I had my first mount done last season. I paid $525 and it came out great. As other posters have said, it' s best to get their names thru word-of-mouth. I got my guy thru a state game official so I knew the guy would be good. Plus, when I was there dropping my deer off, I got to see his work. What a business! He had stripers, fox, blue fin tuna, deer, elk, etc. Great work. He even allowed me to hang in his showroom and admire his work.

On the flip side, I heard from a friend that his brother in law in Md had a mount done for $250 and he had it back in 2 months. To me, that' s too quick of a turnaround. Additionally, the taxidermist left several pins in the cape and there were some gentle flaws.

So, price and word of mouth work best. It doesn' t hurt to start your research now and visit a showroom or two so you know where to bring your deer on your lucky day!