Copy and paste:

There seems to be some confusion. The "chemical tan" your talking about that allows such quick turn arounds is actually dry preserve. It is NOT a tan. It just dries the skin. A taxidermist can tan a skin at home just the same as the big tanneries do it, except for a rug tan. The question to ask is not if they send them out, but whether they used a tanned hide or just use dry preserve. There is a one step tan out, Krowtann, but many people aren't convinced of the long term results of an alum tan. Personally, I've used it and liked it, but have since switched. Honestly, a dry preserved mount CAN be done quite well, but I've seldom seen a taxidermist who thinned the cape well enough for results that will match a well tanned and thinned cape. Most who use dry preserve are more interested in getting mounts out the door fast, and don't take the time to produce the best mount possible. Now, this isn't always the case, but if a deer's worth getting mounted, it's worth paying for the best possible work you can find. And in most cases, that means a taxidermist that uses a tanned hide.