To me, I think the extra few dollars you spend on taxidermy is worth it. I'm only 29 years, and I hope that someday when I'm not able to hunt as much as I do now (which I still don't think is enough!), I'm able to sit in a pretty nice trophy room and look at them all and remember the hunts over and over again. Plus, I don't like many normal "decorations"? I'm not sure if that's the right word I'm looking for, but I look at a room with some taxidermy in it, and it has soul. If I'm somewhere that has a deer or elk or bear mounted in it, I ask about it, the hunt, etc. I look at a vase, painting, or whatever else is hung on a wall and...I could care less. It looks like I might be in the minority in this group, but when I can afford it, I'm getting my animals mounted. Granted, I'm not going to get every small game animal or doe, or little buck shoulder mounted, but every buck has been mounted or the antlers are on a plaque for a European mount, and I don't see that changing any time soon!
I feel much the same way.
I only have three actual taxidermyed specimens. A full body grey fox and two deer shoulder mounts. I do somewhat regret the fox and highly doubt I'll ever have another small critter done. I like it well enough but I do look at it sometimes and wish I had that $400 back instead. If I was rolling in money it would be different but as it is, small/bird/fur bearing animals don't seem all that worth it to me. YMMV
My first shoulder mount was a free range Axis buck that showed up out of the blue and that I also killed with my Glock 20. He's nothing special, not being very large but I'll probably never get a free opportunity to kill another, especially not with a handgun.
My second was a melanistic (black) white tail buck that also happens to be my largest rack to date. That's the one I know I'll never regret.
Nearly everything else has been done european style or mounted on a plaque. I figure the big and special ones will come in time and they'll go on the wall but until then, I'll just decorate with bone.
