fully colored? and how much?

[goosereaper]

hey guys, i have a ? for ya'll, i have a NICE old drake wood duck i shot this year that im wanting to get mounted. one question is, i shot it in early october and they said it might have too many pin feathers, but everything i see on it is fully colored.... it even has the side pockets filled in. and he never gave me a quote even tho i asked, how much should i expect to pay for this to get mounted? i can get pics up of it.

just let me know what you guys think!
Adam M

[Huntress]

Bird taxidermy is not my specialty, and I don't do waterfowl any more, but when I did I was getting $275 for ducks. The problem with pin feathers is that the bird can look good on the outside but when it's skinned the feather shafts protrude on the skin side making it VERY difficult to flesh.

If the taxidermist you talked to wouldn't give you a quote then he probably didn't want to mount it. Keep looking...call more shops and tell them you have an early season duck, ask if they'll mount it, and what the price is. If you find more than one shop willing to take it then go look at their work. Look their ducks over carefully before you make a decision.
-Look at the bird 'head on'...are the eyes both looking at you or are they crooked?
-Are all the feathers laying flat and are the feather groups in the correct position?
-Look closely at the breast feathers...if the bird was not fleshed properly this is the area that will probably have 'grease bleed' on the feathers.
-How's the paint job? Do the bill and legs/feet look natural and are they the right color for that breed of duck?

Choose your taxidermist by quality first and price second.

[goosereaper]

k, thanks, ill check those things out on some of his mounts. i got the name of a guy that has done some ducks and a snipe for one of my hunting buddies, and he does great work. he wants $250 to do it, and i hafta find the drift wood. ;D i was willing to pay up to $300, but $250 soudns good to me! ill get some pics up after i charge my camera for you guys (and gals) to see if its plumed.

thanks a bunch!
Adam M