Taxidermy costs?

[STP Fisherman]

How much does it usually cost per inch to get a walleye stuffed?

[MTCOMMER]

It really depends on the Taxidermist.  If you get it done at an actual shop, it will usually cost you $10-20 per inch.  We had a walleye mounted this past year by a guy that does it out of his basement, a side job of his, for around $200 and we did a great job.  If you know anyone who does it on the side, so that doesnt do it profesionally, take a look at at their work and you can usually get it cheaper and its the same quality.
If you have a nice fish to mount, It is definitely something to shop around for.  Take a look at different peoples work and find the one you like the best.  This will be something hanging on your wall for along time, so its something you want done the way YOU want!

[The General]

I thing that I've noticed from people who have had their fish mounted from someones basement and not a professional when it comes to fish (Now I'm not saying everyone) is the fins.  They looked good when those people got it back but after 5 or 10 years the fins started to curl.  Then I looked at the fish I've had done by a professional and they seem to be thicker.  Just an observation of mine.

[bonecollecter82]

10-20 per inche I would never pay that. I get my fish professionaly done out of a shop not a basement by a guy who does it for a living for 6.50 a inche. Honestly some of the best work I have ever seen. He has also done some deerheads for me for less then 350!!!

[Bobby Bass]

12.00 is te going rate in these parts... 20.00 bucks? must have gold fins 

[BiggA]

10-20 per inche I would never pay that. I get my fish professionaly done out of a shop not a basement by a guy who does it for a living for 6.50 a inche. Honestly some of the best work I have ever seen. He has also done some deerheads for me for less then 350!!!

Hand out that info. Where how do we get ahold of him. If this guy does quality work at 6.50 an inch I imagine he could get real busy considering most I have heard charge around 12 - 14 an inch.

[Auggie]

     I thought about staying out of this, but when I saw the $350 deer head I almost  had to . Anybody doing fish for $6.50 per inch or deer size game heads for $350 is working for minimum wage or less and using lesser quality materials to produce them period.
    If they do quality work at these prices the ones they are really hurting are themselves. Most of the cheap guys end up getting buried in work (because of the low price) and then either burn out and/or disappear (with your trophy) because the quality of work really starts getting poor when they realize they are making very little money for the time they are putting in. Not to mention the time away from other things in life like family, friends and hobbies when they are holding down a full time job elsewhere. If you are taking away from those things, you should be getting paid a premium.
     Many people can't tell the difference between a $500+ deer head and the $350 and down types. Or they can't tell the difference between a $12 per inch fish and a $6.50. Why? Because the only thing they see are size. Big antlers and big bellies. They are not looking for proper eye and ear sets, skin alignment, correct anatomy, tear ducts, fin pockets, scale tipping and a host of other things I could go on about for hours. Once the customers have been educated by a true professional on what to look for they can pick these differences out every time. And they will.
     If you want a top quality mount you should expect to pay for it. The general expenses for a properly licensed shop have the same overhead as any other business including telephone, electric, heat, insurance, building repairs, advertisement, and the list goes on. Show me any other business owner that works for minimum wage or less that sticks around longer than a fart in the wind and I will eat crow.
     What most people forget is taxidermy is a luxury item and not a necessity. Show me another luxury business (or any business for that matter) that works for pennies. I think you will have a hard time doing it. So if you just want a fish or head with big antlers and bellies don't worry about where you take your stuff. If you want a top quality mount, take your trophy to a real artist that enjoys their work. Not only because they are making a buck to do it, but because they are doing it right.
Top quality materials and workmanship do make a difference.

[JohnWester]

well stated Auggie.

[bonecollecter82]

Well sure Aggie I can agree to that. But just cause my taxidermist has lower prices then you does not mean that he doesnt use quality materials does it?? I would honestly take his worse work he could do over any of your award winning mounts any day!! What I have often found is that most taxidermists who show there awards proudly do not put the same work into there customers mount. They often use them awards to make them look like there good at what they do. Now I am not saying that is what you do dont get me wrong please. He must do pretty good. He got just about 30 years of doing it 19 years on his own and 10 years being in instructer Heck you might even know the guy he may of even taught you how to do it.   But its no reason to put down someones elses work wheather its done in a basement or done by a artist. I am sure you learned that you never put another taxidermists work down at Mutuskas.

