How to Choose a Taxidermist
Important Things to Know About your Taxidermist
Above all, take the time to research your taxidermist. The following are some very telling questions to ask your taxidermist along with some information you should know.
Look at their work
Observe mammals for realistic mounting techniques
Do a predator’s eyes look straight ahead as they should, or are they mounted like a white tail eye?
Ask your taxidermist to show you examples of their work.
Inspect your taxidermist’s showroom and work area. Is it clean and neat? Is there hospital surgery room lighting?
Look at deer, elk, or other big game animals. Do the eyes look natural and realistic or do they look like bulging bug eyes? Do the eyebrows look natural?
Ask about their method for doing ears. Are they bondo ears? Is the cartilage removed and competition type ear liners used?
Is the nose plugged up with putty or do they use nose septums?
Look at the bird’s feet! Do they have shriveled up feet? Pay attention to the quality of the airbrush painting.
Do turkey and duck mounts have grease oozing from the belly? Inspect mounts that have been completed for at least three years.
Ask your taxidermist about their tanning procedures
Do they do their own or do they send hides out to a tannery? Inspect pelts and rugs for softness and quality. Ask them to explain the tanning process.
Personal Attributes
Select a Taxidermist who takes the time to explain options and answer your questions. Does your taxidermist act professional? Do they sound trustworthy?
Training
Ask where your taxidermist acquired their skills. Have they been professionally trained? If so, by what taxidermy school or institute. Look up that school or training institute on the internet.
Price
Last but not least! Don’t select your taxidermist on price alone. A low price is achieved by taking shortcuts and cutting corners. Do you really want poor quality materials and shortcut techniques used to mount your once in a lifetime trophy? My ten year old grandson’s first buck is a 5 point white tail. It’s a trophy of a lifetime for him. Will he want to look at it 20 years from now alongside a Boone & Crocket trophy and see inferior deteriorating quality in his first buck?
Our Studio and Our Philosophy
Here’s what we do at our studio. We show potential customers the correct way to mount your trophy. We show you our shop, and our tanning and tumbling equipment and process. We are avid hunters and bring that realism from observing critters in the wild to our mounts.