Approximately how much does it cost to get a Whitetail shoulder mount?

[longislandhunter]

I have heard various ranges so any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Frank

[nyantler]

If you're paying much less than $400 bucks you may be disappointed with the final product...

[burmjohn]

Frank talk to Fins to feathers, not only is he very reasonable, he is right on LI and does amazing work.

[finfeathr]

Don't shop for price, shop to see if you like a taxidermist's work...I get $425.00 for a standard shoulder mount, any pose. You can view my work at www.alllongislandtaxidermy.com   

you will get it back at the end of summer, as I have about 120 heads ahead of you at this point. A $100 deposit is required at drop off...let me know if I can help you out...

Rich

Fins to Feathers

[longislandhunter]

Great Thanks.  I dont have  head to mount yet lol.  I was just curious.  Going out again on Friday so hoping you will see me soon.  Thanks

[NYDeer]

Thats a good price, considering I paid $400 11 years ago..

I wish prices for everything else increased the same amount!

[NYBowhunter]

Mine ran me $485 this year for a shoulder mount (without plaque), which I thought was a little high. However its where my uncle took his buck this year and it was a convienient dropoff as it was on my way home. Not sure if I would go there again, as I asked if there was a break I could recieve seeing my uncle brought his buck there and is paying over $700 for a half body mount, well the taxidermist got a little nasty with me and didnt save me not even a penny. The way i look at is i had the deer there already so i let him do it, however he must be better off then me as he must not need my business and told me to take my deer somewhere else. Guess at that point i just wanted to get my deer done and left it with him anyways. Next time i will be paying Rich a visit of fin&feather for my next mount.

[First-light]

Rich did my brothers mount at Fins to feathers. He blew the antler (at the base) right off this big 10 point and Rich fixed it up.  Great job!

[longislandhunter]

Mine ran me $485 this year for a shoulder mount (without plaque), which I thought was a little high. However its where my uncle took his buck this year and it was a convienient dropoff as it was on my way home. Not sure if I would go there again, as I asked if there was a break I could recieve seeing my uncle brought his buck there and is paying over $700 for a half body mount, well the taxidermist got a little nasty with me and didnt save me not even a penny. The way i look at is i had the deer there already so i let him do it, however he must be better off then me as he must not need my business and told me to take my deer somewhere else. Guess at that point i just wanted to get my deer done and left it with him anyways. Next time i will be paying Rich a visit of fin&feather for my next mount.

Wow where was this?  After that I wouldnt want to go there.

[letinmfly]

Mine ran me $485 this year for a shoulder mount (without plaque), which I thought was a little high. However its where my uncle took his buck this year and it was a convienient dropoff as it was on my way home. Not sure if I would go there again, as I asked if there was a break I could recieve seeing my uncle brought his buck there and is paying over $700 for a half body mount, well the taxidermist got a little nasty with me and didnt save me not even a penny. The way i look at is i had the deer there already so i let him do it, however he must be better off then me as he must not need my business and told me to take my deer somewhere else. Guess at that point i just wanted to get my deer done and left it with him anyways. Next time i will be paying Rich a visit of fin&feather for my next mount.

Why would you expect a discount?  Just think how many times he must hear the same thing from his customers.

[WhiteTailBuckDeer]

You will be looking at spending $400 - $500 for a good mount. My father went the cheap way a few years back and his buck looks like its smiling and it has a mohawk because the used to small of a mold.

[longislandhunter]

Mine ran me $485 this year for a shoulder mount (without plaque), which I thought was a little high. However its where my uncle took his buck this year and it was a convienient dropoff as it was on my way home. Not sure if I would go there again, as I asked if there was a break I could recieve seeing my uncle brought his buck there and is paying over $700 for a half body mount, well the taxidermist got a little nasty with me and didnt save me not even a penny. The way i look at is i had the deer there already so i let him do it, however he must be better off then me as he must not need my business and told me to take my deer somewhere else. Guess at that point i just wanted to get my deer done and left it with him anyways. Next time i will be paying Rich a visit of fin&feather for my next mount.

