Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Taxidermy for Oryx.....New Mexico or Colorado Recommendations

Will be hunting Oryx in New Mexico in late August. Not only will hunting Oryx be awesome, it will also be my first taxidermy mount. Having said that, am I better off having it done locally in NM or bringing it back to the Denver area? Any specific taxidermy recommendations? Thanks!

PM sent.

Plenty of good taxidermists in Denver I'd take it home and have it done locally

I totally agree. If you leave it in N.M. it is much harder to track progress and keep the taxidermist honest (if needed). Keep it close to home.

If on one of the WSMR hunts you will have ample opportunity to check out the taxidermist locally. There will be three or four or more at the entrance/exit of where you hunt.

Last time I checked Colorados big game, there wasnt many oryx in the state. I would leave it with someone that has mounted many of them, and most of the guys at the gate during the hunt are good. The honesty part, your on your own, but we all know that every taxidermist will shoot straight with you 30% of the time.

Toby Joe

Dogcatcher can do a great job for ya.He's in CO.

I'm with Toby on this one except shipping can be a PIA. There are several dood Taxis that set up at the gates. Jordan Christensen and Robert Major would both do a good job. In Aug it will be hot of course, make sure you get it peeled quickly(for meat and trophy purposes (which you probably already know))There is a little outfit in Denver called Jonas Bros. You might check them out.

Jonas did my bighorn sheep, not cheap, but very good.

If I was to take it home, Jonas Bros would be the only one I would take it to.

Toby Joe

My taxidermist does many game heads each year from all over the US to Africa and New Zealand. A quality taxidermist in an large city such as Denver should have plenty of experience with African game of which Oryx or Gemsbok are,check before you go and if you can't find someone local your happy with then move to plan B.YMMV

many taxidermists in the west have done them (there are a bunch in NM and they are popular to hunt). ask around locally -- I'd feel better having it done close to home.

You might want to research a place like Jonas, before you consider taking your trophy there. How many award winning taxidermists do they have working there? Not to mention you are stuck with Jonas forms...

You have one of the best Taxidermist in the country up in Laramie. Charlie Thomsen of Laramie Taxidermy. 307-745-9659. He has done a ton of work for us as well as Cabela's. If you talk to him tell him Diamond J Outfitters set you. I am planning a trip to South Africa next year and he will do all my mounts.

I live about a mile from Jonas Bros. Except for my first mount, a shoulder mount of a mule deer, I have had all of my trohpies done at Jonas. They include a bearskin rug, a shoulder mount of a 6x7 elk, two shoulder mounts of cape buffalo, and a pair of elephant ivory (60/side).

Jonas is a little more expensive than some of the small shops, but they also have resources that the small shops don't.

As far as African game, I stop by there sometimes just to look at the various trophies on display. The place is always full of lions (I saw about 14 full-body mounts lined up one day), leopards, crocodiles, baboons, kudu, gemsbok, sable, and just about everyother plains game you can think of.

They even built a large freezer, so that they could store complete elephant skins for Cabelas (apparently they do several 100 thousand dollars worth of work for Cabelas every year.

They do some pretty artistic mounts as well. I've seen a full-body mount of a leopard, leaping up and snagging a full-body mount of an impala.

I also saw some world class elephant ivory (~138 lbs for one and ~146 lbs for the other). I was told that they belonged to a Chicago businessman, who had them for years and had decided they needed to be remounted on some marble stands. So he had them flown to Colorado on a Lear jet, just so Jonas could do the work.
(I was told that they were valued at a quarter of a million bucks).

Seems to me they have plenty of credentials.

BTW: Besides the Taxidermy Studio, they have three other taxidermy-related industries (Rockmont Industries, Knoblochs Tanning Products, and Jonas Supply on site, that manufacturers taxidermy forms (including custom forms) and supplies that are used by many smaller taxidermists.

As far as taxidermy awards, I guess they are big enough and so well recognized, that they don't have the time or need to enter local competitions. That's just a guess.

If you want to know call Bill Zlupko, the Manager of the Studio at 303 466-1112 or fax him at 303 466-1111. They also have a web site www.jonastaxidermy.com were you can contact them.

Just my thoughts/experiences.

i agree with jonas brothers. they did a dall sheep for me and it is beautiful.

I concur with having it done with someone who has done them in the past. My taxidermist does world class work (literally he is commissioned to do works that are displayed all over the world - recently including a 4 alligator display in a Chicago restaurant).

However I had an antelope done and it was "ok" but not up to his usual. He just never does them.

shipping is a killer. I had my mule 2007 mule deer done in Washington where he was hunted and shipped back to NY. The dang shipping literally cost as much as the taxidermy!