What can I expect to pay for a shoulder mount?

I killed a nice one and was wondering what kind of price to expect.

Check in the taxidermy section. I paid $500 for my last one.

$450 up, usually 50% down and the rest on completion.

FWIW, look at their work, not price if you can. Sometimes you get what you pay for, others times, a great deal. Their work will tell you how good a deal it is.

500-700 around here.

I've seen them as cheap as $300 and as high as $700.

As was said, you usually get what you pay for, but not always. I will say that (especially if a guy is on the lower end of the price spectrum) his work/references need to be thoroughly vetted.

I use a guy that is toward the upper end of the price spectrum but it's worth it knowing his work.

It varies...350 -550 where I am, but typically you get what you pay for on a low cost mount. DO NOT base you sele4ction on cost. Go to the taxidermist shop..look at his work...don't focus on the antlers.... look at the eyes, nose and ears...also make sure he tans the hides.

The quote I got seem a bit steep at $680. He does good work but I didn't expect it to be that high.

$400-$500

For a wall mount that seems high...for a pedestal mount (including the pedestal...maybe not.

It was for a wall mount. I want a wall pedestal, not enough to pay $800 for it though.

500-600ish depending on plaque or no plaque.

$500 + or - 50 bucks

Go with a Mackenzie wall pedestal form. They look great and are reasonable price wise, slightly higher than regular wall mounts(at my taxi anyway) but worth the extra. Like all have said trust his work, not his word.

I paid $450 for a completed, sent to be tanned-not tanned in house, Mackenzie mount last year. Regular wall was $400. Maybe a little favoritism, he's a friend of mine. Little does he know even if we weren't buddies and he gave me regular price I'd still use him, He does great work. Still wouldn't see it being near your prices.

For $680 it seems worth atleast a short drive elsewhere.

This

$275 helps to know a guy.

Getting my 1st pedestal wall mount done for $575 here


http://www.pumataxidermy.com/

A little over $600 with tax. Have had three done in five years by the same guy. He has always done quality work for me.

Lifetime of reliving memories are worth a few hundred extra. Go for the best you will not be disappointed.

WORD.

Going cheap on taxidermy work is poor economy in my opinion. You're going to look at that mount every day for the rest of your life. You want to feel warm and fuzzy and proud. You DON'T want to reach for the Rolaids.

That's not to say that you have to spend top dollar either. Visit with the taxi...look at his work...see if he has a commercial storefront...how about awards from taxidermy competitions?...is his turn-around reasonable and reliable?

Mainly tho....does his work make you drool with admiration? Pay once, cry once.

my taxi charges $550 to shoulder mount. he is top notch and I'm more than happy to pay that. your rolling the dice when you choose your taxidermy just off price.

Just a good form is going to cost you at least $100 by the time you pay the shipping. They probably have $300 in just materials, chemicals and tanning.

Mine charges either $450 or $475 for a wall pedestal mount. I forget which number. He does good work and I just pay a deposit and then the remaining balance when I pick it up.

$500-600 plus tax. A little more for pedestal. Having the hide tanned by quality tanner. This makes a huge difference how it's going to look in about 5+ years. Used to go for the low price guy working out of his garage in my younger days. HUGE mistake.

$475-$600 I would say is about right for a shoulder pedestal mount.

I paid $450 for my last one. He does good work. He is not fast though.

650 out here for the best quality. Not sure why you would mount one and not go to the best quality place.

I'm not trying to get out too cheep, I'm trying not to over pay. Why would I buy shells at Bass Pro, when I can buy the same shells at Walmart. If I can find the same quality $200 less, I want to pay $200 less.

Sure. But the point is there's a whole lot more variables in taxidermy. I'm sure there are some good cheap ones, the trick is finding them-because there are many more bad cheap ones. The pertinent question for taxidermy is finding a good one. The few that meet my standards are not cheap. Since I get back quality work that will last a lifetime, I don't consider that I overpay a penny.

I haven't been able to find the same quality for less.

Taxidermists are businessmen too, and they know what their competitors are charging. If a guy is $200 cheaper than the taxi down the road, he's cutting some corners. Savage, I just can't believe you're going to find the same quality for $200 less. My best advice is to give only a passing glance at the price tag; instead, study the guy's work, verify his turnaround time, and check references. And prepare to pay for quality work!

(NGP....time to let the hammer down for the Kofa. May the Force be with you, Clay!)

Yessir. Leaving Sunday morning Dave.

