Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Is taxidermy worth it

When i get old will i refret spending so much money on taxidermy? Taxidermy makes a nice man cave, but is it worth that dough? Are pictures enough? I know this varies from person to person, im just curious

When I get old and can't hunt any more, every trophy on the wall will hold memories.

I like my small trophy collection but honestly I wish I took more pictures, kept a album and maybe a small journal.

Edit: Forgot to add, its nice to have the animal down glory shot but I wish I took more pictures of the scenery, camp and my hunting friends.

I wouldn't give a nickel for a mounted head of any sort. I have a house full of mounted heads that I wouldn't sell at any price. Those came by years of hunting and hard work, yes the Taxidermy is worth it...

Taxidermy yes, if cash is tight do a euro mount or horns / antlers on a plaque. Lot's of photos especially in today's digital is a grand idea as well.

Well said shrapnel.

Talking out loud.... I don't know. I've gotten rid of all but one bear rug, an antelope, my biggest blacktail, etc. Don't want to spend too much time patting yourself on the back for a job well done 25 years ago. Although I still have a record book archery mule deer that is very special. The rest, not so much. More photos of camp and friends in an album, more euro mounts in the future probably. Or throw the horns in the pile in the shed.

Thanks for the responses. And how much could u save from doing a euro mount?

I never refretted spending money on taxidermy.

You can do a euro mount yourself and I think they're cool. YMMV.

without a doubt it's worth it..

If it has some special meaning to you mount it. If it's just to make your man cave look cool then no it's not worth it.

There are times that I go into my office, where the critters reside, with a martini and just sit and recall. Sometimes I'll even have an appropriately memorable rifle in hand. No regrets here.

I haven't regretted any of mine. I have more euros than mounts, but something that I've started doing is putting a picture of the animal with the mount. I've got a deer that grandpa was with me when I took it, so he's in the picture with me. I've got a moose that all of my friends that were involved are in the picture. It makes those memories that much more special. Euros are cool and it's a fun post season project BUT good taxidermy work is art to me.

Me either. In fact, I don't even know how to refret.

Sorry, I just had to laugh at these two together.

To me it is well worth it.

If I ever get a really nice whitetail, I may have it mounted. In the meantime, I've a bunch of nice basket rack antlers sitting on the shelves of a big wall unit where I can take them in hand and admire the unique qualities of each one. I do hope to have one nice bearskin to cover my old bones someday. Tanned hides are cool.

Once you figger out how to fret, it's a snap.

My "horns" are stuck in the trusses in the shed, or somewhere in dad's garage. If I ever get a bear I will give the hide to a friend who does taxidermy, for his use. I don't want heads on my wall, or the bill. The meat and thrill are all I am after. I guess that could change with a truly big buck, but I doubt it. I do enjoy looking at nice mounts, but trophies don't interest me. However if you like them than they are worth it.

I didn't even know you played the gee-tar.

Guitar term.

Once upon a time it meant much more to me to get something mounted than it does now. I'm pretty much in the "less is more" camp now, but every hunter needs a few critters and antlers on the wall to play the part.

Unless it was something really special, I'd be happy with a Euro mount at most.

Pictures are what I find myself looking at more and reflecting upon because they really take me back to the moment.

Should add that if you are going to get something mounted, get the best you can afford. Bad taxidermy lasts a long time...

I have not regretted spending money on good taxidermy but I have on bad taxidermy. Spend the money and make sure you get a good mount. Cheap poor mounts you will regret. Or refret either one.

I find mounted heads in a smaller house like mine completely out of place. Plus, I like doing things myself. That means I mount horns on plaques and such, but no taxidermy. I've not regretted that yet, when I see other's mounts.

I may pay to get a really nice wood duck drake mounted one day.

Theres only so many I feel worthy to mount. Some I feel are better euro'd. I dont think id ever just throw some on a pile. They all are something special to me. I do most like this anymore...