Saying NO is completely understandable but being nasty and telling him to take your deer somewhere else is NOT.  IMO.

Why would you expect a discount?  Just think how many times he must hear the same thing from his customers.

[longislandhunter]

You will be looking at spending $400 - $500 for a good mount. My father went the cheap way a few years back and his buck looks like its smiling and it has a mohawk because the used to small of a mold.

LOL. A smiling buck with a MOHAWK i would think that costs extra! LOL

[WhiteTailBuckDeer]

You will be looking at spending $400 - $500 for a good mount. My father went the cheap way a few years back and his buck looks like its smiling and it has a mohawk because the used to small of a mold.

LOL. A smiling buck with a MOHAWK i would think that costs extra! LOL

Yup then he made the mistake of bringing his bear hide to have a rug done by the same guy and his basement shop flooded so now he has a bear hide with bald spots

[NYBowhunter]

Mine ran me $485 this year for a shoulder mount (without plaque), which I thought was a little high. However its where my uncle took his buck this year and it was a convienient dropoff as it was on my way home. Not sure if I would go there again, as I asked if there was a break I could recieve seeing my uncle brought his buck there and is paying over $700 for a half body mount, well the taxidermist got a little nasty with me and didnt save me not even a penny. The way i look at is i had the deer there already so i let him do it, however he must be better off then me as he must not need my business and told me to take my deer somewhere else. Guess at that point i just wanted to get my deer done and left it with him anyways. Next time i will be paying Rich a visit of fin&feather for my next mount.

Why would you expect a discount?  Just think how many times he must hear the same thing from his customers.

Why would I not ask, I work hard for my money as much as the next guy. If he had given me a $20 discount i would have been happy. Lets make it clear, I'm putting money in his pocket and even if he didnt want to give me a discount that was fine with me but he went about it the wrong way. With his comments alone he lost me as a future customer. You just dont treat customers that way and I dont care how many people ask him that question, I'm not those other people. My uncle has not been to this place in a while (maybe close to 10 years) until this year and what we didnt mention to this taxidermist is that he promised my uncle a free mount because my uncle spent thousands at this place, but we didnt put that in his face, we paid full price and on top of that have to deal with his BS. Its amazing however that after I said I will leave the deer and pay full price he changed his tune and was real nice to me. Sorry but the damage was done and he wont see me anymore after i get my mount back.

[letinmfly]

Just asking a question.  Guess his attitude cost him a customer.

My friend is a taxidermist and sometimes I sit in his shop with him.  I've seen business dealings first hand and I can honestly say it's not only the taxidermist that has an attitude. 

[nyantler]

The truth is.. no matter what you spend.. if you get the mount back and the work is bad the price will be too much.. if you are happy with the workmanship.. the cost is worth it. Shop for a quality taxidermist not a cheap one... and no I am not a taxidermist.. but I did play one on TV..

[letinmfly]

nyantler you're ight.  Shopping for price instead of quality will surely lead to disappointment.

[NYBowhunter]

Just asking a question.  Guess his attitude cost him a customer.

My friend is a taxidermist and sometimes I sit in his shop with him.  I've seen business dealings first hand and I can honestly say it's not only the taxidermist that has an attitude.

I could understand an owners fustration, but you dont treat customers the way i was treated and yes dealing with all different types of people comes with the territory. I guess I was too nice to him and he took advantage of me, if I had another option at that time to take my deer elsewhere, I would clearly told him a few choice words and took my deer elsewhere. I gave him no reason whatsoever to get nasty with me other then politely asking for a discount. Wether he was having a bad day or not I dont care, however one thing is certain he lost a couple of good repeat customers. 

[NYBowhunter]

The truth is.. no matter what you spend.. if you get the mount back and the work is bad the price will be too much.. if you are happy with the workmanship.. the cost is worth it. Shop for a quality taxidermist not a cheap one... and no I am not a taxidermist.. but I did play one on TV..

