The Taxidermy Delay – What Are You Waiting For?

At the Safari Club International convention here in Reno this February, we had the opportunity to speak with many people. What was striking was the number of hunters who shared versions of the same story – the immense delays they were experiencing with their current taxidermists. It’s a common complaint, but it begs the questions – when it comes to taxidermy, what are you waiting for?

Different Hunter, Same Story

The hunters differed, but the story was a version of the same problem. People had ten to fifteen animals – even fifty in one exceptional case! – sitting at the taxidermist for months, even years on end. One hunter had been waiting for several mounts for over four years! These hunters continue to harvest and bring in new skins for trophies, knowing all the while that they’re at the end of a lengthy backlog of trophies.

At the show, hunters shared these scenarios and acknowledged with some amount of chagrin that our 90-day turnaround sounded too good to be true and “if only” they could move their skins. For whatever reason, the hunter/taxidermist relationship feels sacred. I sometimes joke that hunters would feel more comfortable cheating on their spouse than taking skins away from their local taxidermist. But hiring a taxidermist is a business transaction, and it should be treated as such. There is a professional standard to which you’d hold your carpenter, landscaper, or electrician, and yet the taxidermist often gets a free case at the client’s expense.

Keep It Professional

It’s bad business, plain and simple, to let tanned skins grow dusty on the shelf for months and years on end. Nothing good happens while animals sit unmounted and the best trophy mounts come from freshly tanned hides. As the client, you deserve respect. And if you aren’t getting your mounts back by at least the six-month mark, it’s time to make a change. We’d love to show you how Animal Artistry approaches taxidermy from an entirely different angle, and what it means to you as the client. Contact us today, and let’s discuss your options.