Sometimes a taxidermist will trade a European mount for the cape...

From my first big hunt I got my (B&C) muley and a nice antelope mounted. It was done in the euphoria of the trip.
Then I decided to mount only B&C heads. As you can imagine, I don't have many shoulders on my wall.
Special things go on plaques, others are on bookcases, or wired to walls, or making my easy chair extremely difficult to sit in.

Those first two heads were worth every penny. And, I've got pics.

I have a shortage of wall space so have antler mounts of 1 each elk, deer, moose, and antelope.

i love taxidermy mounts and pelts. Bobcats, fox, bears, deer, ducks, coyote..... The more jammed into one room the better.

Taxidermy/Mounts/Trophies are worth much more than any dollar amount charged.

Money itself has no true value and it's worth is glorified by empty promises.

What I don't get are the guys who toss the horns in the shed, or in the yard, or give them away, or just toss them out. Why bother shooting a buck, bull, or whatever if you're not going to keep the horns? Just plug a doe.

Taxidermy is always worth it as long as it's worthy of being mounted. Personally, I only have 4 mounted because they were unusual. This was my first buck ever and am pleased I invested the money even though I was broke at the time.



A couple of years ago I got a "Hat Trick". I killed an 8 point with a Bow, Muzzle Loader, and Shot Gun. The deer were nice, but not worthy of getting them mounted. So I went into my father's wood shop and found this nice slice of Walnut with the bark still on it and finished it and gave it to my Taxidermist and had the racks put on it.



The rest of my bucks and dinks go on the wall in the man cave. I drill a hole through the skull and run a drywall screw through it and into the wall.

Some are truly special, the trick is looking forward all you can, while recognizing the really special ones from before. Not all of them are special, or worthy of mounting.

But it's kinda like fishing, which is only fun on one end of the line.

For me it depends on the type of taxidermy. I tend to do euro mounts as it saves money and space. I will do shoulder mounts or a rug if and animal is spectacular and I doubt I will ever do better.

Things like black bear bear rugs... how many does a house need? I usually only keep the skull and claws anymore.

I have some mounted ducks but will not do more. Along with random pelts that I have little use for. I don't regret having them done but I probably won't have more done.

This....

I want the memory...

I have a mix of both pics and taxidermy because it is worth it to me. I value every hunt I go on and every animal or bird I harvest. I realize when I'm gone it will go away but it's my way of preserving the experience.

Taxidermy is certainly getting more expensive, but with it I feel the artistry has gotten better as well. I'm especially fond of the newer wall pedestal mounts. Euro mounts are a good alternative if you choose not to go the "full" taxidermy route. Then there is the consideration of available space.

Maybe not every animal, but certainly the special ones get mounted....and only you can put that measure of value to each animal or trophy.

And in this digital age, it is ever so easy to capture the memories in photos. As we look back, it's not always the trophy pictures we relish the most. Camp memories, pranks, funny faces...they all add to the value of a trophy, but certainly to the shared memories with family or great friends.

Now if I can only figure out where the hell I am going to put a Bison shoulder mount when it's done......

I have my first buck a small 6 pt that was mounted by a friend who was just learning taxidermy at the time. The rest have been skull cap removals similar to stonecutters I kind of wish I had the 10 pt from a couple years ago as he was such a pretty buck but he would have just eventually ended up in a Cracker Barrel or some other place.

My vote goes to a good pic, including whatever friends & family might have been involved. Have had a couple of exceptional animals & fish mounted. That was enough.
Also truly enjoy the hunt and the meal, but value a buck a little higher than a doe. It's the curmudgeon in me.

I have lots of plaque mounts that many would get shoulder mounts of, and that's ok. it's their deer and their money. but for me, a simple plaque mount to remember the hunt with a photo is all I want. I do have a bear rug from a big bruin I killed in Colorado because a plaque mount would have looked ridiculous
seen my dad's mounts come apart after many years, he got mites in one that made all the hair fall out once. unless it's a truly huge majestic animal as a reward from an awesome hunt, I don't feel getting a mount. a plaque and a photo is more than enough, and those get changed out periodically on the wall and the photo goes into an album.

