New taxidermist in town

[Coasthunterjay]

Well not sure of how many people now this but ive been dabbling in taxidermy for a couple years now...a little bit here and there...and finally dove in...tried keeping it quiet for a while because all it was, was an idea...and its turning out to be alot of fun and im enjoying the break from tech manuals for a helicoptor to mounting animals....so with that being said, Im now going to open up my shop full time....!

Columbia River Taxidermy in Astoria OR. by Angelo Emerick.

Big game, small game, upland and waterfowl, Reproduction fish mounts, skin on fish mounts(i replace the heads if i can), and dermestid beetle skull and bone cleaning...My bin for cleaning is 6ftx4ft 5ft tall and i have about 30,000 beetles(larva)...so i can pretty much clean everything...and im always looking forward to having to make a bigger bin for a better bigger project....lol...

So here are the last two mounts i did...

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK! Sorry for the crappy pics...im working on getting a new camera.

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[smg id=9631]

[bowhunterforever]

Good looking work

[bucklucky]

You are seriousely not doing the helicopter thing to do taxidermy ! Damn dude, I hope you like being poor  Taxidermy is the last thing people want to pay for in an economy like we are in. I ask myself every day what the hell I was thinking when I decided to go full time . Taxidermy is tough to make a descent living at . With all the customers I have and the support I have gotten, my paychecks are small. If I was to do it again (And I love doing Taxidermy) it would only be a hobby. You do realise that you have to be at the shop during hunting season to deal with customers right? I dont hunt any more, so I basically gave up something I love, to do something I love which sucks because I love hunting. I wish you well with your new venture, hope you really did put seriouse thought into the buisness before you jumped in. There are a ton of "Taxi's" that come and go every year.   

  Did you mount those in your class (I assume you took a class) or are they actually done by you by yourself out of your own shop with no help?

  I need some better pictures to really see what Im looking at but from 10 feet away they fine. 
Is that you whitetail rack in the background?
   

[boneaddict]

Well, what bucklucky said, LOL    I'll congratulate you on doing it if it was a dream of yours, otherwise I think you're nuts.  I've dabbled in taxidermy for some time, but never had the guts to take it on professionally.  It is something I enjoy, but never thought my backyard work was good enough to sell to clients.  If there is a flaw in my work and its my memory I am preserving, I could handle it, as for being someone elses, I couldn't.  I also know how hard it is to please the average public, and quite frankly I worry about that as Taxidermy is a live and die profession by what the general public thinks of your work. 

You asked for a critique on an open forum which is very brave of you.  I hope you can handle the praise as well as the critique.  Your mounts look clean and finished well.  I don't like how the elk looks like he is smiling or laughing versus a bull ripping a bugle. It doesn't look quite natural to me. Thats my own opinion though, so take it for what its worth.

Good luck with your business.  I hope it works for you. 

[Special T]

Congratulations on jumping feet first into business for yourself! Most people will never know the Joys, and the challenges of running their own business... You have chosen a very competitive business to go into and a rough time to start one up... Just some interesting thoughts for you... Most new businesses don't last 5 years... Most start up businesses are under funded.. Making money is easy! Keeping it is much harder... Welcome to the club of small business owners, you will never underestimate the work required to make a living again...  Congrats

[BLKBEARKLR]

Well I have to chime in also and back up what Charlie said. Glad you jumped in with both feet, but should never have quit your day job. It has been three years now, the first year I got 6 customers. 2nd year I got 10. This year I have gotten 22 so far without it being hunting season yet. It takes some time to get a business up and rolling. Make sure you have a lot of cash put away to support the business. I am retired and that is how I have been able to do it. Like Charlie said also hunting season is gone  for you. Unless you have a lot of cash put away to be able to support you with out the business bringing in money. The other thing I learned the hard way is you have no friends any longer, if you are doing a deer head for 450.00 then that is what they get charged.

