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Taxidermy turn around time

M

MN Hunter

Active Member
Just curious as to what your normal taxidermy turn around is and what is the longest you have ever waited. Still waiting for my 2013 deer. Already paid half of the bill, not sure at this point what to do.
 
Unless the taxidermist honestly tells you it will be more than 1 calendar year and you agree, over a year is too long. I know a very good taxidermist that advertises 19 month TAT and he sticks to it so that's different.
 
Marlin Hoch will get them to you in about 6 months or less and he does awesome work. I'd be mad if I had to wait over a year!
 
It is possible to get decent work quickly but more often than not, the better work is not done in really short order. Discussion of TAT should probably be part of your original conversation with a prospective taxidermist. Many are easily a year out. If your taxi doesn't come close to making the TAT that was originally discussed, you may have a problem & perhaps a phone call might be in order.
 
I have waited over a year before, but I was told that was a possibility. It will depend on how busy they are and where they are in the schedule. I bet even some of the really high quality guys that are typically really busy turned them around pretty quick during the lean ehd seasons.
 
I have a friend of mine that is still waiting to get his buck back from 2012. He's already paid for half and every time he calls about it the guy tells him he should have it done in about a month. That's been going on for over a year. He's has more patients with it than I would.
 
Taxi I took mine to this fall is right at about 9 months or so and sticks to it. My dad has had a couple done by him and it's always been about that 9 month time frame. He got my deer right before Thanksgiving and should have it in sept or somewhere close to there.
 
I just got back a 2010 deer last year from a taxidermist in Carter Lake that shall remain nameless. I honestly thought I would never see it again. Called several times (and left messages) and stopped by several times. Never heard anything. Finally got the mount back and its a D- Job. Said he had medical issues that caused the delay. Over 4 freaking years....

Moral of the story is the length of time it takes to get it back sometimes has little impact on the quality of the mount. Take it to a reputable place...pay a little extra for quality....and expect about a 6-8 month turnaround.


In my honest opinion even a year long wait for a $500 shoulder mount is absolutely ridiculous.
 
Dropped 3 off in November and got three back last month. Guy only does a 100 or so a year. Still have my my late muzzy deer there, should be done next month is my guess.

Talking with my taxi, longest part of the whole process is getting the hide ready. After its ready, it takes about a day or so to get it on the form then a month or so to dry.

If I wasn't getting any feedback from the taxi or felt he was dodging me, I would be waiting at his front door wanting my deer back and going somewhere else. Unless he told me up front that it might be years before it came back, then I would be kicking myself for going to him in the first place.

Is he a part time taxidermist that just does it on the side?
 
Hope it was the taxidermist in Osage...he closed shop, and took many animals with him... I know a guy who shot a 5 pt (hes 76 and it was his first deer) that has never saw his deer and all he wanted was a euro done...
 
Have gotten them back as early as june and as late as September. But im always told 9 months when i take them in.
Being friends with your taxidermist is a plus for me. I usually take them in at the end of season and he will do them last. Just kind of an agreement we have always had
 
Takes a few hours to cape and prep the hide for the tannery. The tannery I send to is Wildlife Gallery. It takes about 100 business days for the hide to return. Then there is another several hours prepping the hide to mount (time depends on quality of taxidermist and how thin they flesh around face, eyes, nose, etc... Then you have another day prepping the form and mounting the deer and getting everything tucked. Then have to watch it for a few days while it dries to make sure nothing pulls. Wildlife Gallery hides probably only take a week to fully dry. Different tanneries have different processes, so some may take longer to dry then others. Another couple hours to finish everything... and viola! :) If you can find someone that does their own fleshing and tanning process, you can get them quicker. I would expect a deer to be done within a year. If you call and bug us about them in a time frame before we told you it would be done by, you just may get bumped back! :)
 
I'm fine with a year but if it was more and I wasn't told that was a possibility then I'd be pissed. If he/she has a problem (health issue, whatever) then it is their responsibility to contact you and inform you of the delay.

I'd make a phone call ASAP and see what they say. Can't hurt.
 
IMO anything over a year is ridiculous and bad business by the taxidermist, unless they set clear expectations and stick to them. The quality of work should have nothing to do with it. A responsible taxidermist will stop taking on work once they know they will be busy till next hunting season. If they plan it correctly they will be busy year round while not making their customers wait an excessively long time. That is what Scovel does and I would stack their quality up against anybody. There are plenty of good taxidermists that do high quality work and get your mount back to you within a year. If I was in the OP's situation or any other poster who said they waited 2+ years I would have gone to the taxidermist and ask for my $, rack and cape back and taken it somewhere else.
 
I've had 5 full shoulder mounts done over the years, by several different taxidermists, and all have been done in less than a year. Most in that 6-9 month time frame. I did, however, take a piebald rooster pheasant to a different taxi within a relatively short distance a number of years back. He promised it'd be done in less than a year. Well, after about 2.5 years and multiple phone calls, I finally got the thing back. He had to wait nearly as long for final payment though :D Not sure if he's still in business or not, but he shouldn't be...

NWBuck
 
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