Recape a deer head?

[LongSpur39]

Have anyofyou ever had to get a deerhead recaped? Due to shotty taxidermy work and/or your mount deteriorated?

[dwagg]

I have, and it's costly!! The first one I bought the cape from the taxidermist, big mistake. It was half the size of the original and $150!!

The second one I shot a smaller racked deer for the cape.

They both look a far cry better than how the first taxidermist did them.

Cheaper is not always best. Check out their work and ask for references. A good taxidermist will not be offended.

[grizz1]

I have not although my first mount is terrible. I don't plan to have it remounted as it brings back memories of my Dad and the hunt each time, so it means more to me as is. In 1970 taxidermy sure wasn't what it is today although I've seen mounts from that era much better than mine.
My thoughts are that it will be EXPENSIVE and perhaps a hunter should just start over depending on what has happened to the mount.
If the work was bad from the start, the setting of the eyes and antlers probably will be too and removing them from the form would not be real easy. If you could get a new cape on your own and start from scratch just using the antlers would probably be the way to go.

We save capes for taxidermist each year at our processing facility, they always want the large ones, measured right behind the ears as the large ones are in most demand and hard to find. Twenty one inch necks are a dime a dozen but the big boys go for 45 to 75 dolllars to the taxidermist. He marks them up for the inconvenience and I don't blame him, therefore you soon get into the 150 dollar plus range.

[LongSpur39]

Feb 9, 2010 14:00:00 GMT -5 grizz1 said:

I have not although my first mount is terrible. I don't plan to have it remounted as it brings back memories of my Dad and the hunt each time, so it means more to me as is. In 1970 taxidermy sure wasn't what it is today although I've seen mounts from that era much better than mine.
My thoughts are that it will be EXPENSIVE and perhaps a hunter should just start over depending on what has happened to the mount.
If the work was bad from the start, the setting of the eyes and antlers probably will be too and removing them from the form would not be real easy. If you could get a new cape on your own and start from scratch just using the antlers would probably be the way to go.

We save capes for taxidermist each year at our processing facility, they always want the large ones, measured right behind the ears as the large ones are in most demand and hard to find. Twenty one inch necks are a dime a dozen but the big boys go for 45 to 75 dolllars to the taxidermist. He marks them up for the inconvenience and I don't blame him, therefore you soon get into the 150 dollar plus range.

Yep ya can't blame any taxidermist for making a buck on an animal he didn't originally do.

[LongSpur39]

I have gone to few different taxidermists over the years. One was a bit pricey. he had some good mounts in his studio. But when i got my 190 lb buck back it was looking like a doe cape. It looks nothing as far as head or neck size of the animal i dragged a half mile out of the woods. Puney! then i had a woman taxidermist do my largest buck to date. She had it for over two yrs. Everytime i called she said she was so backed up. Or she would say I've started it and it should be finished in a couple months. When i finally got it ,with in a few months the cape had split down the back. Couldn't find her or locate her to fix it. Come to find out she was using it in shows and competition for nearly the two years. Took it to another taxidermist to recape it. And he did a terrible job for cheap. I look at it and say thats what i paid for. Anyhow i'm skeptical of taxidermists now,with good reason!

[Ghost]

There is another way to have your mount redone. It is not as costly if you do it this way, but it is a gamble of sorts. Take the rack and skull and store it so that it is safe and it does not deteriorate, probably in freezer. Next deer season hope that you get a buck, that you do not want to mount, and use the cape from that deer. You need to considerer the size of the next buck also. You can also illicit the help of your friends and maybe get to use a cape from one of their bucks. This will cost about the same as if you were to do a mount with all the original parts of the animal. Also, I know this is an inconvenience but you might want to considerer going out of state to get your work done.