I'm pretty worthless right now.

Thanks for the well-wishes I'll try to send something as signal allows. I imagine I'll be incommunicado until it's over though......

I will never question my guys price, I will never push him call and ask or bug him...he does only "Special Assignments" I Love his work and have become dear friends with him and his Brother...He's younger than I am so I hope he outlives me and I never refer him because I'm selfish
He's gonna kill me when he finds about this Albino Skunk in the works

I'm with you on this one. I see no reason to pay 650 when great work can be found for 450-500. From some of this logic if another shop opens up down the road from my guy and they charge 650, then my guy is cutting corners or isn't as high quality, since he charges 450?

Maybe not cutting corners. Maybe just not as good an artist. But maybe he is. Only you can tell by comparing.

I know this-I don't mind paying the upper end because I know what I will get back looks like a live deer coming out of the wall, not just a good deer mount. The difference is artistry. There are only a few true artists.

An artist shapes the form to get lifelike muscle tone, folds the skin just right, takes great care with the eyes, nose, etc., and a dozen other little things that make all the difference. That takes skill and time. Usually (not always maybe) one has to pay for skill and time.

I have to agree with NP, but have seen some great "artist" that charge less for one reason or another. As I said in my 1st reply, look at the work and judge from that. Some damn good taxidermist are only good at say deer, some can do it all, best to look around. References in your area by hunters (with hands on viewing of their mounts if possible) can be a good place to start, as is the taxidermist studio as well.

I wouldnt want to save a "hunerd" and have a joke hanging on my wall, I have been through that..

I wouldn't either. The guy I got a quote from is very good in my opinion. However, he charges just shy of $700 for a shoulder mount. I want a shoulder pedestal. Lots of folks on here saying they are getting quality shoulder pedestals in the 5 to 6 range. I suspect my guy would be north of $800. I'm not interested in over paying for a mount, no matter how good it is. This is my first mount (deer) it will be right, but it will not be ashamed to tell folks what I paid. (having over paid for it.)

With that being said, I'm still looking. I'm in no hurry.

The easy solution there is to not tell anybody how much you paid

I don't mind paying for quality, but my version of quality might be substantially higher or lower than yours, therefore the value I place on things will be substantially different than you in some areas. If you worry about what others may think of you based on how much you pay, simply don't tell them

Getting Taxidermy work is like buying a car. No matter how much or little you pay or how good of a deal you got, somebody is bound to say that they got it done cheaper and the guy sitting next to him is bound to say his is better than yours .

The sign of a real high quality mount is that most folks will notice the mount quality and comment on it in the same breath as they are commenting on the animal itself ("That ____ looks alive!", "He looks like he is about to move!", etc) . Even non-hunters.....

What they said above,

If you're willing to travel a bit, that can save you a bunch at times. The guy I posted had some great quality work, for a good price IMO (PUMA). Another that did an elk hide for me is in Waco (Brandon), he's good crossharetaxidermy.com. The guy I have been using has ribbons and the whole 9 yards, does great work, he is running over 2 years behind, not taking anymore mounts for this year and charged me $650 for my wife's one and only 2013 buck But he is good and I want a guarantee on my wife's deer.

One guy here in town, charged me the going rate for a Javelina, open mouth. I get it back with a closed mouth!! Looks like an over-sized rat, got $110 bucks back, but still pizzed.. Didn't even bother calling me?? Does damn good deer though

Know exactly who your talking about...wouldn't let him mount a Jack [censored]...some of Boyd's Finest, all the "Kids" love him I think he Sucks..

Yeah sir, easy to BS the kids, I had seen his deer and was told the pig was easy

Not to be a jackwagon, but not real impressed with the quality shown on the web page of that first one mentioned.

I don't take it as such (you being a jack-wagon), eye of the beholder I suppose, also helps having seen some in person. I agree to an extent on a few of those mounts, but have to consider what was possibly given to work with. IDK, but will know in 8 months on mine from this year.

Taxi work is like Funeral Directing ....Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..

I used Southern Wing Taxidermy in Huntsville, TX on my last one. They were $450 and did a great job!

Well, I want my deer to look at peace too...

If you don't mind driving a little out of the way, there is a shop in Humble that does awesome work for $550. North American Wildlife Life Taxidermy - Jaime Dena

450-600

I wouldnt pay over $400 for a mount unless it was from a world class taxidermist. Do your homework, heard many horror stories on this site alone.

I have paid around $400 for my last 3.