Well I would guess anyone here knows how I voted.
I've heard it all in this business being in it for over 40 years.
"Only taxidermists that live in that country know how and is the best mounting their native species"
WRONG.......
Shipping quotes are just that mearly quotes. That's scary...
My ship quotes are golden and I don't care if you have 4 shouler mounts or 15 and 6 life-size it's 1.25 per mile one way.....
And if you do ship from overseas and any damage occurs or your not happy with the mounts "Who ya gonna call"
I'm the one walking your mounts, or my finisher Jamie, into your home and handing them to you.
Your not paying your balance till I drive up your driveway and get it out of the trailers.
You've paid your balance to a out of country taxidermist. He has your money and lives 10,000 miles away and you have a problem.
He has hundreds of new hunters and clients every year coming to lets say africa and PH's pushing their work
Guarantee a skin and INSURANCE of your trophies in the studio...????
NO Taxidermist guarantees ANY SKIN will tan or be mountable NONE of them do even let's say AFRICAN taxidermist for example.
Even Pauls price from Relive states that they are not responsible for Hair Loss or Damage.
Not even responsible for lost or stolen skins. I'm reading his price list.
What about fire or other loss?
My insurance coverage covers all my cleints skin and horns for value of the trophies AND the mounting cost wether they are in the mounting process, finished or in the freezer unmounted. Your covered.
The skill of repairing bad skins is an art and complex to say the least. It's experience that makes or breaks a mount that has issues.
In the last 10 years I have never had to call a cleint and give the news, "Your trophies cannot be mounted". I have called and told them it has issues but will be a good mount when done . And you guys have seen the trash we have polished into jewels for hunters.
Yes taxidermy if Lets say Africa is CHEAP. So is labor, I could meet African Taxidermist prices if I could pay my guys $5=10 a day.
To get the quality my clients demand I need the best artist working along with em and I have to pay 20+ times in labor cost.
Third world countries beat the US in every market for goods and services...I say support your own countrymen.
Everyone has a price they will pay. Everyone has a standard of quality they can live with that is tied directly to the pocketbook.
This is exactly why their are so many bad cheap taxidermist in every country.
The taxidermy licensing in the US and most every other country HAS NO STANDARD of QUALITY attached to IT ! NONE !
A licensed taxidermist can produce ANY QUALITY of work he or she desires as long as it is preserved ( tanned ) correctly and does not smell or have a structural/ mechanical issue . They can create an animal to look like anything that resembles that species and they have full filled their contract with you.
I have always felt that taxidermist in other countries that don't get the taxidermy work from a client really doesn't care about making it affordable or a priority to get out a dip pack shipment. Just my opinion over the last 40 years. I just got in a dip pack from Life-Form. It took a year and another hunter that was with him got his MOUNTS back in 10 months. Something very fishy about that ! Get your taxidermy back before a dip pack shipment.
Some more on this....
Support other sportsman in our country the US . By American.
Every Taxidermist on the US I know is a hunter like you.
There employees and mine are hunters just like you.
I support AH with a paid sponsorship and costs me quite a bit each year to help keep this site up and running. Thanks Jerome !
I run specials for all Members here on AH
It costs more to bring your skins home dip pack and sure taxidermy is more expensive than African Taxidermy
BUT NOT BY MUCH when you talk about your memories and the fact that they will be with you for the rest of your life
The mount you look at is the memory you will remember the most.
At ANY taxidermy studio WHO IS mouting your trophies???
BIG companies over seas and yes even here in the states have many taxidermists working for them.
Who's the foreman going to give your mount to to put create? New employee or guy just out of taxidermy school?
Websites look great anyone can make one and take really good pictures of the mounts the best taxidermist working there be it the owner or qualified employee does. But is HE doing your pieces?
Quality control...
I Mount every piece and Jamie finishes every one.....
Quality control is not an issue as the same 2 pair of hands do every piece......
Who's mounting your memory?