mounts?
 

i just shot my first wall hanger and was curious as to what the average to have one done is. my dad had his done last year and paid 475 and that seems high to me. please let me know.

RE: mounts?
 

My taxi is $460.00. Around here you can go from $300.00 to $550.00

You get what you pay for.

RE: mounts?
 

Don't go with a cheap taxidermest...you get what you pay for.

My guy charges $425 and he is very good.

RE: mounts?
 

My taxi charges $350.00 here in central IL which is pretty cheap. However, he does some of the best work around.

RE: mounts?
 

In my area it runs around $350.

RE: mounts?
 

I paid $450 for mine last year. He is the most expencive aroiund our area. I know some guys that have gotten them done around here for $250, but you get what you pay for.

RE: mounts?
 

$525 for shoulder

RE: mounts?
 

farmcntry and I use the same guy;). He doesn't have a couple world championship ribbons for being a slouch;)

RE: mounts?
 

I'm paying $400 for mine this year. This is a discount because my best friend apprenticed with him a few years ago, normally he charges $475. We also bring him all our buck capes from 2.5+ year old bucks so that he has spares, he really appreciates this and remembers it when it's time for us to get something mounted.

RE: mounts?
 

400-450 seems like a fair price around here...

RE: mounts?
 

I'll echo everyone else: Don't try to pinch pennies by going with the cheapest guy. It's work an extra 40 or 50 bucks to have a top quality mount. When you find one you are intersted in, check out several pieces of his work before you agree to a deal. Seems like the mounts are going up 10-20 bucks a year here for the last few years.

RE: mounts?
 

$325 for a shoulder mount 30+ years of experience and a mount that looks great for years and years (2 year wait until you get it back)

RE: mounts?
 

2 year wait WOW!!! I killed my buck in oct. last year and had it back in Feb. I expect about the same with this years buck. And to beat it all he does great work.

RE: mounts?
 

got mine done for $275...the man is like 90 years old and has a terrific trophy room...find someone who isn't in it for the money but for the love of it...I guess find someone who will sit down and share hunting tales with you....

RE: mounts?
 

$475 here and there are cheaper around, but he has done all my deer and I am very pleased.

RE: mounts?
 

$275:00 with a three to four month turn around.

RE: mounts?
 

I'm paying $500, andstill waiting from last season. Good things come to those who wait?;):D

RE: mounts?
 

Mine is going to cost 360.00 this year. My first one in 2004 (mountable deer) cost 325.00, so it was only a 35.00 increase over a 3 year period.

RE: mounts?
 

I know your guy is good so I'm just making a generalization here...

One has to be very careful judging a taxidermist by "ribbons" because there are ways to win these without being very good. Take for example a local taxi in my area, his animals are terrible, he's legally blind and really misses many details when he does animals, oddly enough he's busy BUT he has many championship ribbons as well.....how? If a taxidermist enters a contest, they may have the only animal in a certain catagory and thusly, wins!

And don't judge a taxidermist by his "price" either. Saying, don't go to a cheap taxidermist, you get what you pay for is misleading as well. A guy who sucks could charge more than most and still suck and in PA, he'd be busy because the demand is out there.

Judge a taxidermist by his work alone, if you don't know what your looking for, study works of art so you do know.

I use a local taxidermist and I feel he's one of the best, he's less than some, more than others but, he's one of the best, just not greedy.

RE: mounts?
 

Average is about $350 here and there are getting to be more guys doing it. Several years ago my first mount cost me $185 from an award winning taxadermist and former outdoor writer, but that was years ago and he has since passed away.[&o]

RE: mounts?
 

$1,175

RE: mounts?
 

Wow, is that for a whole deer mount? I'm at like$375 around here. Although I have heard it as high as 7.

RE: mounts?
 

it seems 350-500 is the rate for your basic mount..no matter where your at.

but i do mine nearlyfree
European Mounts are the way to go for me...they look cool and you dont have to worry about maintaining it...plus they take less wallspace.
Hang ornamental turkeyfeathers from the antlers, put some warpaint(coolest part)on the skull.

if you know a little about wood Make a nice Plaque out of some figured wood to stick the skull on, date it,attach a picture of the animal..hell do it anyway you can imagine...Glue it to the kitchen table and use it as a center peice(that will really pissoff
Honey Dew....but your buddies will be impressed.)

hell if you have artistic talent and good taste you can do one and probably sell it for $100-200 on ebay or something. if i had a digicam i could take some pics of euro mounts that i would take anyday over a standard shoulder mounts...a friend of mine has an awsome collection. but he has a freind whos a real Artist paint his with really fine detailed stuff that you dont see unless your a couple feet away, then you move closer to get a better look and say WOW!!!!!!!.

its cheap, easy, and fun...and you can do it with knowledge and tools you already have and save the $400 for your new bow next year.

RE: mounts?
 

$600...but your talking musem quality

RE: mounts?
 

Yeah its a long wait, but i keep my antlers until he needs them. He does about 200 shoulder mounts/year.

RE: mounts?
 

Im in east central illinois and my taxi charges 220, and he hasnt won state/national prizes for no reason. He's just started out and does absolutely amazing work

RE: mounts?
 

$220

RE: mounts?
 

Rob - as a taxi, we are judged on a scoresheet. The sheet is broken down on various levels and techniques. Trust me when I tell you that Jef's taxi is good, I've known him for years. Believe it or not, NC is one of the, if not the hardest state to compete in. PA also has a criteria sheet, from anatomy to proper use of fillers to paints and sewing. You guys use to have a test to take to even get a license, showing that you knew how to mount animals and make them look good. The blind guy might be buying ribbons from the trophy house.
All that being said, look for a taxi that you like their work and don't just look at the work in their showroom, ask for references. You are hiring him/ her for a job, so ask for references. Find one before ever killing anything, I don't mount birds or fish, so know who mounts what before taking that trophy. DO your research and you will be happy, but habeus corpus, there are crooks in every profession.

RE: mounts?
 

$1,175....No it's not for a whole deer. I just made the number up so you won't feel so bad about spending $400-500 for a good quality mount.:D:D:D

RE: mounts?
 

Just sent one to the taxi...Charges 450 + tax...Seems to be the going rate for a good one...Paid less a few years ago but the guy used it at several shows so he gave me a break...