# Euro mount, pro job, how much does it cost?



## redneckone

I am thinkin of offering in my local area to mount deer in the euro style skull mount, i have done it many times myself and have gotten decent enough to mount them for other people. How much does it cost for a taxidermist to do this same thing and how long would the wait be? I was gonna charge 100 bucks with a 24ish hour turnaround, with their choice of wood plaque and style. How does that compare to a shop price and wait period?


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## redneckone

ttt


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## hoythunter91

beat the hell outa anyone elses turn around price idk it depends if heard of em goin for 150 and i heard them goin for 60


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## Splittine

They are priced alll over here. $100 sounds about right but I wouldnt promise 24hr turnaround, you could get backed up real quick and have some folks mad at you.


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## 1231

Price is good but I would def not promise 24 hrs


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## redneckone

Well i would only offer to my local area and i havent had any people that are interested so far, so for now it's 24 hr turnaround. If i get more people that want me to mount for them i would just give them a reasonable timeframe, but i would dedicate most of my time to get the job done, since i recently had a back injury i haven't been workin too much so i have found alot of spare time figured i could make a little extra christmas money, but so far either noone has killed anything or they are getting a full mount on the deer which i understand. Just needed to get some ideas on prices and stuff so i wasn't asking for unreasonable prices or anything. I hope my turnaround time would be my selling point since noone wants a taxidermist to have their trophy for long amounts of time.


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## tiuser

redneckone said:


> ..............I was gonna charge 100 bucks with a 24ish hour turnaround, with their choice of wood plaque and style. How does that compare to a shop price and wait period?


$100 with the mounting plaque...good price! But how are you doing it to get 24 hrs??? That is quick.


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## brash

24hrs. that would just be cleaned. not degreased. degreasing takes weeks. then whitening/sealing takes a day or so. if your just going for a bare skull 100 is too much.


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## redneckone

Well I am not a professional taxidermist. I never claimed to be. I have mounts that were mounted in 1998 and they still look as good as the day I mounted them. And with the plaque being customized to the order, i thought it was a fair price, especially if someone kills one that isn't maybe their lifetime biggest deer but still worthy of mounting in a man cave somewhere. And as far as the whitening it only takes about 2 hours. The degreasing is taken care of between boiling and peroxide.


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## SportHunter

I have had one done by boiling and it was about $75. Wouldn't have paid $5 for this type of job after seeing how poorly it turned out. From then on I send them out to be done with beatles, you get a much better product with a plaque for about $100. Time isn't as big a concern as quality to me.


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## Brian Jones

SportHunter said:


> I have had one done by boiling and it was about $75. Wouldn't have paid $5 for this type of job after seeing how poorly it turned out. From then on I send them out to be done with beatles, you get a much better product with a plaque for about $100. Time isn't as big a concern as quality to me.


 The method has nothing to do with it. I guarantee you can get just as good a job, or better than with beetles. It all depends on the quality of the job, the person does.


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## redneckone

I meant this post only to get an idea of people's experience with their own deer mounts and to compare to see if it would be worth offering to help out some guys around my area. I didn't want to start a controversy of methods. I would show examples of my work and explain every detail if the person wanted, the main reason i think people don't mount themselves is alot of people just don't want to dig around in a deer head to scoop out brains and stuff. I don't mind it and if i can make a dollar on it then so be it.


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## MIbowhunter49

redneckone said:


> The degreasing is taken care of between boiling and peroxide.



False. I realize you'll just respond with "well mine aren't yellow", but most people will tell you boiling and a bleaching agent is not the same as properly degreasing.


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## redneckone

ahhh... nevermind


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## turkethinter84

I charge 100 bucks, with no plaque. 48 hour turn around promise. I do a boil, but there is absoluty no flesh remaining and is stark white. I have to fight other tards charging 60 bucks in my area as well. Good luck to ya. Pm me if you have any questions


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## turkethinter84

redneckone said:


> I meant this post only to get an idea of people's experience with their own deer mounts and to compare to see if it would be worth offering to help out some guys around my area. I didn't want to start a controversy of methods. I would show examples of my work and explain every detail if the person wanted, the main reason i think people don't mount themselves is alot of people just don't want to dig around in a deer head to scoop out brains and stuff. I don't mind it and if i can make a dollar on it then so be it.


I'm with you on this one. Couldn't agree more!


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## Brian Jones

MIbowhunter49 said:


> False. I realize you'll just respond with "well mine aren't yellow", but most people will tell you boiling and a bleaching agent is not the same as properly degreasing.


 Most definitely false. There is no degreasing taking place, that is simply cleaning and whitening.


