Just some replies here...

Bionic, good examples, I understand your point about how guys will pony up for a great hunt, then go cheap on taxidermy. BUT...I think theres some differences to recognize. The guys who go cheap and then b*tch about the work, they are the ones we openly question. The part that lasts the longest, taxidermy, the memory, and they chinz. And after all that, they arent happy. But there are others. Some go less expensive because they simply cannot justify, (not afford), but justify the higher price for what theyre getting. I can respect that. Then theres guys like windwalker, for example. He is honest, he LIKES what hes getting, he has already repeatedly stated he sees NO difference in the high dollar work and what hes getting. Hes not going cheap, hes going with what pleases him. Like Ive said a bazillion times here lately, thats the system working like a charm! When I state this, some feel its my backhanded slight, but its not, I really mean it. One of my better friends in the biz in this area is also one of the worst taxidermists. Hes happy, he doesnt boast, and best yet, hes within miles of me and still just as busy! Again, the system working like a charm.

Michelle makes a good point too. $1200 is the going rate for an Alaskan moose, and we all know the overhead on the mount, plus the studio overhead. Personally, I think if a guy can find someone doing $500 moose, and they like the work, get it done there. I think the taxidermist could get a few hundred more dollars for the same mount, but its not my call.

Lastly, the guys who said earlier that us taxidermists who have such a backlog arent very good businessmen because we arent smart enough to see the obvious and hire help...maybe we ARE smart enough. The headaches related to having a 2 year return time are nothing compared to the headaches of having a 3 or 4 man studio, dealing with in-house egos, the scheduling, taxes, medical benefits, disability insurances, cash flow, etc. Thats where $1500 moose mounts come from! I knowtwo successful taxidermy studios in Jersey that would LOVE to expand, they both do great work. Bionic could probably back me up on this one...the real estate prices are astronomical in Jersey, like in the millions. Its simply not possible for these guys to go bigger. Bionic, was your deer done by Jim Kelly, by any chance?

And Rich, you hit it, thats the key. Make a living and still enjoy what we do!