I have already started to sell a bunch off. I only use 3 or 4 with any regularity so I'm letting the safe queens go. I figure I'll pare it down to about 6 and those will go to my 3 nephews when I am done. Not sure what to do with the taxidermy. It is hard to get rid of when someone dies as I found out when my father passed. I may end up making a donation to the biology dept f a school or something along those lines.

The anti-gun crowd has made me think along alternate lines of safely leaving firearms to family members. It would not be a bad idea to put a stainless auto pistol, a few high capacity mags and several boxes of ammo in one of those burial tubes or make one yourself out of PVC pipe. A handful of those moisture absorbing packets might be a good idea too. Bury this in the woods on the back 40 where it will not be disturbed and give the location instructions to a trusted friend or two at most. The "Red Flag" laws make it necessary to take precautions.

Also, I can not say this loud enough--AVOID PROBATE!!! Probate will take as much from your heirs as a fancy funeral, avoid that if at all possible.

Since I just had to deal with this very subject recently, as some of the regulars may know, I found that the old man's way of dealing with his pretty significant firearms collection worked extremely well. At least for us it did. He knew all 5 of us kids and our interests better than we did for the most part. As some of you know, he had a very wide variety of everything imaginable. From smokepoles to the latest in technology. He also knew where each of our interests lay, such as my main love is old smokepoles where my youngest brother is into AR's and advanced handguns. Alex is more into long range modern rifles but likes to dabble in modern inlines now. Deb is into Archery but is amazingly adept to AR's. Michael and I both love old revolvers and the old rifles. So basically what he had done was left me executor of all his firearms collection and mom everything else. He left me his notes on what he felt should go to whom but to use my own judgement as well as asking my siblings. Worked well but we are an extremely close knit family so that may or may not work for others. Out of 136 working firearms and 32 wall hangers deemed unsafe to fire, only 5 were sold. His intentions were known but as you know, his passing was totally unexpected and caught us all off guard. His will was very simple though and if you have a close knit family, that is probably the best thing. Complications always make the passing of a loved one hurt a hell of a lot more.

I'll add a couple things
first off the only value of havinga gun apprasied at a gun shop every so often(as someone above said they did)
would be if the gun was being used and condition changes, as once a gun is appraised for insurance reasons, it will be based on current values, any collectible like gun that is a safe queen, will pretty much stay in its condition and , values will be based on current market values of it
doesn't hurt to have appraised, but doubt much will come from it, market values come more into play here

next will be burying a gun and leaving it that way
that can be a double edged sword, as it can end up being a illegal deal, MOST all state's guns,(mostly hand guns here too, but can include long guns and FOR SURE will be required for any class II/III items) NOT to immediate family(father/mother/son daughter /brother/ sister) will still need guns to be legally transferred to them, through a FFL holder, like as if they were buying them, for the same reasons when buying a gun at a shop, !
this way NO criminal can be GIVEN a gun, and removes old owners name from said gun and onto new owners, this again is LEGALLY required on hand huns in MOST all states I know of, long guns, can be done some times without, but peace of mind, maybe better to do so IMO

hand guns, cannot just be left to ANYONE in a buried spot, as that gun will end up still being is SAID persons name and if someone down the road ends up using it , say to protect themselves, and they run gun and find out they got it out of a hole in someone's yard, they might end up in trouble, SO why would you want to risk something like that as a gift left behind?
the idea sounds good if your trying to hide from the GOV I guess, but it can leave a added risk to who ever you wish to leave things to, and possibly get them into trouble, all the more so with all the anti gun huts these days, looking to stick it to a gun owner
getting caught with a gun in someone else's name can be a felony and accused of having a stolen gun or??


and Taxidermy, yes this one unless of trophy size and value due to its size, is a lost cause as most mounted animals have sentimental value only to the shooter of it
I have over 40 deer heads alone, and I doubt ANYONE in my family or friends would want them,(hunting buddy's have there own as is)
I do see them at times on craigslist and such, but they seldom bring much in cash selling, a gun shop or Bar, might buy some, but I think most folks being left them will trash or sell dirt cheap and not have much value to them at all

I'm a odd ball here, I had a good friend die,a bunch of yrs back, at age 88, and he had his first deer he killed mounted , along with a picture of him and his brother next to it when he shot it, his brother didn;t want it, and I DID!
and still have it, its the only mount I own that is of a animal I didn;t hunt!
but it always reminds me of my friend, and I am Positive when I kick, NO one else will care for it LOL
its NOT a very pretty mount, been wanting to re do it since I got it, but at same time don't want to!
I strongly suggest giving away items while your alive if you can , and for sure have it spelled out as clearly as possible in a LEGAL will!

I know folks that inherited guns that are not in anyone's name that is still living, handguns included. Some do not trust registering firearms because they fear that if anti-gun folks have their way they know what you have and will collect them. It is not illegal for me or any of my heirs to own firearms so I see not harm in burying firearms to insure that they are available to me or them.

I'd never even considered taxidermy. I don't have anything mounted, just a wall of antlers/skulls, and some more in a big box. But no actual mounts

I suppose unless there was a special story, or if it was truly a special mount, those would really only have value to the hunter that got them.

-Jake