I totally agree in that quality and a reliable taxidermist is of most importance and I have to say that this taxidermist has done good work in the past. As a paying customer I will not be talked too like a fool....last time going to this moron. Sorry for hi-jacking this thread...so who was it that is responsible for my venting..think it was myself that began the venting..lol

[finfeathr]

I hesitate to get into a debate about discounts and asking for them, etc....bottom line is, I keep my prices as low as I can, but I still have to make money. Taxidermy pays my mortgage and puts food in the fridge. I get annoyed when people ask for a quote, then ask if I can do better, or what if my buddy brings his in too?, etc...in short, I don't haggle.

I do discount some peices for a few customers..the guys that have been coming to me with 3 or more heads a year for 10 years. The big catch is, they don't ask for it..I will give them a break at my discression.

Case in point: had a guy drop off a duck today. He asked the price, I told him $175. He sighs, and states that last time I charged him $125. I politely explain to him that was about 7 years ago, supplies and shipping has gone up expotentially, and raising the price over 7 years was not too bad a deal, since the next cheapest guy I know of is at $200 for ducks. He tried every avenue to get a discount out of me: He's a member of such and such club, alot of his friends hunt, blah blah.. I didn't bend, and he accepted the price.

The guy you had a bad experience with didn't have to be a dick about it, but you might have been the tenth guy trying to get a discount that day, and he probably was just done with that whole scene, and you got the brunt of it...

You see, there is no discount on the taxidermist's end. Tanning costs the same for 2 capes or 100, forms cost the same, and shipping has gone through the roof, so the only place that discount you asked for is going to come from is his profit. Look at it this way, if your boss came to you and said, "listen Joe, I need you to work an extra hour on Friday, but I am not gonna pay you for it,ok?" I would imagine your response would be less than understanding. It's the same situation, just flipped...

Another scenario I use is this: If you go to Kmart to buy dogfood, you see the price, decide whether you want it or not, then pay the cashier, and leave.....you certainly would not go to the register and say"Hey, this dogfood is $13.95, would you take $10 for it?" would you? But since most taxidermists own thier own business, everyone wants to haggle...it just gets tiresome after awhile.

Hope I could shed a little light on the subject from the taxi's point of view, thats all.....

Rich

Fins to Feathers

[NYBowhunter]

I hesitate to get into a debate about discounts and asking for them, etc....bottom line is, I keep my prices as low as I can, but I still have to make money. Taxidermy pays my mortgage and puts food in the fridge. I get annoyed when people ask for a quote, then ask if I can do better, or what if my buddy brings his in too?, etc...in short, I don't haggle.

I do discount some peices for a few customers..the guys that have been coming to me with 3 or more heads a year for 10 years. The big catch is, they don't ask for it..I will give them a break at my discression.

Case in point: had a guy drop off a duck today. He asked the price, I told him $175. He sighs, and states that last time I charged him $125. I politely explain to him that was about 7 years ago, supplies and shipping has gone up expotentially, and raising the price over 7 years was not too bad a deal, since the next cheapest guy I know of is at $200 for ducks. He tried every avenue to get a discount out of me: He's a member of such and such club, alot of his friends hunt, blah blah.. I didn't bend, and he accepted the price.

The guy you had a bad experience with didn't have to be a dick about it, but you might have been the tenth guy trying to get a discount that day, and he probably was just done with that whole scene, and you got the brunt of it...

You see, there is no discount on the taxidermist's end. Tanning costs the same for 2 capes or 100, forms cost the same, and shipping has gone through the roof, so the only place that discount you asked for is going to come from is his profit. Look at it this way, if your boss came to you and said, "listen Joe, I need you to work an extra hour on Friday, but I am not gonna pay you for it,ok?" I would imagine your response would be less than understanding. It's the same situation, just flipped...

Another scenario I use is this: If you go to Kmart to buy dogfood, you see the price, decide whether you want it or not, then pay the cashier, and leave.....you certainly would not go to the register and say"Hey, this dogfood is $13.95, would you take $10 for it?" would you? But since most taxidermists own thier own business, everyone wants to haggle...it just gets tiresome after awhile.

