Taxidermy?

[bds9]

Just a thought, but I was thinking that maybe a taxidermist review thread would be a helpful thread. I for one use JEDS taxidermy (his name isn't JED, its Jeff just FYI) located in Rarden Ohio. They've done 5 exeptional mounts for me and have the fastest turn around time I've heard of. I've never waited more than 4 months. At $275 they are a steal. I just saw the thread of the Rick Busse mounted buck and thought maybe this would be a good Idea.

[Stonegod]

This is a great idea for a thread bsd9!!!!........when I finally kill a mountable deer I'll post about the taxidermist.

[mrbb]

well I agree a list of good one's would be nice
BUT sadly
and hate to say it, it seems like so many of them out there do both good and bad work
and even worse, many guys that get a head bcak really don't know what there looking at(don't mean to be rud here, just saying a lot of foklks never know they got a bad mount till they get a good one next to it)
so one guy gets great one and one gets a bad off same guy a lot
sad but true, but happens a lot more than you think,seems to be when a taxerdermist takes on more work then they can handle, and rush things!

most good one,'s are always busy and a tad pricy these days, and only willing to take on "X" amount of work!

so its hard to say what a list will turn up
but be nice to have a a list to go see there work at and get a better idea than just going in cold'
always good to have real feedback from customers if possible that have no vested interest in them

[mrbb]

on a second note here
how many folks know what to look for on a mount??

and this is a question I'd enjoy some feed back on
How many folks have deer heads mounted
and how many have any white showing in there eye's??
as a deer had NO white in there eye's while alive, yet is a very common way to get mounts back

so does anyone here have a mopunt with white showing??

I have almost 30 heads mounted, and worked with a taxerdermist for yrs back in the 80's and early 90's
and we did a lot of show's so I learned some things to look for when judgeing quality of mounts
not bragging just asking!

[Stonegod]

I would like to see a pic of those 30 mounts mrbb.

[mrbb]

Stonegod,
well there between my two house's (kind of ran out of room at other house, so started sticking some here last few yrs)
I am at the one now, and I have only 8 heads here and one on the way in a few weeks(or so the new taxidermist said in August ,
making his weeks a little longer than mine LOL expected it done in Sept, so he's running late,
got this new guy due to my old friend/taxidermist gave it up a few yrs back )
I have posted pic's before of a bunch of them
Pm me an E mail and I can send a few if you like, don't feel like going into Photo bucket to dig em up again, and its easier for me to e mail than post here
there not all big bucks either, even a few doe in there too LOL

I worked with a taxidermist for yrs (80's and 90's) was a very good close friend too,and he used to mount a lot of my heads for practice(plus for some shows he did) and to do me a favor and show me how
plus, only had to pay for the cost of materials, he tanned his own hides, so that was free for me (way back when 50 bucks or so covered it all too )
so got a lot done just cause it was cheap and thought it would be cool to have a lot done!

But now ,
they just take up a lot of space, and a pain in the ass to keep dust free!
But I did learn a lot about deer mounts, and what to look at when saying a good or bad one
something I know many folks don't
as far too many tmes, I have seen people get heads back, and say things like wow its greats and that
and never notice the bad, till later on in hunting career when they get another one done by someone else that did it right and put it next to that first one, and then they see the things that were not done so good
making again, them not see the bad mount really till they got a GOOD one to compare it to!
and not a ton of guys have a lot of heads done, and or done by different folks either
so if they stick with one guy??? all heads might look the same??
this is not a post to bash on taxidermist either
many great one's out there for sure
but at the same time, there is a lot of so so one's out there, and wore, Bad one's
here in PA< one of the biggest cheater tricks many taxidermist do, is use smaller forms, as they will buy one size in bulk to get better pricing and then you take in your 200 lb deer and get a deer back with a much smaller neck and or head on it
many guys never notice this , but some do,
next thing is again, white in them eye's, or one eye looking one way and the other another
for a few quick things to look at!
I am willing to bet, if folks here look at there heads, some will see this
my last 3 heads done, by different people, all have faults I seen as son as I walked in and they never got return work from me due to it
and why I have always said a GOOD taxidermist is hard to find, one that is doing good work all the time and not some good some bad
I have gone to many shops looking at work, and sadly seen, in most shops, both great work and BAD work
making me wonder what I would get if I picked them??
and sadly this seems to be pretty common up my way
the guy before this one I'm having done now
we had a long talk about mounts, I pointed out , I know a lot and have a lot of heads, hoping he would translate into, taking better time doing mine
and he gave it back to me with dam rack in crooked and eye's all goofy
and at the time, all the heads in his shop before I picked him looked great, and I got the lemon back?? proving my therory about some can do good work, and some lack some times!

[mrbb]

OK well here are a couple

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/016_zps9f9ee57f.jpg (http://s1190.photobucket.com/user/mrbb1/media/016_zps9f9ee57f.jpg.html)



http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/017_zps0e98c953.jpg (http://s1190.photobucket.com/user/mrbb1/media/017_zps0e98c953.jpg.html)



http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/018_zpsd7420e19.jpg (http://s1190.photobucket.com/user/mrbb1/media/018_zpsd7420e19.jpg.html)

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/021_zps38cb58e5.jpg (http://s1190.photobucket.com/user/mrbb1/media/021_zps38cb58e5.jpg.html)


http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/mrbb1/019_zps411e037b.jpg (http://s1190.photobucket.com/user/mrbb1/media/019_zps411e037b.jpg.html)

[Bigcity]

Any chance I get to recommend a taxidermist I always come back to Bill's Taxidermy, located in Atwater on Unger Road. Been in the business for 30 years and does fantastic work for very resonable prices. His most famous mount is likely the Jeff McCulley Buck (257 4/8) killed in Summt County 2010. Good guy, likes to talk, so plan on spending a little time there :).