Just picked up my mount..HELP!!
 

So I am in need of some good advice. I just picked up my shoulder mount and boy am I disappointed. I went to a new guy this year and I am afraid he ruined my deer. The problem I have with it, is that the ears move, the hide moves, and appears to not be glued down everywhere, there are some blood stains, and it looks like no airbrushing was done. What do I do? It seems to me like it may just need to dry for now, so I hung it up and keep the ceiling fan on. What about the slight blood stain on the brisket and nose area? It looks terrible since its on the white! He didnt even sew one of the holes on the shoulder. Should I just take this to a better taxi and have them look at it? Im kinda freaking out here...pictures are posted, but doesnt look so bad in them.

If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay? It can be fixed, but it will need a new cape and a competent taxidermist. Expect to pay $600 to $700 to have it done right.

By the time a taxidermist goes over that thing he'll probably end up charging you close to what he would if he started from scratch. You might as well just get a new cape and start over my friend. Expect to pay in the mid 400's any way you slice it.

$400? Figure $125 for the cape that leaves $275 for the mount. I'm guessing paying only $275 for a deer mount is what got him in this mess to begin with. Like I said, if you want it done right expect to pay $600 to $700 MORE.

6-700 is crazy expensive. All my other deer mounts were $350 and they are some of the best Ive seen. My regular taxi was just super slammed this year so I tried someone else. Im no taxidermist, and dont claim to be very knowledgable on the subject but your advice was a little off. I took it to my regular guy and he told me it just needed to finish drying and repainted. Its been drying for 2 days and already looks 100x better. And he said he would touch it up with the airbrush for free since I have brought him a lot of business. There are a few good ppl left out there. But thanks for responding to my post.

A little paint isn't going to fix that deer, but if you are happy with it then that's all that matters. Quality deer mounts usually run between $450-$800+ so my estimates were not "off". Add to the price of mounting one the cost of a replacement cape and $500 instantly becomes $625, that's where I got my numbers.

What I paid this year is 600 and my taxi does excellent work just do what makes you happy

...and that was with your cape. Imagine the price if you had to buy a replacement cape.

Yeah but part of the reason I took it to him is a friend ran over my horns and broke one and I new he could fix it

Nobody has said it yet, so I guess I will,
Great Deer!!!! from the pictures it sure looks ok to me. Congratulations!!





Doc

I still say if you can get a cape from a bud for nothing, you can get a good job done in the upper 400's

Heres a photo after a few days or drying and some touch ups have been made. Turned out ok. Im alright with it now..

125 for a cape?! My taxidermist charges 475 and will usually give me a cape if needed as he has extras...if had to buy one locally they run 50-75 at most.

me and my buddies take all of our extra capes to my taxidermist ,so we make sure he has plenty of extras. who ever touched that deer up blackened the nose way to much. it looked better before . my guys charges 410.00 for a shoulder mount deer with out a plaque. he tans his own hides and does a great job. 600-700 for a whitetail is just robbery.

It just depends on which area of the country you are in. The average cost here in Ohio is between $350-$450.00 for a very good taxidermist.There are hackers that are charging less of course. If you charged $600-$700 for a shoulder mount here in Ohio, you would be taken in very little, if any, work at all.If you were in a state maybe like NY, where everything is more expensive, then you may expect to pay $600-$700 for a good mount.

If your unhappy get it redone or cut the horns off and buy a mountain mikes and do a European mount. It sucks when someone does a bad job

Really? You don't know a thing about shops that charge that much, what their overhead costs are, employee taxes, insurance, etc. I suppose if I got something that looked like the deer in the photo I might agree with you but some taxidermists are very skilled artists and you pay for their expertise. Not everyone works out of their basement either. Running a shop is expensive and charging any less would send the owners straight to the poor house. Fortunately their are people who don't share your socialist views and are willing to pay for real quality...that is what keeps some of us in business. What do you do for a living? Are you making way too much money too?

If you go on every forum on the internet that discusses hunting and taxidermy you are going to find the same type post. I have been doing taxidermy for about 20 years and I hear the same stories year after year about trying to get it done fast and cheap. GOOD taxidermy work is not fast or cheap. The average time I spend on a commercial mount is 10 total hours. My cost is around 200.00 in supplies and overhead. If you want a cheap mount and you are happy I am happy for you. If you want a piece of art that will last a lifetime and look as good 10 years from now as it looked when you picked it up you are going to have to pay for it. I have been told by many that 99% of hunters don't pay any attention to the mount just the antlers. That may be true but I am interested in doing the work for the 1% that does and it has keep me busy for 20 yrs.

I agree with timberland. The taxidermists who are top of line and run an actual full time business, should expect more for their mounts. No different than a 4 star restaurant compared to a back street pub....the guys charging in the 300 range for a deer must be cutting more corners than I can imagine...

i agree...
The good taxidermists around here are $500ish... but are small operations with very long waits... you get what you pay for... usually