Taxidermy in garage

[SneakyThunderCat]

Moving soon and will have a 3-car garage with tall ceilings I'd like to hang mounts in. I like the idea of having all of my mounts in the same area, and out of the house so my wife can do her own thing in there. The garage is 13-1400ish sq ft, has heat but no AC, so my worry is humidity/warmer temps in the summer months. The garage is insulated, and doors and windows are sealed up good, so I've been tossing around the idea of adding a mini split to help with temp/humidity and/or possibly just a commercial dehumidifier. Also, worried about bugs that may get in from opening the garage doors. Who has delt with taxidermy in the garage and how does it affect the lifespan of it? What are some precautions you take to protect your taxidermy?

 

[Jstumbaugh]

I'd be worried about mold. I had a couple heads get a mildew on them during storage. It wiped off and was fine but could be an issue. Mini split would take care of that.

 

[sodaksooner]

I had a couple of mounts I kept in the garage in OK. It was not kind to them. It was similar to the OP setup. That said, I didn't maintain them (they were some practice mounts my brother had done) and it took a long time to go bad. I think if you dusted regularly and kept the bugs away, they might last longer than you think. My brother keeps a lot of taxidermy in his garage, but it they have been in SD and Wi and were heated, not cooled and they survive quite well. He's had some in the garage for may years and they still look good.

 

[WCB]

Would not advise. Our cabin garage is completely finished great windows sealed doors etc. Heat stays at about 55 all winter. No air conditioning in the summer. garage stays cool but humidity etc has done a number on some of the mounts. IMO unless the garage is maintained the same as the inside of the house it is no place for taxidermy. Spend $600+ on a shoulder mount and stick it in the garage? Never understood it.

 

[journeyman713]

Moving soon and will have a 3-car garage with tall ceilings I'd like to hang mounts in. I like the idea of having all of my mounts in the same area, and out of the house so my wife can do her own thing in there. The garage is 13-1400ish sq ft, has heat but no AC, so my worry is humidity/warmer temps in the summer months. The garage is insulated, and doors and windows are sealed up good, so I've been tossing around the idea of adding a mini split to help with temp/humidity and/or possibly just a commercial dehumidifier. Also, worried about bugs that may get in from opening the garage doors. Who has delt with taxidermy in the garage and how does it affect the lifespan of it? What are some precautions you take to protect your taxidermy?

I have a similar set-up, with the attached tall ceiling garage that closer resembles a rec-room, than a garage, sporting mounts for the last 6 years. No issues at all with taxidermy. But we don't use it for vehicles.

I ran a small adjustable vent to it, for heat/ac though.
You didn't say what climate you are in. A standard dehumidifier would probably be enough if needed, but would likely use as much power as an A.C. unit.

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

Would not advise. Our cabin garage is completely finished great windows sealed doors etc. Heat stays at about 55 all winter. No air conditioning in the summer. garage stays cool but humidity etc has done a number on some of the mounts. IMO unless the garage is maintained the same as the inside of the house it is no place for taxidermy. Spend $600+ on a shoulder mount and stick it in the garage? Never understood it.

I figured humidity would be hell on them, that's why I'm wondering whether a mini split/dehumidifier would help the issue. Would likely keep the garage around 55-60 in the winter, and 75 in the summer. Still wondering about bugs, they would be a little tougher to control vs temp/humidity.

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

I have a similar set-up, with the attached tall ceiling garage that closer resembles a rec-room, than a garage, sporting mounts for the last 6 years. No issues at all with taxidermy. But we don't use it for vehicles.

I ran a small adjustable vent to it, for heat/ac though.
You didn't say what climate you are in. A standard dehumidifier would probably be enough if needed, but would likely use as much power as an A.C. unit.

I'm in Iowa, so it can get very hot/humid in the summers, very cold in winters. Garage has a vented gas heater, just nothing in there to combat the summer weather yet.

 

[zpearo]

Assuming your garage doesn't get too hot inside in the summer and is well-sealed, you should do fine with a dehumidifier. And if doors aren't opened and closed all the time, the humidifier shouldn't have to run that much to keep the humidity down.

Go for it!

 

[zpearo]

As for bugs, I'm not sure how many you have around, but they can be combatted. Be sure to put rat/mouse poison around to keep them out, and you can spray insecticide around if you feel it's needed.

 

[Stalker69]

I wouldn't keep them in the garage unless it was just a place to hang them until I got rid of them. I have been getting rid of some mounts, i did taxidermy for quite awhile, still do on occasion for my sons. But my personal interest in them is not nearly what it used to be.

 

[Rich M]

Spray yer taxidermy w bug spray…

 

[hunterjmj]

I spray tempo inside and outside my shop. No mounts but don't want bugs in my shop. I spray it around my house too. I also have a good barn cat that keeps the mice at bay.