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Turkey mount $$$

4K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  HOYT68 
#1 ·
I plan on getting a turkey mounted this year. The Taxidermist is a really good guy and has done numerous mounts for friends. His going rate is $545 any position with a 8-10 month turn around. Not to familiar with the going rates on turkeys. Is $545 fair? I have seen 4 of his turkey mounts and they look great so the quality in not an issue.
 
#3 ·
Turkey mount as all mounts have a wide range of prices. My shop is in Monroe N.C. and I get 650.00 with a freeze dried head. In our area a turkey mount ranges from about 500.00 to 1100.00. As is with all taxidermy there is a really big difference in quality that most people do not see because it is never pointed out to them. Higher prices do not always mean better work but most of the time they do. Also if a taxidermist work is average or below he is not going to point what a good mount strong points are because he probably doesn't know. My suggestion to anyone getting anything mounted is to shop around and get the best job you possibly can for what your budget will allow.
 
#9 ·
I paid $550.00 for a half as-sed job by a crook here in Southern California only to have it fall apart two weeks later because when I got it home it was infested by cadaver bugs.

I won't mention his name but it was Jim Brost of Wild Wing Taxidermy in Moreno Valley California.
I was not the only one to lose his bird, a good friend of mine (who I had recommended to WW) had his crumble apart a week later from the same thing.

I demanded a refund but he told me the bugs were in my house!

If he had treated the skin properly this would never have happened in the first place.

I have 14 mounts in my house along with 7 turkey tails and I've NEVER had an issue. My friends bird was hung in his office in the middle of Orange County where there is nothing but concrete.

DO NOT GO THERE!!
Warning..

Yea right!
 
#12 ·
Southern CA taxidermist recommendation



Sorry to hear that, bummer.

If you want to get another turkey mounted I HIGHLY recommend Breck Dickenson in El Centro. He's been doing taxidermy all his life and does a great job. Most importantly he is about as honest a human as I've ever met. I paid $620 for the full strut Tom he did for me last year and it turned out amazing. He has my 2012 Coues' deer as we speak.

http://www.breckdickinsontaxidermy.com/
 
#10 ·
Wow these prices seem high. I just saw bass pro or cabelas magazine that they do turkey mounts for $475 I do believe. It will be worth every penny though.
 
#11 ·
My advise...

if it's a trophy you want to keep for a very long time,,, SPEND THE $$$$

Don't go cheap because you probably will be disappointed if you do.

Remember, you get what you pay for!

Another thing, visit the shop first, look at the work, ask for references. Don't get burned like I did!!
 
#13 ·
The Bird I speak of that Brost Toasted was the largest and highest scoring Tom taken on Tejon Ranch in 2007 ~ A pure strain Merriams...my first.
Another thing he did was to swap the tail with another persons bird. All I have left is the tail and the beard.

The tail IS NOT WHITE!! The pictures I have of the bird...a Merriams...is white. The one he stuck on my bird (that fell apart) has tan tips which indicate a RIO!!

What a useless POS!!!

Bill
 
#17 ·
LOL, in this business, you get what you pay for. Cheap and quality never go in the same sentence. I charge 700.00 and this is a re-mount for a client that went the cheap and fast route the first time. He received the bird back from another guy and had it home 7 days before deciding it just wasn't what he was looking for. Here is a before and after. Domesticated turkey Bird Wild turkey Beak Turkey
Wild turkey Turkey Domesticated turkey Bird Galliformes
 
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