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## redneckone

Thanks turkethinter84. I will say again i am not a taxidermist, i am an amateur ******* that tries to help out people that don't want to pay crazy amounts of money to just a hang a tasteful mounted trophy on their wall. If it is such a big deal that it has to be absolutely perfect then take it to a taxidermist, no skin off anyones back. I know alot of hunters that hunting is just a hobby and they don't want to invest mad amounts of money into things, that is where i could help them out and make a dollar. Personally i will continue to mount every deer i kill myself cause all i have is just my time and materials in the job. The way i do things is just the way i was taught and it works for ME. If someone near my area wanted me to mount a deer for them then cool, if it was a record buck then they would probably take it to a pro shop for a shoulder mount. If you are a taxidermist posting to this thread i am not trying to steal your business for a "less than par" job. I was simply asking prices and timeframes since i don't use a taxidermist and had no clue for prices and peoples experiences with them.


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## MIbowhunter49

And there's the defensiveness.. took a whole 2 hours!


No one is saying you're putting them out of business. But don't be afraid to learn from those who might know a little bit more than you. If someone is handing over 100 bucks, they want it done right. Professional or *******, you take my 100 bucks, I want the job done right the first time.


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## *Kandice*

I think you do a dang good job! I mean you're Pa has deer heads that are 15 years or older on his wall and they still look brand new, using the same method y'all have been using the whole time. If they looked like crap they wouldnt be hanging in my living room


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## redneckone

I wasn't trying to be defensive, it just seems every time i post something or try to put it my two cents it just gets outta proportion quickly. Ha it's all good and I wish people would explain the better way to do something instead of just telling me how i am screwing up....I am more than willing to learn ANY new trick i can use. Cause honestly i kick in doors for a living, the rest is just a hobby. So would someone explain to me how to do a better job than i am currently doing instead of crackin on me?


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## MIbowhunter49

That's the problem with this site.. everyone wants to label a conversation as someone knocking someone else. Who cares, its the internet!

There, I'm done. lol


As for how to do it better, any google search will yield results. The point I and others are trying to make is that a specific step should be used to degrease the skull, so that it does not yellow over time. Simply boiling it and whitening it does not get rid of all the grease. That stuff is deep down in the pores of the bone, and will slowly turn the skull yellow over time (or if not yellow, just less white).

Just like everything else, how to degrease is up for debate. Some use dawn dish washing soap, others use specific taxi chemicals. Google, or search AT and figure out which consensus you choose to believe.


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## redneckone

Thanks, this is what AT is about helping other archers to be better archers(and hobbyists as it seems)


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## kevinsulikowski

Check out taxidermy.net I do skulls for myself and friends and they deff come out alot better if you degrease. I have some that I degreased and some I didnt you can deff tell the diff when you see them side by side. I need to build a good degrease tank they have ideas on taxidermy.net using a hot water heating element. Also macercration would be a better way then boiling because you can keep the sinus bones intact. its smells and takes some time depending on the skull but deff end up with a better product. which equals happy customers. best way is with beetles though.


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## redneckone

I have no experience with beetles, but with boiling the only way to get the sinuses to come apart is to overboil them 3+ hours. There is always more way to skin a cat and everyone has their own way of doing things, but for me boiling and scraping gives me great results with a great time frame. I am gonna look into a degreasing step and try it out on my next doe kill for practice to just see if it makes a difference then what have been doing. Thanks for all your tips and your time.


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## *Kandice*

See what you have to do is....when you clean your deer you save some deer poo. Then you get the skull all bare, mix the deer poo and peroxide together into a paste rub it all over the skull ( you have to use your hands or you'll screw it all up) Set it inside your truck on a hot sunny day with the windows up for about 6 hours...then brush of the dried poo/peroxide paste and there you go...a nice shiny skull!


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## redneckone

*Kandice* said:


> See what you have to do is....when you clean your deer you save some deer poo. Then you get the skull all bare, mix the deer poo and peroxide together into a paste rub it all over the skull ( you have to use your hands or you'll screw it all up) Set it inside your truck on a hot sunny day with the windows up for about 6 hours...then brush of the dried poo/peroxide paste and there you go...a nice shiny skull!


 i will set it on your side of the truck


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## *Kandice*

redneckone said:


> i will set it on your side of the truck


Whatever....you're a towel.


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## deerslayer451

*Kandice* said:


> Whatever....you're a towel.


 a towel?? you mean tool ?


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## redneckone

deerslayer451 said:


> a towel?? you mean tool ?


 no..a towel..south park....towelie, that's his comeback when people say you're a towel, he says no you're a towel....nevermind


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## Deadeye_Hoyt

redneckone said:


> Thanks, this is what AT is about helping other archers to be better archers(and hobbyists as it seems)


I'll give you some advise that may help. Go to taxidermytube.com and pay 10 bucks for a week of full access (all content can be viewed and absorbed in one week) It should be an adaquit how to guide for the hobbiest.


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