cousins, and the name stayed with him throughout his life. He attended local schools, working as a teen for Great Falls Sporting Goods, and graduated in 1958. Though his experiences growing up were focused on the outdoors rather than art, they prepared him well for his later creative works.

After service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he worked for many years as a hunting guide and taxidermist, eventually opening the Montana Taxidermy Shop in Great Falls. Aside from the outdoors and wildlife, his other avid interest was "that damn'd ol' rodeo....