Getting an animal wall mounted

[Harrynsw]

Hi folks
This is something I want to work towards. Was wondering what people's experiences were in this area, ie procedures, cost etc.

And any reccomendation on a good taxidermist in Sydney. Cheers.

[Blr243]

Never had it done but I think a big contributing factor to a great job is how well you prepare the animal,eg quick, immediate delivery, or caping or salting or refrigeration etc ...thorough, prior learning would go a long way, even if you practice caping out the face of bunnies u will learn how time consuming it is and how delicate u need to be , I think from My old deer hide tanning days it’s important not to leave excess fat and meat. ....I think most taxidermists have probably already prepared this info for their potential customers. And I think lots of pics of the original freshly shot animal help the taxidermist present the mount in the original appearance

[Harrynsw]

Never had it done but I think a big contributing factor to a great job is how well you prepare the animal,eg quick, immediate delivery, or caping or salting or refrigeration etc ...thorough, prior learning would go a long way, even if you practice caping out the face of bunnies u will learn how time consuming it is and how delicate u need to be , I think from My old deer hide tanning days it’s important not to leave excess fat and meat. ....I think most taxidermists have probably already prepared this info for their potential customers. And I think lots of pics of the original freshly shot animal help the taxidermist present the mount in the original appearance

Thanks Blr243

[Die Judicii]

Thank God some-one FINALLY put up/started a new thread,, things are becoming stagnant..

As for taxidermy/wall mounts,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I had a pig done in the 80's,,,, cost a heap then and costs a heap and three quarters now.

I simply popped el grunto into a chest freezer as soon as I got into town,,, and delivered it to the taxidermist as was the next day.
He (taxidermist) had a friend from Germany staying at the time.
This bloke had won some special awards in taxidermy,,,, and it was he that did the initial work on my grunter.
So all the hard work was done for me.

That being said,,,,, because it was stuffed into the freezer the way it was,, every time I look at it,, I see the flattened tip of the snout as it was when it came out of the freezer the next day.
Now that's the kind of detail that sticks in your memory as a truly memorable experience.

Contrary to popular belief,,,,, Taxidermists do animals as well as taxis,,,

[Blr243]

Blunt nose pig reminds me of the time I took a kiwi bow hunting and he shot a fox so he cut off his head and tail and carried it back to camp to show me .....then we realised how it would be good to get a photo of the entire animal so we just in the Ute and took off to find the rest of the fox. He propped for a photo after pushing the body parts together and it looked totally fine. and I think about it every time I see that photo but nobody other than us knows the truth about the three piece fox

[brinny]

Had the odd one done....these are a few of the ones i have had done over the years....
I also have foxes and ducks and pheasants done as well.....
What they cost and the time it takes depends largely on the taxidermist.....
I have another red stag in getting done at the moment and is just under the thousand dollar mark....\
Preperation work in caping a deer out is pretty important...
Always allow enough behind the shoulder for your mount....cut the cape too close to the shoulder and the taxidermist will struggle for length....
Skinning around the coronets can be difficult as it is very tough around them....
Turning the ears inside out is a time consuming excersize and done incorrectly can mean big holes in the ears and more work for your taxidermist to repair.......I use a spoon and a large screwdriver...
Skinning around the eyes and nose is important too as all excess meat and tissue needs to be removed....
A lot i know will just take a head and cape attached into the taxidermist and get them to cape it out....costs more but it gets done right...
When it comes to foxes, ducks etc....Get them into the freezer as soon as you can and freeze them whole and book them into your taxidermist for mounting....he will tell you when to bring them in.....

[RoginaJack]

Great wall mounts but no fish?

[Grandadbushy]

Nice setup you got there brinny

[brinny]

Great wall mounts but no fish?

Cheers mate....but not much of a fisherman.....Did catch 100kg marlin years ago on a charter off Cairns....but it was all catch, tag and release.....which was fine by me.....

[TassieTiger]

Those Japanese tomato ferns look fresh - do those plants help with any left over smells ?

Beautiful line of antlers !

[brinny]

Those Japanese tomato ferns look fresh - do those plants help with any left over smells ?

Ha ha....they are fake....plastic....

Beautiful line of antlers !

\

Cheers mate....lots of years in the bush there....

[Chola]

I've had plenty done, and do my own as well. As others said it's all in the preparation of the Cape. Check online how to do this, and practise on some critters that you don't want mounted as guaranteed you won't get it right first time. Use enty of salt ( fine table salt) not rock or pool salt. And salt the Cape 3 times.
Cost varies depending on size of animal and mount. Look at wall pedestal mounts, they look awesome and better than just a standard mount IMO.