jjt

I would suggest staying away from the back yard or garage taxidermist, most of them do not know a thing about what they are doing they watch a video and say wow i can do that, and well they cant

on a game head check for

#1 eye cant (where is the deer looking it should be whichever way its head is pointing)

#2 nose (is it finished farther than you can see with a flashlight 3-4 inches deep)

#3 do the mounts look real(if there are not any mounts to look at take it somewhere else, do not go off pictures, they can be very deceptive)

#4 dont be afraid to ask questions( have you won any awards? how many mounts have you done? how many a year? where did you learn this? how long have you done this? etc)

#5 dont be afraid to look/feel his work( feel for smoothnes in the ears. look up the nose. shine a flashlight around the eyes ears and nose look for defects. make sure there isnt any pulled away skin in any of the areas
the eyelids should touch the eyes the nose should be tucked and finished and there should be no drumming in the ears or anywhere else on the animal)

#6 turnover( how long are you going to have this mount? i have had mounts back in as little as 3 months and take as long as 3 years. but i will tell you i would rather wait 3 years than have to look at a bad mount for the rest of my life)

for fish and game birds check out his/her work

#1 make sure they can paint( i have seen so called fish that look like a 3 year old with water colors painted them)

#2 make sure the mount looks real( is it swiming/ flying or does it look like abstract art)

#3 what kind of mount is it (skin or replica)

#4 is he or she going to do the work( i know many taxidermists thet only do gameheads and send off there birds and fish to someone else)


i hope this helps

and remember most of the time you get what you pay for.

i have $100 mounts that are sh!t and i have $1000 mounts that are works of art

be cautious, ask questions, and look around at his/her work.

Bldhound

jjt,

You & I know that taxidermy is an illusion. All taxidermists make mistakes on mounts they just have to have the know how to fix it(everything is fixable). The really good ones that make mistakes on a mount fix it so well that unless you were there watching when it happened you would never know. Now the bad ones.....everyone knows!! Since you live in the area if you want to see some (a lot of) bad examples of mounts go to Cabelas in Sydney, NB & look at their mounts, I was floored at the MISTAKES on those mounts but, to the untrained eye they're impressive. Basspro also has some great examples of what not to do with a clients trophy. My instructor had a huge "what not to do" wall, I still lol when looking back on the photos. Have a good one.

Western MA Hunter

I had one of the "best" taxidermist in our area do one of my bear 3/4 mounts 2 years ago. Everything came out great except for the ears. They stick straight out and look like the Habbit on the the flying nun! But, he was sick and I didn't want to upset him anymore than needed. Unfortunately he passed away a short time after that. The mount did cost me over $800 though... So, now I am having it looked at by another taxidermist to see what can be done with this bears ears. It's too bad because he is a monster bear to for this area.

mammasboy

It is possible to find taxidermists with "guarantees".

Bldhound

Western,

there are a few taxidermist that will not charge very much at all to fix a mount that another taxidermist did. The reason why is repeat business, if you're not happy with who did it for you, then you will remember who did it right & go back to that person.

timberjack82

I think before you select a txidermist you should first shoot a very nice animal This always helps. Anyways joking aside I agree with everything jjt said. My dad had his deer done from last year from a lady that does taxidermy on weekends and at nights. He paid $250 for it and got it back in like 5 months. Now theres another guy around the area here that does excellent work, he charges $500 for a deer head and you probably wait like a year or so, but it is well worth it if you have that kind of dough. Anyways my dad's mount in my opinion looks like crap. I think once I learn taxidermy good Ill redo it for him since it is his nicest buck he has ever taken. He also had a bear rug done by that lady that looks allright but its still not very good work in my opinion.

rob1

I think that most outdoors men and women couldn't tell good taxidermy work from bad. I know they can't. They don't know how to choose a good taxidermist, because of this. I have seen literally hundreds of horrific mounts that clients were happy with, because they were impressed with those antlers. Most don't even see the true art and work that is in the mount. I do not think you should judge a taxidermy studio or the taxidermist by where they are located ( i.e. garage, basement etc. ). There are several national award winning taxidermists that do their work from the basement of their home, simply because of conveniance and savings in overhead. A taxidermist that takes 3 years or more to get your mount back, has simply taken in more work than he/she can possibly do, or is just too lazy to get it done in a timely manner. I also disagree that the more costly the mount, the better the work. Nothing could be further from the truth! True, that very good taxidermists aren't cheap, but not all expensive taxidermists are good! I do agree that most good taxidermists should have good credentials ( i.e. awards, ribbons etc. ), but you also have to keep in mind that any such awards can be purchased from any trophy shop to help generate business!! I have seen alot of things in my many years as a taxidermist, and these are just a few things that I have kept in mind.

btpatriot02

JJt To let you know That I'm one of them How to vid guys( don't have the cash to go to school or the time) I have done some work and couple of taxi's have seen my work and said that it I did a great job, Mind you They judged my work not if I learned from vids or where I went to a school. Mind you I just started doing this but so far everyone that has seen what I have done liked it. If someone wants me to do something for them I'm honest right away and tell them if I can do the work or not. I'm not the type that can sit in a classroom all day, I learn better by learning as I go and when I'm able to do it,then I will do it for someone esle. Like the other guy said don't judge where the person does the job but make decision by looking at their other work. i've seen stuff that was done by guys that charged too much and the work was a complete joke.

(KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE)

jjt

BTP
you would be the exception to pretty much everything i have seen in the taxidermy trade if what you say is true

i never went to school for taxidermy either i did however study/ work along side of a taxidermist for about 2 years. i learned alot and can produce a very fine mount. but i also realised that i dont have the pateints to put out a perfect mount everytime

rob

this thread started with my opinion and it is still my opinion that more often than not the weekend or garage taxidermist is a poor choice
i am sure there are some good ones out there but of the 6 i know none of them put out as high a quality as the 30 or so shops/businesses i have visited
i should also mention that i did a little out of my garage when i was trying to start a business so that would make 7
3 years is a long time to wait but in october of 07 when i get my deer back i know i will be estatic with its looks and will not be disapointed also some time this year i should get my bear the antisipation is killing me

turkeyhunter_15

I Know A Woman Thats A Taxidermist In Her Home. She Dont Advertise And Stuff And Shes A Darm Good Taxidermist I never Say Such Great Work, She Doing My Turkey Mount. Wow Shes Good LOL