How much $$$ do Taxidermists Make per year?

[SwiftShot]

You are screwed. 1. He cannot get you that mount. It is rare and as such cannot be fixed. 2. His total lack of communication SPEAKS VOLUMES. Sorry your running a business and you mess up. Bad news does not get better with time.

To me it is more than just a mistake. The lack of communication and avoidance is telling. Sorry but Character Counts. After you pointed out the mistake. He should have spent a day or 2 looking through his inventory and then called you. That is what an adult does when he makes a mistake.

 

[roosiebull]

I just looked at my original price list for a shoulder mount deer head. I was charging $275. That was in 2002. Last year I saw an article that listed the average price for a deer shoulder mount for every state and it was over $700.

My wife’s bucks the past 2 years were over 1k each, it’s went up a lot (granted he’s probably the most well known taxi in the state and wasn’t taking critters in general)

The few that I have been around didn’t appear to be rich though, I think it’s probably a pretty hard way to make ends meet

 

[SquirrelyDan]

I don't know about the total numbers, but since you mentioned that it's not about the money it will widely depend on the product you intend to produce, and how much you can do on your own. My taxidermist is a little hole in the wall type shop that is about a 5hr drive for me to go to, but I won't take my stuff anywhere else unless he quits. He's able to keep prices lower than average, and usually gets shoulder mounts done within 6 months to a year. He owns his own tannery and does everything in house, and his soft tans come out like pliable buckskin leather, not the stiff crinkly feel of a cheap commercial tan.

If you're serious I would say call and get all your advice from him, and model your business after his. Jeremy - God's Creation Taxidermy - Valley, WA

What species have you taken to him? Fildalgo was my go to but has closed down.

 

[LostArra]

This entire discussion has a common theme of wondering if a home hobby can become a self-sustaining gig. I've seen it with making traditional bows and more recently, brewing beer. The landscape of success is littered with abandoned bow forms and brew kettles of failed attempts. Not everyone is South Cox or Ken Grossman.

I'm not a shoulder mount guy but the fellas I hunt with use a one-stop local family business who does both game processing and taxidermy. Reasonable prices and relatively quick turn around. It seems like a good model.

 

[svivian]

You are screwed. 1. He cannot get you that mount. It is rare and as such cannot be fixed. 2. His total lack of communication SPEAKS VOLUMES. Sorry your running a business and you mess up. Bad news does not get better with time.

To me it is more than just a mistake. The lack of communication and avoidance is telling. Sorry but Character Counts. After you pointed out the mistake. He should have spent a day or 2 looking through his inventory and then called you. That is what an adult does when he makes a mistake.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/taxidermist-threw-out-my-mount-how-do-i-handle-this.426503/unread