I have a friend who is a taxidermist and he'll do a nice plaque mount for $75 or less (that was for my elk) so putting a little cash that way is fine, 4-600 for a shoulder mount? nah, I'll pass. YMMV

Depends for me.

I'll never have a whitetail mounted - unless it's big enough to get me on the cover of a magazine or something.

Otherwise I just have the antlers lopped off, maybe flock the bone or plaster it and hang it over the sink in the shack.

I would like to have some nice tanned furs, if I ever get some that are really nice.

Mounted wise - only thing I think I'd have done is a bobcat or some particularly nice ducks.

Bucks over the sink

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!

Cowboysforlife34: I quit having shoulder mounts of my trophies done by taxidermists MANY years ago - THEY simply priced themselves out of my business!
My wife did surprise me and had a pedestal head shoulder mount made for me of a 6x6 Bull Elk I killed here in Montana about 5 years ago - I scolded her for that but it is impressive.
Over these last MANY years I have had many demastid beetle European style skulls of Whitetails, Mule Deer and Antelope done - I can afford and think these works are worthwhile.
I doubt I will ever again in my lifetime have another shoulder mount done (I have had dozens done in the past!).
Taxidermists (head/shoulder mounts) are simply NOT worth what they are charging anymore!
I wish them well but they will have to do well without me.
European skull mounts and top quality pictures will fill my needs completely from here on out.
For instance I killed a trophy 12 point (6x6!) Whitetail Buck this week and sold the cape off of this 5 1/2 year old trophy and am having beetles clean the skull and the skull will go on an oak desk pedestal.
The taxidermist I took it to tried and tried to have me shoulder mount it - I refused.
Once I get the skull done I might tell him why?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

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.

I like 'em.

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For me some make the cut





This one did not

Some not only make the cut but are in a class by way above the cut!!!!!



Oh my!!!!

This advice as to the pictures of scenery, camp, and hunting friends, as well as the journal is great advice.

I've seen too many older mounts that weren't aging well and wall space is an issue here. The only mount I'll ever have will be a mountain goat, the hair is more impressive than the horns and I love goats. If I ever get a Himalayan Snowcock I'd mount it.

Not worth it to me as much now as it did when I was in my 20's. I was fortunate to live in AK for about ten years and don't regret some of the animals I had done there, as I doubt I'll ever get another opportunity like that again. I do plaque mounts of every buck I shoot and put in the garage. They are good memory keepers, but like others have said, wish I had more photos. Still searching for that truly great whitetail though, when it happens, I'll get a shoulder mount done, then be done; unless lightning strikes and I get to go sheep hunting again

I am at a point now that I will only shoulder mount an exceptional sample of a species. Got to best what I've already stuffed.
With the exception of a full body mt. Lion. I am working on that now. It will keep my girls out of my home office, especially when I am not there.

I never much cared for mounts I saw in my friends'/relations' homes for years and years. So I never gave much thought or effort to getting anything mounted. I shot a good number of decent heads but never felt any urge to hang any dead animals on my walls.

Until I saw some really good taxidermy, that is, mounts that look like they're alive. That's when I realized that 1) good taxidermy can be amazingly beautiful art, and 2) truly good taxidermy is pretty expensive. Worth it? That's up to you.

Yup. Mount the snowcock for sure.

I like to look at really good taxidermy and like to hear folks tell the story of their hunt. That said, I've never had one mounted and doubt I ever will. I do keep the horns but have really never wanted the head on a wall. Not sure why...

I have done everything; journals, photograph albums and taxidermy. Each has it's benefit. I have always been a hunter first, trophies second. I also admire the look of a nice mount. All that I have shot are not trophies, but they certainly are memories...