We have some of the same problems here in Oklahoma, a lack of quality taxidermists, so I fully understand your problems. I had a similar incident with a large mouth bass. I caught the largest bass of my life and wanted to have a display/table mount of it done. I decided to use a different taxidermist that was closer to home, first mistake, I gave him the deposit and told him exactly what I wanted. About a month before its completion I went down to inspect his work. When I got there I was sick at the way the fish turned out. As far as the display was concerned, it was top notch, but the fish looked like a 4lb fish. The fish I gave to him was a 24" length and a 18 to 19 inch girth and weighed 10.2 lbs. The fish that was on my display did not even look like the same fish, it was shorter and thinner than what I had given him. I then took the pictures and measurements to the taxidermist that I had always used in the past and had a fiberglass replica made of it. After all the money, for the deposit on the first table mount, I could not afford to have another table mount of this fish done. So I ended up with a wall mount.

[LongSpur39]

Thats the sad thing about it or unnerving thing about it. Once the original fish or animal is done,it's done! Then you go to pick it up and you get sick to your stomach. To be completely honest out of all my mounts. I don't think one stands out as a nice piece of work. They all have their flaws. I'm not a traditionally picky person. But when it comes to a special animal,that I harvested. I want it to look as close to the animal as possible when i took it. I'm gonna start doing some homework this year and find a good taxidermist. Hopefully with not an outrageous fee.

[grizz1]

So sorry to hear of your bad experiences Longspur, it has to be very frustrating and simply not right. The fact is, at least here in Mo, is that to be a Taxidermists you just buy a license simple as that. Taxidermy is truly an art and not everyone will be good at it, no more than we can all sing well or run fast.
Seems as though many begin because they have a love for hunting so want to preserve their own trophies at a modest cost. You can get enough info from the computer/magazines/catologs to mount your own deer head. It becomes a very personal thing to them, their friends either not knowing the difference or wanting to remain polite do not critizize any bad work and so they continue until it becomes a business.

I'm fortuante enough to live 3 miles from a 5 time National champion, 7 miles from our state champion and 15 miles from a 5 time world champion taxidermists. I've spent many hours in their studios drinking the free coffee, visiting, helping skin/flesh hides and caping deer. This is only the beginning though and I'm not artistic enough to become a great taxidermist. Remember it is art work backwards, working from the inside out, unlike a painting, and that is where a lot of mistakes begin.

Some suggestions I will make just from the things I've heard while visiting these studios.
Say you take a deer this coming year, document everything with photos including neck measurements. Look at the ears and check for splits, check the hair coat for cuts/rubs ect and make notes of this. If your taxidermists sends the hide away for tanning it should come back in good shape, if not, it is not your fault.In most cases there will be identifying marks that you will recognize but don't trust either your memory or that of a taxidermist so have pics for backup.If he/she is reputable,they are going to expect fair treatment from the tannery.
Research taxidermists, get many references, if they have a good stand up business they won't mind you asking questions/checking them out.You may have to drive several miles to find one that pleases you. Attend some taxidermist conventions where they are competing, these are sometimes free to the public a few hours a day or very low cost. You will see their "best" work and they will want to visit about their work. The last day you will see the ribbons, blue, red, yellow and white, some mounts amay not get any ribbon at all. Visit with the blue and red ribbon winners, get their business card, after all this is their "best work" so if their work recieves low marks, well their work is not good enough so politely walk on by.

The time that work is promised to be done is always an issue and can be one I have a problem with also. Very fast turnaround times mean they are not busy which may translate into not very good. Some of the best can have a long wait, it should be worth the wait but check out references to see if they follow a list and at least try to stay on schedule, 1st come 1st served basis.
This may sound crude but if I needed a Doctor for surgery, I want one with much experience, good results/references, one that will openly talk to me, stay on a promised schedule, yet not put it off until it's too late, cost/payment plan may be discussed but bargain prices would scare me away!
There are taxidermy magazines available, such as Taxidermy Today that you can learn a great deal from and get in contact with folks in your area. Begin now looking for your Taxidermist for next season, with some luck you just might need him.

[LongSpur39]

Thanks Grizz,some very good tips. I'll put some pics together of my mounts sometime in the near future. And show some of the things or flaws in them. That somewhat disappointed me.

[Brian89]

Just like everything else these days, you get what you pay for in taxidermy.. Ghost, the best two taxidermists I have seen in this state for deer is Danny Keener out of choctaw, For deer and fish Ken Bauman in anadarko is this best I have seen, I wouldnt take anything to Terrys in OKC, IMO they're to comercialized