i was in the same situation.....but after reading about taxidermy...by the time i had the tools and knowledge i could paid to have it done RIGHT.........my squirrel is at the taxidermist........rare colored grey squirrel.......i think i am paying 135? i dont know....been almost 2 years...and if he turns it back to me and it dont look good its goin back.......im getting my money from him...he either rushes work....or it comes out looking beautiful.....i didnt know any of this at the time......saw his squirrel mounts...looked awesome.....yep do mine....told me about a year........caught a trout i wanted mounted....shopped around...did my homework....and got to know the guy i picked...and he knows the guy i took the squirrel too.....and said thats how he is......works on deer and expensive mounts first.......and takes forever to do small stuff.....my fault...hope its worth the wait though....but i think it would be easier to mount a deer then a squirrel.......rather have something big to work on then something so small.........taxidermy will hopefully become a hobby of mine after college.........takes time to learn though......i wouldnt ruin any good fur that i WANTED on the wall though...like my rare squirrel color....so id say if you really want to learn and do it for a hobby for yourself maybe family/friends ect...id say invest in it and learn...dont start on anything good...i never did it but id think its something that takes practice and alot of it......have buddys ect keep skins and such for you to practice on.......but if you just want a few things mounted and dont have the will or time to learn id justpay for it......