How much do you pay for a shoulder mount
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: Grunter
16-Feb-18
Curious what everyone is paying for a whitetail shoulder mount? My guy charges $350 but I know that's pretty low. Seems like most are at least $500.
From: Reggiezpop
16-Feb-18
I can’t find a guy to mount my 100lb doe I bring in every year!!! In all seriousness, my last mount was just under $700. Probably a little more than most, but I love his work, and love supporting someone that takes the time and detail to do what he does.
From: CaptMike
16-Feb-18
$500-$550
From: Chief2
16-Feb-18
Wow....I haven't shot anything worth mounting in a very long time and after hearing those prices I kind of hope I don't lol... But you always pay for what you get I guess
From: casekiska
16-Feb-18
The last whitetail I had mounted was from the 2007 season. He was a shoulder mount and think he cost me about $400,...if I remember correctly. I have two others from years earlier and can't begin to recall what they cost, must have been a lot cheaper however.
Mostly, I just mount the antlers. With just one or two exceptions I have the racks off every deer I've taken, bow and rifle. Even have the antlers from the first deer I killed, a small 8-point taken with a bow in 1964.
Had to experiment and teach myself how to prepare and mount the antlers. They look pretty good, I think, and know I have saved big time by doing it myself. Besides it was a lot of fun to do. I am by no means a taxidermist but I have showed a couple guys how I do it and they have copied me and are now doing thiers the same way. Saved them $$$ also.
My cost to mount a set of antlers is about $3 - 4 and some time. Mounting the antlers is for me now, one of the last parts of the hunt.
From: RJN
16-Feb-18
$500 for the guy who does the best work in our area.
From: Ranger rick
16-Feb-18
$650-$700 but they are awesome
From: Drop Tine
16-Feb-18
$450.00 for my last one plus tip.
From: Nocturnal
16-Feb-18
375
From: Screwball
16-Feb-18
350.00 great work and will customize. Also does antler replicas and restoration reasonably.
From: maxracx
17-Feb-18
$550-$600 depending on the mount style
From: grindersonly
17-Feb-18
450
From: ground hunter
17-Feb-18
In 2009 I shot a big 160, on public land, and had it mounted..... took it all the way to Mercer, to have Chris Fink do it,,,,, glad I did,,,,, I paid 450.00 for that, which I thought was fair,,,,, down here it would have been 600 but I like his work, plus he took me fishing, and 2 nites lodging, and his wife cooked all my meals ha ha
All of my exotics were mounted in Iowa, and my ram was mounted in Iowa, because I know the guy, and its worth the trip, but his mounts were 400 - 500,,,,, my ram was 700, and it looks great in my cabin
From: Tweed
17-Feb-18
How much do you tip?
From: Naturelives
17-Feb-18
410
From: Naturelives
17-Feb-18
410
From: CaptMike
17-Feb-18
Curious about the tip also. Never realized or thought about tipping the taxidermist.
From: upnorth
17-Feb-18
Chris did a bear a turkey and a deer for me did great work at a a good price . The deer I shot this year I was going to have it done by Chris he never returned my calls . Shouder mounts are 450 to 600 around here . I am having the guy that does a lot of mounts for Cabellas ( hes in fifield ) do it , Its 600 but he buys bows from me and sends me customers so the extra 100 or so is no big deal plus he does real good work .
From: dbl lung
17-Feb-18
I think a lot of you are being tipped in a different way. $500 is enough and if it becomes more I will Euro mount them.
From: ground hunter
17-Feb-18
It is getting expensive, but then so is material, add the person skills and dbl lung I am sure you do not work for 10.00 an hour,,,,,,,,,,
From: northbound
17-Feb-18
I had one buck that I killed in April still holding horns many years ago done by a taxidermist student for 150 bucks. Even incorporated the ford emblem into the mount.
My buck from last season will be 600 when he gets to it. I pre tipped with cold smoked venison
From: Drop Tine
17-Feb-18
I agree double lung. My 3/4 body mount on my bear was only $700.00 from 3-4 years ago.
From: Duke
17-Feb-18
$600ish. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. I made an oath to myself a number of years ago that I wouldn’t save a few bucks and be stuck with something mediocre that is on my wall until I die and one of my kids can have someday if they want. I’ve seen some pretty nice animals tarnished by half-assed mounts.
From: Drop Tine
17-Feb-18
I’ve seen some expensive mounts on bear and cats that were god awful. Getting the heads right on those two animals must be a challenge.
If your bear hunting in Zone B and need a taxidermist give Tom a shout at Headhunters Taxidermy. He gets them right and reasonable.
From: ground hunter
17-Feb-18
the trick to cats, is getting the right form,,,, some guys try to put a big cat on a small form, looks bad
From: RUGER1022
17-Feb-18
Paid a lot of money for my last WT mount . For a year I asked anyone that visited the man cave , " which is the best mount "? . Every person pucked the same one out of 7 Deer . You get what you pay for .
Mounted by After the Hunt , in Wausau .
From: Live2hunt
19-Feb-18
I have to do them for Free because of the laws for getting a Taxi license, it Sucks. I only do them for family. Working full time and having a wife, I have time to do 1 - 4 heads and a couple fish a year. I am not going to file a tax number and go through the hoops for a sellers permit to get the DNR license for that amount. I would be filing a loss every year on my taxes. My hope is to open a shop when I retire from my current job. If you guys know what goes into a good mount, I wouldn't complain about the cost.
From: South Farm
19-Feb-18
Hardly look at the ones I already have mounted so I'm done mounting 'em. Toss the rack in the pile of other ones and enjoy the meat. Last deer I mounted ran me $275, so it's been a while!
From: Bow Crazy
21-Feb-18
$450 two years ago.
From: Swampy
22-Feb-18
Just ordered the materials yesterday for this years buck . Eighty bucks . Glad I do my own . Very few would have been mounted over the years if I would have had to pay for it .
From: MF
27-Feb-18
Seen this cool Mount on Face Book
From: Johnny_Utah
27-Feb-18
I love that one! I pay $525 for shoulder and $125 for European.
From: Johnny_Utah
27-Feb-18
From: Live2hunt
27-Feb-18
Swampy, it is a good hobby to have if you hunt and fish, LOL.
From: WausauDug
28-Feb-18
at some point price does matter and I think my ceiling would be 500. A good friend of mine has done taxi professionally and now just occasionally and are really good. He says it takes him 10-12 hrs per head
From: Live2hunt
28-Feb-18
Wausau, does that include Skinning, Fleshing, salting, pickling, thinning, tanning, form prep, clay work, mounting, finnishing? 10-12 hrs is pretty fast for all that.
From: WausauDug
06-Mar-18
no, that was bringing the head in caped and he sends the capes on to be tanned
