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

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.