# Rifle buck back from Taxi. What do you think?



## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

I've looked it over closely and I'm pleased with his work but this is my first mount and was wondering what everyone else thought about it. Price for Taxi work was $600. I have a decent amount of Taxi's in my area and around my hunting cabin to choose from but this shop was recommended from a friend. Let's hear it good and bad.


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## Arrcon (Feb 24, 2013)

Great deer


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

Arrcon said:


> Great deer


Thanks. I had pics of him but never during daylight. He seem to roam our property between 12:30 at night to about 3:30am and then disappear. Hunted him all archery season with no sightings then the first day of rifle at 3:55 pm he came out after a doe and gave me a nice shot. He dressed at 150# on the nose.


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

ttt


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## horsedoctor (Oct 13, 2011)

You asked & then brought it back up, so you must want to know. Check out some of Matt's work at wildlifebydesign.net and compare his deer with yours. His price list says $500 which I think is too cheap but... Or look at Cole's http://www.timberlandtaxidermy.net/gallery.htm ($595). Anyway, compare their deer with yours and you make up your own mind. If you like yours, that is all that matters.


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## bowtech2006 (Apr 1, 2006)

Awesome buck, congrats, But wow $600 for a shoulder mount is a lot from where I live. 475 is the high end.


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

horsedoctor said:


> You asked & then brought it back up, so you must want to know. Check out some of Matt's work at wildlifebydesign.net and compare his deer with yours. His price list says $500 which I think is too cheap but... Or look at Cole's http://www.timberlandtaxidermy.net/gallery.htm ($595). Anyway, compare their deer with yours and you make up your own mind. If you like yours, that is all that matters.


Both sites you recommended have amazing mounts but I'm looking for someone to critique my current one. The only reason I ask this is so I can learn what to look for in a taxi's work. Like I said this is my first mount and I visited a few taxi's before I settled on the shop that did mine. I chose that shop based on the look of the mounts he had in his shop and how he treated me. The price was higher than some other shops but I really thought his work looked better than the others and it's his livelihood not just a side project. I'm happy with the way it turned out but would like to hear from someone with more experience than me. What are some key things to look at or ask when choosing a taxi? Thanks.


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## Bone8Collector (Sep 9, 2010)

Looks like you got a clean mount for your money, some things to ask when choosing your taxidermist, take a look at his price list honestly there is a million people trying to break into the outdoor Industy everyday most choose to be a taxidermist the profession is getting crowded with what I like to call "basement bills" , so take a look at the price list are they significantly cheaper, good guess is they're probably practicing on your deer, most guys breaking Into it think they're going to be real cheap and do crazy volume... Never happens , ask if they tans their hides or dry preserve, make sure they're always tanned you don't want some crap dry preserve job usually that's the guy charging nothing, ask maybe what forms they like to use I prefer Mckenzie they make some of the nicest forms, now if they're using some crap like dan chase forms another no no. And I'm sure you can gather the rest of your thoughts on to choose one by the character or establishment of the taxidermist and previous work done.


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## horsedoctor (Oct 13, 2011)

You may find that many/most taxi's are reluctant to critique someone else's work when it is presented by a third party (consumer) rather than by the original artist/taxidermist. You may get more feedback by contacting some of them privately than on a public forum. As a consumer, *NOT* a taxidermist, I have learned to look at the ears, especially the ear butts for definition and positioning. Also, the eyes, nose & lips for shape, symmetry and proper positioning. It may be lighting or photography, but in your first picture I would like to see the ear butt better defined and tighter to the antler. Lower lip also doesn't look right to me. Close ups would be helpful, but I'm not sure the eyes are as symmetrical as I would like. Black patch on chin & black on muzzle are lined up quite differently L to R. Antler set seem to be OK from what I see. Nose looks "fat" on last photo but not so much on others so that is probably photography & not taxidermy. All in all, better than a lot of commercial work. I've got both better and worse looking work on my walls. Now, the real taxis can rip my amateur critique if they wish, but that's my $0.05 worth.


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

horsedoctor said:


> You may find that many/most taxi's are reluctant to critique someone else's work when it is presented by a third party (consumer) rather than by the original artist/taxidermist. You may get more feedback by contacting some of them privately than on a public forum. As a consumer, *NOT* a taxidermist, I have learned to look at the ears, especially the ear butts for definition and positioning. Also, the eyes, nose & lips for shape, symmetry and proper positioning. It may be lighting or photography, but in your first picture I would like to see the ear butt better defined and tighter to the antler. Lower lip also doesn't look right to me. Close ups would be helpful, but I'm not sure the eyes are as symmetrical as I would like. Black patch on chin & black on muzzle are lined up quite differently L to R. Antler set seem to be OK from what I see. Nose looks "fat" on last photo but not so much on others so that is probably photography & not taxidermy. All in all, better than a lot of commercial work. I've got both better and worse looking work on my walls. Now, the real taxis can rip my amateur critique if they wish, but that's my $0.05 worth.


