The Most You Would Pay For A Deer Mount


RTF

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Personally I would check out the taxidermist in my area, compare the work quality. But thats just me, and I mean com-on lets face it, if your putting in any kind of Money into it, I would want the mount to look the same from now to 15 yrs from now instead of having it refinished a couple years down the road, lol, and there are taxidermist that set out for that goal. They have to have experience and dedication for doing their best, not just slop it together and make a $. But thats just my opinion, lol. Happy Hunting.

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For a deer shoulder mount, I'd have a hard time going over $500. I understand that there are masters of their craft out there and you can get what you pay for. To me the moment and the memory means a lot more than the money, but I still have my limits.

My taxidermist charges me $350 for a shoulder mount. I am a definite stickler for detail, extremely meticulous and picky and I couldn't be happier with what I get! He does beautiful work!

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It's $700.00 for this year. He will have no problem in getting that price. He is a master taxidermist and I I'm sure you know he also has a deer farm, next to the shop. Besides taxidermy and running a deer farm, he travels the country giving seminars to other taxidermists. Bill is know world wide. Everyone who is in the industry has heard of Bill Yox or has meet him.

I have heard he has done wonderful work. I know he has done mounts for guys like Jack Nickalus. I wasn't aware of the deer farm he had. I have never been to his shop but know people who have and say the work of his is beyond impressive...

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Form: $62

Eyes: $14

Ear Liner: $7.50

Tan/chem: $7.00

Septum/nose: $13.00

Clay/ glue etc. $4.50 = $108.00

Now add in for ,Building, Elec, Water, Gas, Phone, Vehicle, Insurance, Work Contracts, ID Tags, Paper Work, Licenses, Educational expense, Travel Expense, Competitions or work shops, Charge Offs, Lawyer fees,,, yadda yadda yadda.......Now tell me $350 is rediculous...

I figure atleast $225 for all expenses per competition quality shoulder mount and that leaves me a small profit of $175.....$175 div by roughly 14hrs= $12.50hr nothing to brag about IMO, If this was my full time Job i would be charging $425-$475 and if people didnt want to pay this, then there are plenty other guys down the road who is just starting out and will charge $225...hey you get what you pay for!

There are 1s that like mounting and 1s doing it for money.

$275 should be the price and if you work hard and like doing it you will do fine or charge $500 and be lazy and make the same.

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There are 1s that like mounting and 1s doing it for money.

$275 should be the price and if you work hard and like doing it you will do fine or charge $500 and be lazy and make the same.

It doesn't matter how much I like something if I'm doing it for a living I'm not doing it for 12 bucks per hour rate!

ever heard of the saying work smarter not harder?

If a great taxidermist charges 325 bucks for a mount when the going rate for his quality of work is 500 he is only cheating himself.

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There are 1s that like mounting and 1s doing it for money.

$275 should be the price and if you work hard and like doing it you will do fine or charge $500 and be lazy and make the same.

Yeah ok. That's the most idiotic thing I have heard all week.What planet are you on? A taxidermist is a profession and is no different than an electrician, carpenter or plumber Now go and pass your formula on to them and see what you get back.

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Welp, paying a bit more for our Wyoming animals. Going with a taxidermist that is a member of the nta and the tta. Rate for deer from them is $400 and the antelope are $425 due to having to boil out the horns. They had a number of western and exotics in their shop, was quite impressed with the quality.

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  • 2 months later...

I'll answer with 100% fact since i have been on both sides of the fence at one time or another...

Ive paid between 325 and 375 since the beginning of my archery career (12 years). The oldest mount i have cost the most at $375 over 10 years ago and it looks like crap. My most recent mount (that i didn't do myself) cost $325 and looks outstanding...I attended Taxidermy school in August of this year with a very well known taxidermist, Locie Murphy, as my instructor (he does work for a few RT prostaffers ) and has won a train load of awards...After attending this school, I charge $350 for now, and once i feel i have the experience and clientel to raise my price, i will do so...You all have to remember, it takes a very good taxidermist about 14 hours of labor to complete a shoulder mount, and the attention to detail will be significant when you see the final product. Eyes alone are task that need to be perfect, then the ears (depending on how you do them - the bondo method is superior to any other), and the mouth....Just fleshing the facial areas is hard to do without messing up...It took me 30 + hours to complete my first shoulder mount, but with time will come speed....and i have a major issue with attention to detail, which is what will seperate a mediocre taxidermist from a great taxidermist.

Locie charges $600, but he has the credentials, skill and ability to do so...

So, since i have invested over $1700 into me learning this trade, i will only pay what i need to buy in order to complete a mount...I wouldn't pay a nickel over $400 for a white tail shoulder mount - ever.

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Around the St. Louis area taxidermy is WAY too high in my opinion. Hard to find "decent" work for under 500.00. I lucked into a guy about an hour north that does exceptional work for 350.00. I'll go with him for any deer I get and be happy as could be with the price. Turn around time is one year.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The prices I've paid for mine are from $275-350. Right now I'm going to need a truely incredible whitetail (Boone +) to put the money into a shoulder mount (I'd rather spend the money to take my daughters hunting). It would have to still be able to eat grass, blink it's eyes and clean itself for $500.

I prefer to do the majority of my bucks as euro's, I do the work myself and I enjoy it. I also euro'd my daughters hogs, my alligator and my first bear.

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Prices around here run from 4 to 450 dollars.

Last year I had a mount done by a well known local taxidermist. This was one my son shot and I fulfilled a promise. I couldn't be happier with the work done.

" The thrill of a cheap price will be gone long before the disappointment of a poor quality job"

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  • 4 weeks later...
Here is a little fun reading for anyone who has time.

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,251417.0/topicseen.html

Funny one of those guys mentioned a minister, my last deer was done by a preacher who also hunts. His shop is a little temp controlled shed behind the parsonage, he charged $260 for my 2009 deer, need to get some close ups. Took a bit longer than expected. The eye detail was a little darker than I like, but other than that was quite happy with his work and dropped off this years deer with him. He still has my bobcat from Jan 2010, hope to get it back soon.

Kinda wonder how many of those guys in the link you posted have shops they pay rent for, Cliff? Don't know about elsewhere, but around here most taxidermists have their shops in or at their homes, matter of fact I don't know of one that has a studio/shop that is not on the property their home is located at. Even the award winning taxidermist we took our Wyoming animals too has his shop right at his home.

Figure cost of living and overhead in the way of building rent play a part in how much is charged or passed along to the customer and would imagine that probably varies some depending on where you are at.

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I think a majority of those do in fact work out of a shop located within their home. I know I do.My shop is an addition built onto my house specifically for the taxidermy business. It has it's own heat source, running water and has it's own electric panel. I incur utility costs directly related to the shop along with a portion of my annual land taxes and a percentage of my home insurance policy is a result of the business. I do know some of those guys who replied in that thread have shops as big as my house located next to their homes. Maintenance cost is another expense most of us inquire annually. I know I do every year and will have to replace the roof over the shop this coming spring or summer.

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