[Auggie]

    I figured this was coming. Bonecollecter82, I in no way shape or form was putting anybodies work down. Some of the best taxidermists I know work out of their basement. Some of them are World Champs. But most of them that have been around a while either limit the amount of work they take in and/or charge enough for it and just do it as a hobby. But If you are getting a quality deer head for under $350 your guy is definitely working much to cheap. And you better hang on to him. Like I said in the previous post, he is only hurting himself. And I wouldn't be afraid to tell him so. He would most likely agree with me that he isn't making enough for what he does. You can advertise for whom ever you like here, I have no problem with that either. I'm just stating the facts.
     I will give you guys a little breakdown on the cost of a deer size game head mount. These are average costs.
Form - $47
eyes - $15
Ear liners $8-$15
Quality commercial tan $45
Nictitating membrane $2.50
Nose septum $5.50
Shop supplies like hide paste, epoxy, paints, cleaners, paper towels, bags, mache, bondo and all the other little things I have failed to mentioned. Minimum of another $20
Shipping on all these supplies $10-$15
Now that comes up to $165. I pay another taxidermist to do my tanning and prep work on my capes so I add another $80 to my tanning cost. Other taxidermists may be doing this step themselves but the money is traded out for their time and the chemicals and equipment needed to perform the task so it is a wash.
So that puts a total cost of about $245 into a game head. Now take a portion of that $100 or so that is left and try and pay a portion of the electric, telephone, heat, building maintenance ect. and you don't have a whole lot left to pay yourself per hour after all the expenses. Now remember there is no mark up on the supplies at this point either. Find me a contractor, electrician, plumber, or mechanic just for examples that don't mark up their supplies and materials and or parts. What is the average hourly shop rate for these people to perform work on what most of us would call necessities? We know it isn't $10 an hour or less right?
    With out any of the mark ups on supplies and if you can do a quality piece in a reasonable amount of time with high quality materials, at $350 you are lucky to be making $8 an hour. How many of you can honestly say you would run your own business for that? No one would. You would be crazy.You could go work for somebody else and get health insurance and benefits like paid vacations along with a higher hourly wage. Not to mention you wouldn't have to deal with all the other aspects that come along with running a business.
     Now about award winning work. I appreciate that you are not accusing me of shorting my customers in any way. To be honest, I know of nobody that puts the exact same amount of work into a competition piece as a commercial piece. Two different ballgames. It just wouldn't be cost effective, for the client or the taxidermist. But what I can tell you about the competition realm is the guys doing it are keeping up on the latest and greatest methods of the industry better than those that don't. If you can take any aspect of your competition work and incorporate it into a commercial mount it puts your work that much further ahead of your competition. It is like continuing education for the taxidermists that compete. Those that don't are missing out on a ton. Not to mention the occasional lucky customer that gets asked if you can use their trophy to compete with.

[Go Big Red!]

As long as you like how your mount turns out and you don't have any foreseeable problems with it, then you get what you pay for.  I sure as hell wouldn't know what to look for when getting a deer mount done, yet I would pay top dollar for a top mount if the work is reputable.

Do you get what you pay for in mounts?  I would believe so, but if you're happy with it, then good.

[LLtaxidermy]

Well since I haven't been on in a while I guess I picked a good time. I can tell you all that Auggie has hit it on the head. I don't charge as much as some but I'm also relatively new to the game. I know a lot of guys getting 500 plus for a deer head and upwards from 20 per inch on fish. I recently had a guy bring me three crappies from Illinois who saved money driving them here!!
As far as commercial work vs. competition work nobody puts in the same time. I know for a fact that guys who are world champions don't even do it. With that said Danny owens gets around 500 for a commercial pheasant and I've watched him mount one in about an hour. Would you want to pay him for a competition mount that he spends week on at 500 bucks an hour?

[Auggie]

Lee,
    An hour for a pheasant? That was not from skinning off the carcass to completion right? It was a fleshed, washed, and dry skin correct? Either way that is pretty impressive. I have watched Cory Caruthers put several together and I thought he was fast!

[Go Big Red!]

Well since I haven't been on in a while I guess I picked a good time. I can tell you all that Auggie has hit it on the head. I don't charge as much as some but I'm also relatively new to the game. I know a lot of guys getting 500 plus for a deer head and upwards from 20 per inch on fish. I recently had a guy bring me three crappies from Illinois who saved money driving them here!!
As far as commercial work vs. competition work nobody puts in the same time. I know for a fact that guys who are world champions don't even do it. With that said Danny owens gets around 500 for a commercial pheasant and I've watched him mount one in about an hour. Would you want to pay him for a competition mount that he spends week on at 500 bucks an hour?

Holy  !!!!  $500 for a pheasant?  Let's see.... monthly payment for a Mercedes Benz or pheasant mount?   HMMMMMM.....

Really?

[LLtaxidermy]

He skinned and mounted a hungarian partridge in an hour 5 min when I was in class with him. Very impressive!

Lee,
    An hour for a pheasant? That was not from skinning off the carcass to completion right? It was a fleshed, washed, and dry skin correct? Either way that is pretty impressive. I have watched Cory Caruthers put several together and I thought he was fast!