I have afantastic Taxidermist that does work for museums and is the best I have ever seen. he also only charges 125 for a bird mount. I have had two ducks, a can and a gadwall and a greater Canadian done. Smae price for all three. What about you?

Everything I have found around north Alabama had been $175 to $290. I would love to find some one around here that would do it for $125.

Here in Virginia, I have been using a guy that has done very good work for me and he charges between $100 and $150 for birds. Not including a strutting turkey of course...............

Around here the low end is $225 ~ $250 for a standing duck with what I would call average quality to the high end where a flying Canada will cost you $500 but the quality of the work is great.

I was just talking about this with some folks a few days ago... that would run about $600 in my neck of the woods...

When I was a kid I sorely wanted some mounts. The problem in those days was, of course, money. I think a pheasant flying went for something line $25 back then, a princely sum, indeed! The alternative was to learn how to do it myself. For a couple of dollars, I was able to obtain a book that taught my new hobby. That was 45 years ago.

I couldn't tell you how much a mount would cost here, today. But, I'd venture a guess that it was a little more than a lot of other places. Things are rediculously more expensive here on Long Island.

Frank

In my neck of the woods, the better craftsmen charge $275 for a deer head mount and $325 for a turkey. There are all grades of taxidermists but if you want quality, you must pay. The best ones are backed up and store your mount until they can get to it. The last turkey that my son had mounted took six months before he could pick it up. It was beautiful and well worth the wait.

Some charge $150-200 but they are not the folks I want working on my mounts. It is hard to tell a good mount from a bad one but when you look closely, you can tell quality from haste.

what about fish? i know you dont shoot em, but anyone have an idea of a good price for fish...i was just quoted $330 for a 5lb 6oz rainbow..thought that might be a little high, but guaranteed return in 6 weeks and has a good rep, website with tons of pics, great references, and i think im gonna do it!
Jeff

Paid $695 for a flying Swan mount last year
Paid $595 for a standing Swan mount this year.

Don't know his price on Ducks--yet

The work is beautiful.

John

I've never had taxidermy done but know people who have (obviously) and fish is a totally different thing. If you catch a big swordfish and want it "mounted" the "taxidermist" takes the fish and buys a fiberglas replica of it, mounts the fiberglas one and charges you a fortune. Fish, I am told, are not really used to make their "mounts"

Fish skins are very hard to preserve because of oil and it's easier to buy a replica fish out of a catalogue and pretend it's your client's fish.

A friend caught a big swordfish, had it mounted and a few years later it fell during a move and it turned out to be a plastic/fiberglas replica.

Does anyone know more about the fishy fish mounts?

i do know they are doing that now, because you can have one mounted from pictures!

I have six foot tarpen in the garage, I picked up at a yard sale for $20

I have 40+ inch pike from Canada, I picked up while back at estate sale for $40.

I have 7 large/small bass ,2 walleyes I picked up this year at estate sale for $10 each.

Two - three months ago I passed on 40-45 inch musky which person in charge was asking $200
and did not want to take $150 in cash. This was month after I caught (and released) 42 inch
one in Canada. I am still kicking myself for not getting it ..

Having said that, I would never get fiberglass as they just look fake to me. I would also never
mount a real trophy as it is really expensive and I practice catch and release.

As somewhat avid fisherman I am opportunistic in this area and pick up my fish mounts in
any other way I can.

Anyone but my wife thinks I cought all of them .....well with the exception of tarpen ...

My hunting partner just checked today on a flying mount for a snow goose he shot yesterday. Range $300 to $375 with a year to year and a half wait in Helena MT

One flying snow goose $325
pair of hooded mergansers $320 ( picking up this weekend)
One 17.5 lbs brown trout replica $275

The replica brown is a wonderful mount. you cannot tell the difference and will last a lifetime. I have a smaller brown i mounted when I was younger that is breaking apart (i've moved too many times).

+1 on replica mounts for fish... they come out great and no worries about deterioration. I had a great Lake Fork bass done and did a mount that incorporated a picture of the fish. I don't have pictures though!

As for birds... it can get expensive quickly if you have crazy, subtle things done like curving the primary feathers.

I had a woodie (in the pics section) done that cost me about $400, but a lot of it was the setting.

Years ago, when I was running a sport fishing boat, I was an agent for one of the big Florida gamefish taxidermists. As the captain, I got 50% of the cost of the mount. If you paid $450 to have your sailfish mounted, I pocketed $250 and split it with my mate. A good mate could make some real cash during the seaon. The $35 a day that I paid him was just beer money.

You mean I'm not the only one that likes to buys mounts from other people?!?!

I don't tell anyone that I didn't shoot my bear.... lol

In Kansas a deer head is around 425, a duck/ phesant is about 125 and a turkey is 200 for 3/4 mount.

I mail my ducks out to Colorado to be mounted as I could not find a taxidermist locally that I really like when it came to waterfowl. He charges $280 for a duck and they look like they could fly away when he is done. For deer, my taxidermist locally charges $600.

This one cost me $23





Frank