My name's Vin, my brother-in-law is a crazy outdoorsman. He's had several hunting and fishing trophies mounted and it's pretty expensive. Have you checked on the price of a custom taxidermy mount recently?
I'll tell ya, a life-size big game mount will run you anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the animal. That's on top of all the money you've spent on the hunting equipment, licenses, trip and meat processing.
Having a fish mounted will cost you by the inch, starting at around $8/inch. Don't forget to add the money it takes to catch a trophy worthy fish. It can add up to some serious cash. But do it yourself taxidermy costs a heck of alot less.
DIY taxidermy doesn't take alot of space and you won't need to buy a bunch of expensive equipment. You can do your own taxidermy in a garage, your buddies barn, heck, even a large shed will do. You've just got to have enough room to work with the size animal you're mounting.
You're also going to need some heavy duty work benches and tables. And don't forget about chemical & tool storage. The tools you need depend on what you're mounting, but some basic stuff like knives, chisels, saws, screwdrivers and a hammer will all come in handy.
In DIY taxidermy, arsenic or some non-poisonous way to preserve the fur or feathers is used. This stuff can be bought online or at some sporting goods retailers or made yourself and stored safely. You can also buy all kinds of manequins and forms, shields and other mounting supplies at reasonable prices.
You can start doing home taxidermy pretty much as soon as you've harvested your prey. That really means you'll get a better quality, fresher looking mount. When you take your fish or animal to the taxidermist, they'll put it in a freezer until the can get to it.
Most taxidermist have a waiting list that's 10 months long. You can go out, get that deer, come home and start preparing it for mounting in hours or days instead of months. Long before your buddies get their mounts back, you can be showing yours off.
Almost any kind of animal or bird can be made up into a taxidermy mount. You can mount fish, birds, small animals, big game, trophy heads, feet, antlers and horns. Every hunting or fishing season you can have several new projects to work on.
I've read, you can even make up your own animal and do a little rogue taxidermy. You could freak your friends out with stuff you make by combining two or more creatures. Imagine all the possibilities!
DIY Taxidermy is a natural addition to your hunting and fishing habits. It gives you another chance to show off what a great sportsman you are. And, you can show everybody your artistic talents too.
You'll keep yourself busy during the off-seasons and you might even make a buck. Once your buddies get a load of the work you do, they'll be asking you to mount their trophies too!
In the next of this series, we'll explore the simple tools & equipment you'll need to outfit yourself inexpensively and still produce quality work! Plus, I'm going to throw in a cool freebie to make sure you get off to a great start when you set up your new home taxidermy shop!
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