taxidermy bills

for the record I am not trying to throw stones at taxidermists. IF its easy and easy money we would all be doing it. Charge what ya want.
I was just shocked at how much they had went up.
cnelk is right, they all go to the trash at some point.
as for me, I have decided from now on it euro or cutting antlers off, and a nice 10x12 photo on the hunting room wall.
 
I guess no one here has priced good full body mounts for a turkey. They are literal works of art, but damn they are high.
 
I'm waiting on a lifesize Javelina and a shoulder Aoudad right now.
Been 18 mos., and after calling to check on the status, he hasnt even started on them.
Pretty sure from here on out I'm a DIY Euro guy. Been doing them a while now
anyway.
 
for the record I am not trying to throw stones at taxidermists. IF its easy and easy money we would all be doing it. Charge what ya want.
I was just shocked at how much they had went up.
cnelk is right, they all go to the trash at some point.
as for me, I have decided from now on it euro or cutting antlers off, and a nice 10x12 photo on the hunting room wall.
I actually took the antlers off my first ever elk and sent it to a buddy to make knife handles out of for my kids. So they got some knives they can use to remember that by. He needed more material so sent him some mule deer horns also. Might as well use them for something lol.
 
I just like shoulder mounts better than euro mounts so I have a few. Most are probably not even bucks that other people would mount.

My office is the first room when you walk into our house. I have an elk shoulder mount, full-body mountain lion, full-body bobcat, a bear rug, and five or six deer shoulder mounts in there. It's just about full and when it is, I'll either spread them to other parts of the house or move to a bigger house.

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Left to right: WA archery bull, WA bobcat shot with my muzzleloader, WY Mule deer, ND Whitetail, WA Mule deer and Son's first buck from when he was nine, WA Whitetail, WA Blacktail.
 
I just like shoulder mounts better than euro mounts so I have a few. Most are probably not even bucks that other people would mount.

My office is the first room when you walk into our house. I have an elk shoulder mount, full-body mountain lion, full-body bobcat, a bear rug, and five or six deer shoulder mounts in there. It's just about full and when it is, I'll either spread them to other parts of the house or move to a bigger house.

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The taxidermist that mounted that dog did a great job!
 
Was quoted 750 deer/antelope and $1500 for elk shoulders. The guys doing my wife's fully body ewe mount on a rock ledge it's $3600

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Prices have went through the roof.

Taxidermy supplies have gone up an insane amount over the last two years.

I’m pretty much going to do euro mounts from here on out. I have a lot of shoulder and life size mounts already.

I have a crate in my garage full of African animals capes and skulls that I don’t have any idea what I will do with now. Went there in 2019, but just got the crate 6-8 months ago.

Price list from local taxidermist in my area
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I shopped for price once, still can't look at the mount and not shake my head. What a disappointment that turned out for what should have been a great mount. The memory is still there for me, but still. I'm doing more euro's now for my whitetails since I have several shoulder/wall pedestals, but special one timers like my aoudad I'll pay top dollar for the best work to have a great mount.
 
I am glad I got a bunch of fur mounts early in my hunting career, because I now prefer Euro's. Wife thinks they look better in the house as well and they are much cheaper. I just skull capped a Moose this year and my hunting partner about shit when I told him I was not gonna shoulder mount it, I was gonna do a replica euro mount. After talking to a few different taxidermists, they all tell me It will be very hard to distinguish between a real skull and a replica skull.

Here in Az, shoulder mounts are: Deer$700-$900, Elk are around $1300-$1600.
 
Spent alot of money on these two start to finish but they are my top 2 bucket list. I work with guys stop at gas station get breakfast sandwich and couple.monsters.spend $10 for lunch.couple packs cigarettes or tin of snuff.go out for dinner and get a box of beer most days.everybody has priorities and spends their money differently. I come home look at my mounts and it takes me back to the experience. Don't regret spending the money one bit.
 

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Just like these hunts, the taxidermy keeps goin’ up too. I have a full body Brown Bear and Black Bear, Mtn Goat, Sheep, Mtn Lion, etc, and unfortunately or fortunately, I’ve paid quite a bit for all of it. 😁 But dang they look darn good and I enjoy the heck out of ‘em … have never regretted paying for any of it, and only pray I can keep on getting a few more mounted.
 
It’s not just the cost to get something mounted, another factor is what the hell is your family going to do with the taxidermy when you’re dead and gone.

Obviously they don’t have the personal attachment you do.
I like euros, but this also plays into why I do euros. Nobody much cares about the things other than me.

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It’s not just the cost to get something mounted, another factor is what the hell is your family going to do with the taxidermy when you’re dead and gone.

Obviously they don’t have the personal attachment you do.
I am increasingly falling into the camp of why mount any more critters?
 
Mounts are super cool but I don't have the extra cash for that. Just paying for mountain hunting gear for the family is a high enough cost.

In the last 5 years, I have done euro mounts myself on 2 stone sheep, 3 mountain goats and 2 black bears. No way am I dropping over $8,000 CDN mounting all those critters.
 
If I ever break 200 on a deer or 360 on a bull, I will shoulder mount it. Anything less than that will probably be a euro. I can’t justify the cost to myself.

Taxidermy is like a tattoo though. If your going to do it, pay to get it done right.
 
Im fortunate. My father in law does all of our mounts. All it cost for us is the price of the form usually.
 
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