I just got my last years mount back from the taxidermist and to me it looks awesome, i was just wondering what makes a quality deer mount, how do i know if he did a " good" job to me it looks good but i havnt paid that much attention to deer mounts in the past and i was just wondering what to look for in the future when i look at taxidermists mounts to choose a good taxidermist. If you could give me some tips on judging mounts and perhaps showing some pics of your own as examples that would be greatly apreiciated. thanks.

This may not be the answer your looking for, but most taxidermist get business from word of mouth and happy customers. The good ones can charge more. Compare what you paid to other taxidermist, if it is on the high end then he/she is probably a really good taxidermist. This is not saying that new taxidermist cannot be really good they might not have a reputation yet. There are many many things to look for in a good mount. Facial detail etc. If you took a close pic of the deer b4 mounting look at it. Does the face look like it did in the picture? Also you could go to taxidermy.net and post in their forums with results that will probably help you out a lot more. -Sam

Obviously you don' t want the cuts in the cape to be noticeable. Other things to look for that make them look realistic are:

1) moisture (small droplets of glue) on the whiskers
2) a wet, bumpy nose
3) veins popping out of the cheeks
4) hair inside the ears
5) eyes that are glassy and have some depth to them

Keep it out of direct sunlight and never spray a cleaner directly on it - spray onto a rag and wipe it clean. Congratulations on the wall hanger!

willy just about covered it.The guy that does mine has won many contest. The veins in the face are just popping out like the deer is alive and mad. The eye lashes are so fine and realistic

The things I look for are:
1. proper rack angle (you would be amazed at some of the junk out there)
2. lifelike eyes and depth of eyes in the sockets (some look like they are bulging out)
3. proper ear positioing.
4. glossy wet looking nose
5. proper neck width a lifelike positioning of the deer.

here' s mine and i' m very happy. JDinAB

I think the eyes really are the key. Look at any good mount and the eyes are really set into the face of the deer and the glands are very noticeable. Look at any bad mount and I' ll guarantee the first thing you notice is that the deer looks like it' s been run over by a steamroller.

After that, just what everyone else said. Details in the muscles/veins, appearance of the nose and ears, etc etc.

Just out of curiosity - what is everyone paying for a whitetail shoulder mount these days? My taxidermist is up to $425 I believe. BUT he does an AWESOME job. I was at another taxidermist' s shop this weekend who does mediocre work and he' s charging $265 a head. BIG difference. Although I have to say one is in the Chicago burbs and one is 2 hours away out in the sticks. I' m sure that has a little to do with it.

I was told that a the work of a good taxidermist shows when you see some of his work 10, 15 or more years down the road and it still looks good.

The going rate in my area is $400 for most with the high end of $550.

I have to agree with most here, I think that the eyes and nose are the keys, I even go into the nose, Taxidermist that use Septums in the nasal passage add awesome detali, instead of just plugging the nasal passages and painting it black. Also some just putty up around the mouth, detail to the deers lips.

A deer mount up here goes for anywhere between $550-$675 (Canadian) depending on the quality. I couldn' t believe it when my cousin was looking to mount a gagger pheasant last week and said they wanted $275-$400![] I' m thinking of becoming a taxidermist now....JDinAB