Hope I could shed a little light on the subject from the taxi's point of view, thats all.....

Rich

Fins to Feathers

Rich I understand the whole bit about making a profit and all, we all need to eat. But you and this guy as owners of a business rely on hunters and alike to make money and you wont get repeat business if you talk to customers in a nasty way. Yes I'm sure there are some real a$$hole nasty customers out there that you have to deal with, but I was not one of them. I politely asked and he rudely declined and what was more upsetting to me is that he did this in front of my elderly parents. When we went outside, my mother said she couldnt believe what just happened. She told me to forget about what happened and just get the deer done. I would have disclosed who this guy was,but at this point I dont want anything to happen to my mount.

[finfeathr]

Again, I wasn't there, and you haven't stipulated exactly what was said, so I can only go on what I see on a daily basis in my shop. I do not give discounts, generally. If I do, it's at my discretion. The customer that brings in alot of work is more likely to get a discount if they don't ask for it. Some people think that because they brought in 4 birds, or 2 deer, that they should recieve a discount. That doesn't make sense considering the costs associated with them are exactly the same. If I discount them, I am getting more work, but for less money. It's simple business 101. Then, once you start the discount snowball, you can't stop it without someone getting mad. The guy you gave a discount to on a deer head wants it on the pheasant he just shot as well, his cousin comes in and wants a deal also...on and on..pretty soon the taxidermist might as well throw his pricelist out the window. Now, he has gotten some extra business from those discounts, but now he needs extra time to complete them, and at a reduced rate of pay. This is why you can't haggle at a dept. store or supermarket..the price is the price, you either accept the terms or not, the choice is yours. It comes with owning your own business, some people think that the prices are negotiable. Bottom line is you have the right to bring your animal anywhere you wish to have it mounted. If you don't like one shop's price or attitude, you always have an option somewhere else. Asking for a discount up front when dropping off an animal is insulting to the guy who has to do the work. You may not agree with that statement, but I know alot of taxidermists, and have been doing this trade for almost 30 years now, and I can tell you there isn't one taxidermist that doesn't get annoyed at the request anymore. Again, I am just relating how a taxidermist feels about it, and letting you see the other side of the picture.

If the taxidermist you are referring to went crazy on you, and started carrying on in front of everyone, thats  a bit outta line.. he should have simply stated that his prices are non-negotiable, and given you the opportunity to continue seeking a studio more open to your needs, or meet his price and leave it with him. He should not have made it a drama session. That kind of crap is unwarrented, and you probably should not have been subjected to it.

You might want to look around before next season and view other artist's work and pricing so you have more options next time around. If there is a personality conflict, you definately want to patronize a different studio.

Rich

Fins to Feathers

[mbucks27]

The guy i use is a good friend and he does awesome work!!  He charges 500 but its def worth it for what you get back. Here is a link to his website so you can check out some of the work he has done.

http://bigbucktaxidermy.com

[Dinsdale]

Those are some good responces Rich.

I'm sure you can tell us of the guys who wanted mounted cheap cause it is BIG.  :D

And they will tell their friends you mounted it

I have more than a few mounts and you want to make a friend in the taxidermy business?

Don't call every day to see if its done.(but do ask for a rough idea when it will be at drop off)

Give a deposit on drop off; and not when you get around to it.

Pick up and pay for it when called.

Treat the animal with care to keep the quality of the skin and hair best for mounting. (not driving around a few days showing your buddies while it lays in the bed of the truck) You get back what you give.

I have roughly 20 game heads, a few life sizes, and horns/rugs/antler mounts done in the last 10 years and I don't get a discount. But I get prompt courteous service and been helped out for some repairs and custom alterations that were above and beyond included for the "regular" price.

I do my part by not trying to be a PIA (not entirely successful at that yet ;D )

I think the OP was far ahead of the game asking before he may shoot a deer to get a feel for prices. Now just look at some work and see what you like to pick the artist. Take note of work around the muzzle,eyes, and ears....and overall composition (horn/antler set,hair patterns/grooming).