I don't think there are any whitetails over this far. Usually when they say west texas they are still talking about 1 to 2 hundred miles east of here. Nothing but desert here.
I don't think there are any whitetails over this far. Usually when they say west texas they are still talking about 1 to 2 hundred miles east of here. Nothing but desert here.
I think he looks darn good!!!!! I'm not a fan of the "full sneak" mounts but that deer looks great on it.
BTW, I do taxidermy work myself. I'll have to post some pics of some of my work. I'm almost caught up for the season but am still working on a nice 150 class Whitetail. I bet I charge a lot less than your guy does, too bad we live so far apart.
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I think he looks darn good!!!!! I'm not a fan of the "full sneak" mounts but that deer looks great on it.
BTW, I do taxidermy work myself. I'll have to post some pics of some of my work. I'm almost caught up for the season but am still working on a nice 150 class Whitetail. I bet I charge a lot less than your guy does, too bad we live so far apart.
I have my 8 point in the freezer right now, but everyone around here wants between 450-550 bucks for a normal mount.
everyone around here wants between 450-550 bucks for a normal mount.
Yeah, that's about what I figured, about twice the amount I charge. I've been doing deer mounts for over 15 years now. I wasn't impressed with the quality of work that I was getting from our local taxidermists so I figured I would try it myself. My first head didn't turn out very well but was still almost as good as what I had been paying for. I try not to accept so many heads that I can't get the customers back in a reasonable amount of time. I tan my own hides so that saves the customer some bucks [no pun intended]. This also saves some time. It's a lot of work, it usually takes me 4-5 hours just to cape and flesh the head. But it is also rewarding to see the faces of some of my customers when they pick up their "trophy".
You need to get your deer out of the freezer and have him mounted ASAP, after about 6 months they start to get freezer burned and are really hard to work on with any success. Wish I could do the work for you but the cost and preperation of shipping so far away would probably not be very cost effective.
Yeah, that's about what I figured, about twice the amount I charge. I've been doing deer mounts for over 15 years now. I wasn't impressed with the quality of work that I was getting from our local taxidermists so I figured I would try it myself. My first head didn't turn out very well but was still almost as good as what I had been paying for. I try not to accept so many heads that I can't get the customers back in a reasonable amount of time. I tan my own hides so that saves the customer some bucks [no pun intended]. This also saves some time. It's a lot of work, it usually takes me 4-5 hours just to cape and flesh the head. But it is also rewarding to see the faces of some of my customers when they pick up their "trophy".
You need to get your deer out of the freezer and have him mounted ASAP, after about 6 months they start to get freezer burned and are really hard to work on with any success. Wish I could do the work for you but the cost and preperation of shipping so far away would probably not be very cost effective.
I wish we were closer also. I would love to have someone that does good work and didn't charge a arm and a leg.
The other one I am having done the guy is charging me $350, the one in the pic here the guy charges me $250. He lives in Ok.City and was hunting with me when I got him.
Yeah, that's about what I figured, about twice the amount I charge. I've been doing deer mounts for over 15 years now. I wasn't impressed with the quality of work that I was getting from our local taxidermists so I figured I would try it myself. My first head didn't turn out very well but was still almost as good as what I had been paying for. I try not to accept so many heads that I can't get the customers back in a reasonable amount of time. I tan my own hides so that saves the customer some bucks [no pun intended]. This also saves some time. It's a lot of work, it usually takes me 4-5 hours just to cape and flesh the head. But it is also rewarding to see the faces of some of my customers when they pick up their "trophy".
You need to get your deer out of the freezer and have him mounted ASAP, after about 6 months they start to get freezer burned and are really hard to work on with any success. Wish I could do the work for you but the cost and preperation of shipping so far away would probably not be very cost effective.
Won't you have problems with the hair falling out after so long also?
Won't you have problems with the hair falling out after so long also?
As long as it's frozen "hair slippage" is not to bad of a problem, but yes your right, it can happen. A lot depends on the condition of the head before it was frozen. Hair slipage is most often caused by bacteria. You wouldn't believe the condition I get some of my heads in. I'm a taxidermist not a miracle worker, but some people think that taxidermists can fix anything. The deer i'm working on now was shot through the neck with a 12 gauge slug, you can imagine the amount of damage that occured. Bullet holes can be repaired but to fix them properly I have to cut a larger hole to take out any damaged hide and any cut hair. This makes the neck smaller and a lot harder to slip over the form. I could use a smaller form but i'm sure the customer wouldn't be very happy about that.
I had one guy bring in a head and wanted a full shoulder mount on it. After it thawed out I discovered it was just barely long enough to make a neck mount. The newer forms take a lot of hide, I just wish I could skin the whole deer out myself, it would sure make my job a lot easier.
If you paid $250.00 for your mount you got a bargain. Looks like he did a very, very good job on it. That's what I charge, and if I were to break it down on how much per hour I would just be making around minimum wage, lol. Thankfully I don't depend on my taxidermy money to put food on the table, but it does pay for my hunting lease every year, plus a little "she money" if you know what I mean.
As long as it's frozen "hair slippage" is not to bad of a problem, but yes your right, it can happen. A lot depends on the condition of the head before it was frozen. Hair slipage is most often caused by bacteria. You wouldn't believe the condition I get some of my heads in. I'm a taxidermist not a miracle worker, but some people think that taxidermists can fix anything. The deer i'm working on now was shot through the neck with a 12 gauge slug, you can imagine the amount of damage that occured. Bullet holes can be repaired but to fix them properly I have to cut a larger hole to take out any damaged hide and any cut hair. This makes the neck smaller and a lot harder to slip over the form. I could use a smaller form but i'm sure the customer wouldn't be very happy about that.
I had one guy bring in a head and wanted a full shoulder mount on it. After it thawed out I discovered it was just barely long enough to make a neck mount. The newer forms take a lot of hide, I just wish I could skin the whole deer out myself, it would sure make my job a lot easier.
If you paid $250.00 for your mount you got a bargain. Looks like he did a very, very good job on it. That's what I charge, and if I were to break it down on how much per hour I would just be making around minimum wage, lol. Thankfully I don't depend on my taxidermy money to put food on the table, but it does pay for my hunting lease every year, plus a little "she money" if you know what I mean.
I always cut way behind the shoulders, about half way to the back. That leaves alot of hide to work with. I also pull the legs out, instead of cutting up the legs. The guy that did my last mount told me it would stay good for atleast a year.
05-11-2008, 09:58 PM
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