Thanks for your honest opinion and letting me know what to look for in a good mount. I will take these things into consideration when I need taxi work again. I'm going to do some more research into taxidermy so i'll be more prepared next time. I don't mind putting out the $$ if it's good work but feel as though I don't know what good work is yet. If anyone else wants to put their 2 cents in feel free. I have thick skin and always looking to learn something new.


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## Mr.Wiggles (Dec 29, 2007)

Looks like an offset 6900 series Mackenzie left turn,very nice work looks great!


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

Mr.Wiggles said:


> Looks like an offset 6900 series Mackenzie left turn,very nice work looks great!


Thanks. And I believe you are correct about the form.


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## deerhunter3241 (Jun 7, 2004)

First, Congrats on your buck. He is awesome. The mount looks great, but it's very difficult to tell the quality of the details from photos. The eyes, nose, and ear work look very good and that's where a good taxidermist gets separated from the truly great ones. If you're happy then that's all that really matters, though I do feel that $600 is way on the steep side. I know a lot of shops doing excellent work for $350 - $400.


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

deerhunter3241 said:


> First, Congrats on your buck. He is awesome. The mount looks great, but it's very difficult to tell the quality of the details from photos. The eyes, nose, and ear work look very good and that's where a good taxidermist gets separated from the truly great ones. If you're happy then that's all that really matters, though I do feel that $600 is way on the steep side. I know a lot of shops doing excellent work for $350 - $400.


Thanks. I'm going to look around some more this year and see if I can find someone that does good work and is a little more price friendly. Anyone near York or Lancaster PA that has a good taxi post up some pics and names.


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## CutOnContact (Sep 1, 2010)

very nice rack. tough to judge by pictures but it appears the neck is a little thin.


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## MountNMan (Aug 11, 2009)

I am apparently not charging enough! LOL


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## JBenson (Dec 6, 2011)

I paid $725 for my last one, and it was worth every penny. The guy was well known, reputable and been in business 20+ years. So you can look at his work and know it's going to last. Like stated above, the price tag don't matter. If you're happy with it, then it was worth what you paid. I'm picky as hell, so I'll pay to get what I want.


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## MountNMan (Aug 11, 2009)

The mount above I usually do for $500.00


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## Mr.Wiggles (Dec 29, 2007)

I have some mounts that were done by a so called taxidermist that looks like ****,at the time I thought they were great ,but I learned a lot about deer and how a mount should look since then.most commercial mounts will satisfy any customer,but I prefer high quality and will pay for it.I cant really critique your mount without close up pics from all angles.In order to get quality mounts youmust hav a taxidermist who never wants to stop learning .


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## SeaTrout2001 (Feb 4, 2017)

nice deer


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## skull (Nov 29, 2005)

Nice work congrats 
well I guess I'm not going tell you the price they charge here for a shoulder mount


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## getem2011 (Jan 27, 2017)

fine looking buck!


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## sunman (Apr 13, 2015)

nice


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## Hunterrich (Oct 26, 2011)

great looking buck a job well done!


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## Hunterrich (Oct 26, 2011)

MountNMan said:


> I am apparently not charging enough! LOL
> 
> View attachment 5345153


wow that is amazing!!


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## RustyFF3 (Jan 19, 2020)

It looks good to me


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## cdw (Mar 8, 2020)

nice


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## swampkooter (Sep 27, 2016)

Congrats. Nice deer. Good looking mount


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## SULLY305 (Feb 23, 2020)

nice


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## TAArrowood (Jul 9, 2013)

Another way to get good info about the quality of work (if you can't tell or really know what you're looking for) is to find out which Taxis have entered their work into competitions. Many/most of the best out there enter their work as often as possible.. Once they've won a few and can prove it their prices go up. I have a local guy has has won most of the competitions he's entered.. He is near the top of the price range for the area, but he sets the bar very high. If a Taxi is just starting out his work will generally reflect that and he should price it accordingly... Any honest Taxi will/should tell you that he's practicing on every head he does... The best ones incorporate everything they've learned into your head (thus the higher price)... The job of any god Taxi is to make the finished work look as close to the real thing as he/she can make it. The true measure is... Does he look exactly like the last second you saw him in your sights... If he does, it is good work.. You are the only one who will ever know.... I've seen many heads that looked absolutely representative of a great buck, but do his eyes have the sparkle they had in the morning sun.. I'll never know... That's what the Taxi is trying to capture.. The best Taxis have hunted a lot and taken a lot of game and can bring their on experiences out in your buck and hope it comes close to your experience.. Great buck in any case..


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## County Hunter (Sep 17, 2012)

Looks great from here, nice buck!


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## Leaf Shaker (Mar 3, 2020)

sweat!


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## waspocrew (Apr 16, 2020)

Great looking buck!


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## Ldub01 (Jan 12, 2020)

Great looking mount!


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## Gene94 (Jan 25, 2019)

BringEmNorth said:


> Thanks. I'm going to look around some more this year and see if I can find someone that does good work and is a little more price friendly. Anyone near York or Lancaster PA that has a good taxi post up some pics and names.


Definitely check out Outback Imagery Taxidermy. They do phenomenal work!

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