Where, oh where, should I have my taxidermy done?

[billc]

Dennis I hear you but I cant worry about if your guys hunt or not. I support people in the states as much as I can but the fact is I care about saving were I can so I can get my son hunting. It all about making the choice that fit the person best.

I think the point you missed that tarbe was saying is. Yes you have a pricelist but this was a good chance to show how you compare to work being done over there price wise. We all know your work is good you tell us all the time it is but for alot of guys $$$ decide who we use sorry to say.Some guys may need to use a lesser service to be able to have there work done and nothing wrong with that at all.I dont want to be disrespectful but your reason for why we should do the work here in the states does not add up for all of us.

I have your 2014 catalog so I did check out your pricing. I see lions starting at 5995.00 so I would guess with the mount I picked it would have been that or more with the work needed to alter form to my pose. Can you tell me what you would have charged for the lion mount or to really show your break down on my whole order would even be better for everyone to see. Just maybe it will get you more business when guys see your break down compared to mine.

 

[harden]

Thanks Bill, Lion price is with alterations for that type of pose it's pretty easy to do.
As for prices, if your looking and choosing taxidermy by prices than I aint your guy.
And I am not looking for everyone's business, I am a very specialized type studio.
I do price all safari's per price list and a discount for volume and as any businessman.
Their is room to work with any large quantity order.
I charge for the quality produced because it takes twice the time to do it as in a high production taxidermy setting.
Longevity of a mount is also to be considered, the tan and it's suseptablity to degrading. Cracks and slipping over time.
A mount starts to break down the moment it's put together, The quality of the tan and materials matters in the strength of the mount over time, 30 40 years.

What I do IS totally different than any large studio. I do ALL the work with my hands, Yes I mount every piece and I have the worlds best finish artist.When finishing one of your mounts, it may and sometime does take more time to repair and get every little details painted perfect than it did mounting the animal. He has the credentials to go with that title.
I'm a niche studio. For those that wants highly detailed custom type work and the highest standards you can expect in realism and quality. I still beat the prices of studios the likes of AA , WG , Jonas and some of the very large studios that produce less than stellar work. It looks great in little web pics but get close and you'll see the difference. NONE of them put up close to the faces HD pics of their work on their sites.

Glad to see 74% choose to support the industry in their perspective countries, way to go guys!

When you get your taxidermy done in the US your supporting other hunters and sportsman and supporting your country and it's economy. Your helping to buy the baseball jerseys, dance classes, soccer shoes, pay for a college education etc, with the work from the hands of hard working artist that love and enjoy the same outdoors that you do.

 

[billc]

well dennis I hope some guys may give you a look now as it clears something ups with your pricing. Nice to see you would deal with the right size order. My point was more to show you can get good work out of SA with relive.AS we have talked about must work is garbage coming out of must shops in SA that is for sure.

I dont pick who I use just on price alone. But I pick by the work that makes me happy and fits my style of work I like. I do want to get what I feel is the best work for a good price but the dollar does not decide in the end who I pick. Trust me I can afford to use you but in my eyes my mounts look just a good to me. Not a knock on you just my taste in mounts. I like the soft natural look and detail relive does. I am not a fan of all the painting some do as I want a animal not a run way model mount.

As for supporting home based taxidermist with giving them work. Well I use one of the best around and he cost a pretty penny when I use him to do my mounts here in the states. But that money I am saving doing the work in SA is going for all you talked about. It will just be my sons baseball,mma and hunting trips let alone his college education I will need to pay for shortly. I wont fault anyone for using any service in there home country but each there own in the end.

 

[Rob404]

I had my work done here in the states, My PH recommended the D&P he uses so I went with his recommendation,nothing would piss me off more than to have my trophies poorly done. I looked up Taxidermist here in Minnesota.I visited Taxidermy Unlimiteds shop and showroom, and liked what I saw. I also found out that they had done mounts for a Minnesota Resturantuer who I used to work for and remember seeing some of his trophies, and they had also done Trophies for a Very Famous/Infamous Dentist. There the ones who did the Kudu Pillar Mount shown in another thread I will say in my opinion it's the eyes that make the mount Iv'e seen some that just look dead to me but if you look at a real professional mount especially the Cats they look like your their next meal JMTC
As far as dealing in the States, I was able to actually change my Kudu Skin to a Map of Africa that I could wall hang. are you going to risk sending it back to Africa for the modification?

 

[billc]

Pretty safe to say your not sending anything back to africa for modification or for a repair. Deal with a good shop though and you have time to make changes. I myself have all my taxidermy ideas for my mounts even before i do my hunt on almost all animals. If I dont get the mount I want in africa it would be my own fault not the fault of the shop.

Each has good and bad points but for the 5000 I saved I sure can get alot of changes made right here in the states. Good shops all over the world anymore that can take care of almost any hunters needs.

 

[Rob404]

Pretty safe to say your not sending anything back to africa for modification or for a repair. Deal with a good shop though and you have time to make changes. I myself have all my taxidermy ideas for my mounts even before i do my hunt on almost all animals. If I dont get the mount I want in africa it would be my own fault not the fault of the shop.

Each has good and bad points but for the 5000 I saved I sure can get alot of changes made right here in the states. Good shops all over the world anymore that can take care of almost any hunters needs.

Absolutly if you are happy with the mounts done in Africa and saved 5G thats a lot of money and a start to another trip.

 

[Bhfs300]

If you are talking about "billc" I agree!!!

+ 1

 

[Rob404]

My PH never pitched or recommend anybody for taxidermy, I guess him staying away from that subject clears him of any responsibility should the Taxidermy not be to his clients liking

 

[billc]

rob44 it is a great start to our next trip in july.The 5000 will get me a few more critters for the wall.

My PH's did not recommend a shop either. I did the research and now one of them use paul as there main guy if the client likes there work. The ph did go check them out before I did get to the cape and made sure we had time to meet paul in person to see the shop.

I think the biggest mistake many make is to just taking others people word on a place with out seeing mounts or talking and seeing the shop they pick. Taxidermy is just another part of the hunt to me and worth doing your homework so the end is as good as the beginning of your trip.

Rob44 what is the name of the place you like to use.

 

[Rob404]

rob44 it is a great start to our next trip in july.The 5000 will get me a few more critters for the wall.

My PH's did not recommend a shop either. I did the research and now one of them use paul as there main guy if the client likes there work. The ph did go check them out before I did get to the cape and made sure we had time to meet paul in person to see the shop.

I think the biggest mistake many make is to just taking others people word on a place with out seeing mounts or talking and seeing the shop they pick. Taxidermy is just another part of the hunt to me and worth doing your homework so the end is as good as the beginning of your trip.

Rob44 what is the name of the place you like to use.

I used Taxidermy Unlimited in Burnsville Minnesota, they did My Kudu Pedestal 2Euro and Three Rugs,after looking at the Kudu Rug I knew I wouldn't have room to display it so I had them re-do it as a map of Africa. I'll shamelessly post another pic of the way I have it displayed. They also took care of all the shipping

 

[billc]

I like that alot. I will be doing some rugs this time around myself.

 

[enysse]

Rob44, that is pretty classy, I love the map!!!! Great vision on your part!

 

[Rob404]

Rob44, that is pretty classy, I love the map!!!! Great vision on your part!

Thanks I also sent a pic Chris at CT Safaris, he also thought it to be somewhat different from the norm