Taxidermist for Sage Rats?

[jbauch357]

Hey there everybody - stumbled on this forum last night and it looks like a really good resource for getting in touch with some local hunters.

Specifically what I'm looking for is someplace in western Washington that would do a "full" mount of a couple sage rats that I took down in southern Oregon (we killed hundreds, these were just mostly intact and mountable specimens).  I'm not looking for anything terribly fancy, just a way to display them on the wall.

They're only about 8" long and have been in vacuum sealed freezer bags for about a year now.  Yes, it's kind of silly to pay for mounting such a small and worthless little critter, but my wife tells me if I'm spending the time and money on hunts I better have something to show for it 

I had a taxidermist in Spanaway all lined up after he did a full mount on a mule deer, then he all of a sudden he decided to no longer answer my calls/texts and even butt dialed me then didn't answer my return calls or voice mails.  Looking through the sponsors here most everybody specializes in larger animals, so I figured I'd ask for a recommendation.

Thanks in advance!

[h2ofowlr]

I have to ask, why a sage rat?  You would be better off spending the money on more ammo to shoot them with.  Like having a Guiney pig mounted.   

[jbauch357]

Honestly I agree with you it is a bit silly...  But getting them mounted was a specific request from our wives (one is for me the other for my buddy) and will bring back memories of a great weekend spent hunting with friends. 

It is going to look awful funny on the wall between a mule deer and wild boar mount though.

[NW-GSP]

It will be a cool conversation piece

[Remnar]

 Why not mount a Sage Rat ? Especially if you enjoy hunting them . And IMO that would ( all, dont take this the wrong way ) not make them worthless .

[Red leaf 67]

 There are some places that do wholesale freeze dry taxidermy.......Something to check into if you feel like no one can help on your request.    Hey, why not preserve those critters,

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

jbauch,
Give me a call and we can discuss what your looking for. Part of the problem with smaller animals is that the same steps, and time, are needed for hide prep, form prep, etc. as it does with a larger animal. The form for sage rat is, if you can believe it, is not much less than a form for a shoulder mount deer! In some instances small projects in regards to labor allotment is more than some big game head mounts due to the intricacies of a smaller animals. What a sage rat is worth is not much, but the memory of your hunt is invaluable. To no further beat around the bush....your cost is going to be much more than what the animal, NOT the memory, is really worth because its going to take quite a few hours to put your mount/sage rat together....and that's just for the mount. I LOVE people that want to mount animals, not just for the antlers, but also to preserve a memory..that's what the essence of a large part of animal artistry is about.

[Red leaf 67]

jbauch,
 Part of the problem with smaller animals is that the same steps, and time, are needed for hide prep, form prep, etc. as it does with a larger animal. The form for sage rat is, if you can believe it, is not much less than a form for a shoulder mount deer! In some instances small projects in regards to labor allotment is more than some big game head mounts due to the intricacies of a smaller animals. What a sage rat is worth is not much, but the memory of your hunt is invaluable. To no further beat around the bush....your cost is going to be much more than what the animal, NOT the memory, is really worth because its going to take quite a few hours to put your mount/sage rat together....and that's just for the mount. I LOVE people that want to mount animals, not just for the antlers, but also to preserve a memory..that's what the essence of a large part of animal artistry is about.

   Good reason to look into quality freeze dry Taxidermy.... Traditional taxidermy is labor intensive, forms can be difficult to find, & many times small specimens are often more tedious than average/medium sized critters with fewer options regarding pose etc...  A freeze dried ground squirrel would cost roughly  $200.00 each,  habitat  would be extra...   I am a fish taxidermist,  I do a lot of kid's first fish mount's, they are often way more tedious & involved than you might first consider!  A good taxidermist can hand wrap a body using a good artificial head, but again.. Time, experience, ability, cost   all something to consider.    So, yes BlackRiver has some valid point's. 

[Red leaf 67]

Another option is Tanning, case skin them & Tan them into trapper skins. You can use them for mittens,moccasin tops/cuffs, fly tying etc.. and have something to show for your hunt. When I was living in Alaska some Natives were still making Parka's out of Arctic ground squirrel's (meat was for their dog's)  Took about 40 - 45 hides to make a parka. Tanning small mammal's is pretty easy using almost any method/ recipe -- salt/Aluminum sulfate, Bark Tan - even Tea has enough tannin to do the job, salt/ oxalic acid  all work. Many option's  for things to do after the hunt!

[jbauch357]

I'd be up for freeze dry also if anybody in the area does that.  For that matter they're sealed up and frozen, I can probably ship them if you have a non-local option.

I realize that it is an awful small and tedious project, plus probably very low demand, so options for people to do the work are going to be few and far between.  Hence why I came here asking as the guy I was previously working with was the only one I'd talked to who was willing to take the work, but is no longer an option.

[Buckmark]

1) Cut off the tails and dry them with salt, then make key chains etc out of them
2) Cut off the heads and do your own European mounts at home, super easy and really no money
3) Skin a few and grind up the meat for some burgers you enjoy with the wives, will be a burger they wont ever forget.

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

jbauch,
I stated that I would do the work for you. There are tons of options for what you looking for.....you just need to be prepared that its going to be over $200 for each mount, without habitat.

Buckmark....LOVE the option 3....lol. Great idea, just don't tell em why the burger tastes weird until desert. 

[jbauch357]

Crap - sorry BlackRiverTaxidermy, completely missed your offer in all the replies.  I'll be in touch soon.

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

Been a while since the original post....finished up the two little guys and thought I'd share. Thank you Jbauch for the work!

[jackelope]

Very cool mounts. Well done.