Agree! And that day is getting closer, for sure.
My home is getting kinda filled up with mounted heads, hides, European mounts, and a few full-body mounts, all of which hold memories of great hunting experiences.

Some folks hang pictures on their walls, or buy bronzes, or dinnerware collections, etc. For me and my wife, it has been a combination of all of the above. There is simply no better conversation starter with like-minded folks than a few spectacular mounts in the house!

Do! They look awesome. My pard in ID has two mounted in a glass case. Wicked cool critters.

I love taxidermy for being able to relive the moments. I have a few from my past that I wish I'd have mounted. I'm trying not to replicate those regrets...

I really enjoy seeing nice taxidermy work, but have never spent the money for it until recently. I've wanted a shoulder mount of a mature mule deer for as long as I've been hunting and shot this one last year. Though I don't consider it particularily large, I took it with a BPCR and cast bullet (something else I've wanted to do for years) and spent the better part of a day trying to get close enough for the shot. It has more meaning to me than any critter I've shot, including several mature bull elk. It very well might be the only shoulder mount I ever have done, though there will be more European mounts which I think I prefer...

I had my first Mulie mounted by a friend who just happens to be a nationally recognized award winning taxidermist. Most people probably wouldn't have had a forkie horn mounted, even if he is 27" wide. But it was an awesome and very memorable hunt with 3 generations of uncles, cousins, and Grandad. It turned out spectacular, looks just like a live deer growing out of Mom an Dad's living room wall.

I busted my butt plowing, working cattle, hauling hay, and fixing fence at 15 years old to be able to pay for it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Every time I'm home for a visit I have to sit in front of the fireplace and relive that snowy morning on the mountain, skipping school for days on end to get an education on the hunter's hill with the guys. Can't wait to move it into my own house and tell and retell the story to my little boy on winter nights.

Other than that one I've done a bunch of euros, a pile of skull caps, and the Mrs and I have a growing pile of tanned furbearing critters hanging from pegs around the place. Heck we even still save pheasant tails, and tail fans from grouse and turkeys from timw to time. I love animal parts as home decor.
Next up will be a mountain goat hunt and if I'm successful I have money set aside to have a full rug done with taxidermied head and hooves. Not too many of those around but I know some folks with a couple and they are awesome to my eyes.

I would have to shoot something really exceptional to get it mounted. I do a lot of trapping and most of what I catch gets tanned. I like having piles of fur all over, the chicks dig it when they are under a pile of super soft critters.

I have everything beetled and bleached. Our taxidermist trades the work for the cape.

Otherwise I've never bothered. Not that I don't like mounts, I just don't want to take the time to get the ladder out and mount them on the wall. Too much effort.




Travis

I like mounts and have several but they pose some problems, space and cleaning. A few years ago my wife put her foot down and informed me if I was going to continue bringing mounts into the house, I need to clean them myself.

I used a ladder and vacuum cleaner about every six weeks which is a PITA. Then my kids bought me a "Trophy Duster" with a electrostatic brush for Christmas that extends out 7 feet and saves a lot of time. It is said to lift the dust, but I vacuum twice a year anyway.

In my front room I have a 30 inch Mullie I harvested in 1965. When I look at it it reminds me of good times and friends of the past. Now all the guys on that trip except one have passed away into their happy hunting grounds but I still have their memory when ever I look at it.

I love good taxidermy, but am at the point where I lack the space for it. I'm still keeping my trophies, but I'm doing mostly European mounts these days.

I had a bad experience a few years ago with trophies from Africa being shipped with dermestid beetles. Many capes were ruined, including a beautiful Nyala. Then, the taxidermist had a breakdown of sorts and gave me work not up to his previous standards. It made me really look at what part of the trophy was important to me. The skull is hard to mess up (although I've seen it done).

I'm also finding that the lower taxidermy bill lets me go on more trips.