I just want to offer my assistance and a few tips for the season as far as taxidermy goes. I am not saying this for my benefit because I am a taxidermist but for other taxidermists and customers as well. First off do your homework. We all now that the majority of hunters are going to fall into the category of making calls to every taxidermist on the list looking for the cheapest mount. These are the dreaded price shoppers we as taxidermists have to deal with every year. The only person who will close the deal with the price shoppers are the cheap taxidermists who promise fast turnaround times. Mistake number one. These taxidermists are usually new guys or really old time taxidermist who are not up to date. They are priced low to take in as much work as they can get and normally the work barely resembles the animal you consider your trophy. The turnaround times they promise are more than likely not going to be kept due to the amount of work they took in. I am all for saving money but come on doesn't the animal you call your trophy deserve more than this?
2nd expect to pay a deposit for the mount when you take it to the taxidermist. This is usually about a 50% deposit so expect it, and not all taxidermists take credit cards so be prepared to take cash or phone ahead and ask. Now with me deposits are negotiable at the time of drop off I ask for 30% on deer and gameheads. But I will not start a mount until I receive the full deposit.
3rd make sure you ask the taxidermist questions like how long have you done taxidermy, what is the turnaround time, do you tan your skins or use dry preservative etc. In my opinion dry preservative is not the best option. Tanning is in my opinion the best because it is more stable and the skin is actually turned in to leather. Dry preserve is nothing more than a raw skin with a preservative powder put on it to speed up drying and then the skin is put on the mannikin. It is more than likely going to crack around the eyes and cannot withstand temperature changes or humidity as well as tanned skin.
4th try not bugging the taxidermist. If they give you a turnaround time that is just an estimate. Do not call at least until after the turnaround time they gave you. If it is done before the turnaround time great that is a bonus for you. And if you are one of the guys who calls numerous times checking on your mount before the turnaround time (which happens many times each year). If this you then make sure to set the money aside and be ready when it is done. Try to remember taxidermists are just like you they have bills to pay. And if you are not paying them they nay not be able to pay there bills. Every year the people who do not pick up mounts when they are done and I call are 9 times out of 10 the ones who bugged me thru the whole process. Like I said this is just a bit of info to think about if you get that trophy. The main thing to remember is "You get what you pay for" and that is very true in taxidermy so do your homework and get refereces if possible. That animal you work hard to get and call your trophy deserves better than just picking a cheap taxidermist to save a few dollars. And as always if you have any questions I can answer feel free to ask.
