A New Life for Old Mounts
Before Remounting
Like any industry, taxidermy has its share of unhappy customers — and for good reason. In some cases, it’s the prolonged delay in waiting for a finished piece, and in others, it’s a subpar mount that simply does no justice to the experience of the hunt. Fortunately, there is good news. Animal Artistry has a knack for breathing new life into old mounts, and the difference, according to one happy customer, is like “night and day.”
The Process of Remounting
It’s something we’ve offered from the beginning, but our remounting services are particularly appealing in the midst of our current social distancing climate, especially for local hunters. In many cases, these animals were mounted years and years go, and they simply need a little TLC. In other instances, they were a disappointment from day one. Either way, the value of the trophy itself — the story it tells — has been lost, and it’s truly an honor to restore something like that.
The remounting process at Animal Artistry is a delicate process that begins with properly hydrating the skin to open the sutures. Then, the skin can be carefully removed from the old mannikin. Next, the skin is expertly cleaned and dressed, and a new mannikin is sculpted. Finally, the trophy is remounted and sent to the finishing department for final detailing. Every step of the remounting process here at Animal Artistry is completed in-house, speeding up the timeline and ensuring all remounts meet our 90-day turnaround. Plus, the cost of a remount is no more than you’d spend on a typical trophy — inquire for specifics regarding your mount, and we’ll be happy to give you pricing.
Client Thoughts
The response of our clients to our remounting services has been overwhelming. Many people had resigned themselves to never recovering what was lost or never there to begin with. In some instances, these trophies are animals that can no longer be hunted — and what a tragedy to have an inferior representation of something that can never be harvested again.
For our client John, a recent remount yielded “lions that are night and day better than the originals! They look bigger and more alive, and the detail is just so much better overall!” His pair of African lions were originally mounted in Africa, and as John explains it, “they definitely took advantage of the first-time African hunters. I was never very happy with any of the mounts I had done in Africa, and by the time we had them shipped home, we didn’t save any money at all — shipping was so expensive because of the dimensional size of the shipment.”
After Remounting
To customers debating the time and expense of a re-mount, it’s worth considering value. “I would first say always use high-quality taxidermists like Animal Artistry from the beginning,” says John. “I’m a believer that you get what you pay for, and in the end, it’s really not that much more to do it right with Mike.”
The process of remounting has proven to be truly worthwhile for John and many of our customers, and we invite you to learn more. As John puts it, “These guys are the professionals — let them take a look at the animal in question and if they can do it and do it right, they will.”
If you have a mount that brings you nothing but disappointment, take advantage of this lull in international shipping and give Animal Artistry an opportunity to re-kindle cherished memories. We’d love to answer your questions about our remounting services — contact us today.