Deer mounts

[Ivy]

I was lucky enough to shoot a 9 point deer that I am having mounted. I was unprepared to do this and brought the deer to a taxidermist that my buddy recommended. By all a counts the guy does great work but I had no chance to shop around.

What are going rates from a good taxidermist ( shoulder mount ) ?

Ivy

[FishHawk]

The last time I had a deer mounted was about 3 years ago and I spent 175.00. Hope this helps

[wildduck223]

Here in my area of Wi., the going rate is $400.00.They wants to be pay $10.00 per hour, appr. 40 hour to do a head.

[Trophy]

In Ohio around 300-350.

[reelman1]

Price is one of the last hings you should shop around for when it comes to a deer head. If you decides to mount the deer I assume that you are proud of the deer. Do you really want to spend the next 20+ years looking at a mount that looks bad just because it was cheap?

Generally speaking anybody who is good and takes pride in his mounts is going to charge at least $350, and often times more. Be VERY CAREFULL of any taxidermist that is charging under $300 for a head, and RUN from any that are charging under $200.

[Ivy not logged in]

Thanks for the information. I'm paying close to $400 but I'm also having a G-4 repaired.

The person doing the mount does great work.

I probably overpaid but was not in a position to shop around at the time.

One of my friends said the exact same thing " I don't want to cheap out on something that I plan to look at for 20+ years "

Ivy

[FishHawk]

I shot an eleven, here in Northeast Ohio, I have a guy that is going to mount my deer for 250.00. It has gone up considerably since 3 years ago.

[GR8WTHUNTER]

When you look at the taxadermist work, look at the fine detail work. Look at the quality of the painting. Look close at the eyes, are they looking the right direction. Look hard at the ears and how the bases are shaped. Look at the chest for natural flow, do the shoulders look natural. Ask to see his oldest work too. Look how the paint and stitching held up over time.

As for the money, $400 is just a bit more than the better guys are asking around here, but much less than the guy that call his work wild life art. Keep in mind that these guys are trying to make a buck so to speak. My buddy trys to bill me at his cost, but I tell him I want to pay his going rate. The costs can varry from one guy to the next. One of the biggest cost variables is the form selection. Plus there is their time. Ask yourself how much time a guy is going to put towards detail work when only making $50 to cape out the head, flesh and salt the hide, and allll the work building up the form, seting the eyes and ears, stitching it up and painting. All told, roughly 10 hours from start to finish.