Was fortunate enough to tag my first gobbler this morning. Went ahead and got him to the taxidermist for a full strut wall mount. Cost is gonna be 550$. Is this a good price? I guess the whole corona thing has the taxidermists in my area closed. Called every one within an hour and only got ahold of 2.
Where do ya live?
Doesn't matter where you live it's really too cheap. Hope the guy is good. I did taxidermy full time and turkeys take a long time and are lots of work. Idk what he's doing w the head but that alone could be 100 bucks cost to him. Add skinning, washing, drying, tumbling, sewing, glueing, injecting feet, bondo, carding tail and wings, caulk, plus the costs for those things, preening, repairs, base/base work, manikin, wire, habitat for base, hazardous material fees on the degreasing, painting, he's still gotta pay himself, every business ought to add profit, you think 550 is right???
I just killed my best spurred gobbler Tuesday. Called our taxidermist to check it out. I'm in Illinois. This guy is extremely good but it was going to be $835!! We got my daughter's first gobbler at a different taxidermy shop. He charges $650. If you want it done right expect to pay more cuz nothing is worst than a sorry looking turkey mount. I know cuz I got 3 mounted over the years and I can pick apart everything that does look correct about them. Heck, they were done back in the 90s and believe I paid in the $350 to $375 range back then.
Between 8 and 9 hundred. Don't get the fake head, and feet.
I live in southern Indiana. Shop I took it to is called clearwater taxidermy in Louisville. His work looked good in his shop and he had many turkeys in to do. I was quoted 900 by the other shop and went with this one. Just hope it turns out.
Ask to see some of his other work before you commit to him mounting the bird if it's not too late. I wouldn't expect much for $550.
The effort required to remove flesh and fat from the skin on a turkey is worth several hundred alone, especially if it's done all wire wheel. It's not a job for the weak minded or those with a weak stomach.
As inmost things, you get what you pay for.
Add in the time and labor trying to keep a full strut mount clean and dust free and 800 will seem cheap. Not for me !
My son has one drying now and his is costing 850. The original head was sent up North and is re-done for 125.
Wow!! I guess I haven't had one mounted in a while. $800-$900 is the going rate nowadays?
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
Guys truth is at 8-900 it's still fair. They're lots of work, believe me
As has been noted, the prices for a turkey mount can vary a bunch. So can the expectations of the hunter on how he expects his bird to look. Regardless of the quoted price, anybody getting a turkey mounted should ALWAYS take a look at the taxidermist's work before making the decision to get a bird mounted by them,...or not.
Some folks want a flawless mount (which I can tell you there are only handful of guys across the country that can do that),...and if that is what you expect, you better look around very carefully at who you use. You can also expect to pay handsomely for that quality because it requires a lot of time and effort to achieve.
However, many hunters are satisfied with a mount that is "good". but not necessarily "perfect". In fact, I think most hunters fall into this category. Again, there is a balance to be had between cost and expectation. I personally believe that $550 is a reasonable price,....IF the taxidermist is competent, and YOU are not expecting a museum-quality mount.
Having said that, there are taxidermists about that are not competent in mounting turkeys but want to charge a lot for a lousy mount. Those are the guys that hunters should steer clear of.
AGAIN,...ALWAYS check out their previous turkey mounting attempts before committing to them!
Quote from: Gobble! on May 02, 2020, 11:35:51 PM
Ask to see some of his other work before you commit to him mounting the bird if it's not too late. I wouldn't expect much for $550.
I agree, check some of his other work out. It only matters if your satisfied with what your paying for.
I'm going back to the shop tomorrow to pick up the breast and leg meat. I'm gonna look at his work a little closer. As long as the mount looks good I'll be happy. Doesn't have to be show perfect for me. This is the first animal I've had mounted so I didn't really have a "guy".
All the "elite" guys are 1000 and up. There are some pretty good guys at 750-900 and anything below that I prob wouldn't be interested in. It's all up
To what you want to pay. If you happy that all that matter
Man, don't skimp on the taxidermy. In 25 years, a few hundred dollars isn't going to mean squat, but you'll have to look at it every day for that time. Not every taxi can make bird look good, and it's worth whatever it costs.
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Quote from: TravisB on May 04, 2020, 12:23:35 PM
Man, don't skimp on the taxidermy. In 25 years, a few hundred dollars isn't going to mean squat, but you'll have to look at it every day for that time. Not every taxi can make bird look good, and it's worth whatever it costs.
Excellent point!! :icon_thumright:
When I was younger and struggling, I had a couple of friends who did "taxidermy" do a couple of my bucks for me. The price was very affordable, but the mounts were substandard, and I look at them every day and think to myself, "Dang. One of these days I'm going to have to get those bucks remounted by a professional."
Amen, 8-900. You want freeze dried head and a good airbrush job. The masters make it look real........
These 2 mounts were done in late 90's by an a3ard winner in NJ. The heads are freeze dried. The strutted cost me 650.00, the standing mount was 550.00. Long ago though. Good luck......
Sorry. Spell check. Award winning NJ Taxidermist....Bob Helgans. Won Mid Atlantic Taxidermy Championship for his mounts....
Those mounts are very nice
Thanks so much.....
I used Ryan Searce at Billingsby Road Taxidermy and it was right around $900 in 2018. He just won master of masters so I won't be surprised if his price is a little higher now. I don't regret spending the money on it. You can pay for about half of it up front and then have a while to save for the rest. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200507/06ff8533fd7da43c274902d5ad808474.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200507/49dfef2c20591044a938afc3cea24b4c.jpg)
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Killer mount!
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Quote from: aclawrence on May 06, 2020, 09:02:10 PM
I used Ryan Searce at Billingsby Road Taxidermy and it was right around $900 in 2018. He just won master of masters so I won't be surprised if his price is a little higher now. I don't regret spending the money on it. You can pay for about half of it up front and then have a while to save for the rest. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200507/06ff8533fd7da43c274902d5ad808474.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200507/49dfef2c20591044a938afc3cea24b4c.jpg)
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Him and John Beard! and I wouldn't be afraid of that $1,000 -$1,500 price to get the mount I want.
MK M GOBL