And the other thing that is bad about taxidermy is you do not get a paycheck every week. You get one elk in for 750.00, the customer gives you 350.00 down, do you buy the form and get hide tanned or do you pay yourself that week??  You only get one in that week so either the business sucks it up or you do. If you do, then what happens? Now you are borrowing from peter to pay paul.

Like said wish you the best in your new career, but make sure you keep your old one in your back pocket.

Joe

[rasbo]

you done a great job on the critters,Ive never seen an open mouth animal I liked anywhere,thats just me,they never look natural....hope you get a lot of business would like to see some fish

[bucklucky]

Just want to add a little info to better ilustrate my point, that was good info by the way Joe. :

  You  should  get a paycheck if your running your buisness as it should be ran and you get established with enough clientel, but until then refer back to what Blkbearklr (Joe)  said   . I'd say about year 4 you should have enough clientel in to start the paycheck ( salary, or draw) . Im at year 5 years now, advertising and sportsman shows, at year 4 I started writing bi weekly checks to myself out of the taxidermy account for $400.00. Wow, $800.oo a month . I dont know how I got away with that, good thing we had a good chunck of $$ in savings   .

    Im now able to take a $1000.00 paycheck (draw, salary) bi-weekly , WOW! Im rolling in it now $2000.00 a month and I still have to pay for my own insurance and everything that goes along with that. I Took in basically 60,000 ( $59,890ish ,I can show you on the computer)  worth of work this past season. Take tax off that , $4800.00. So Im down to 55,200 gross. Half of that goes to forms and supplys. Now Im down to 27,600 . Crap running a buisness is expensive! Take out my salary of 24,000 (dont laugh guys, I know Im only making $11.53 per hour but I love what I do   ) That leaves a whoping 3600.00 to pay for gas , power, garbage, shipping, other taxidermy materials, tools , stuff that breaks down etc. You get my point.

  Now with that said and explained in some sort of detail, I cant beleive people say I charge too much. Yes taxidermy is expensive , its also very time consuming and expensive for me too. I figure I need double the clientel (about 300 -350 )to be able to make the kind of money I used to make with a "Real" job making boxes at GP. I know have 150 clients for last year.  I was making about $20.00 an hour but also had overtime (time and a half) to make more $$. Plus I had 3 weeks paid  vacation that I used for my hunting (wich I dont have now ) I sure miss hunting, and spending time in the woods.

[BLKBEARKLR]

A break down with your taxidermy equipment? What do you mean like my pressure washer going bottoms up today and me dropping 1258.00 today?? Break downs never happen with taxidermy equipment..

Joe

[rasbo]

dang we are gonna need a taxi alley,,,whos gonna go see cal 

[markts]

Good luck to you Jay-hope all works out for you and congrats. Mark

[bucklucky]

A break down with your taxidermy equipment? What do you mean like my pressure washer going bottoms up today and me dropping 1258.00 today?? Break downs never happen with taxidermy equipment..

Joe

Perfect example Joe LMAO!! I wasnt even thinking of that when I posted .  

[actionshooter]

Yep, you guys convinced me, I'll NEVER think about becoming a taxidermist, EVER!! 

[halflife65]

Yep, after reading through that thread my dream is gone.  (Actually, it was gone years ago when I discovered I have no talents of any kind, whatsoever.) 

[rb2506]

good luck man,  looks good from here

[Pathfinder101]

I think you did a great job on the elk Coasthunterjay.  The first picture does look a little like it is laughing, but I think it is just the angle.  The second picture looks much better.  Like Bone said, it looks like you do nice, clean work.  Better than a lot that I have seen.  Best of luck to you.  As for me, I'll take Bucklucky's advice and stick to doing it as a hobby...

[bucklucky]

I wasnt trying to deture (sp) from being a Taxidermist, just listing the reality of being a Taxidermist. Buildinbg up a reputible buisness takes a long time. Word of mouth is the best advertising a guy can have. Making good money is tough, haveing the patients to make that descent money is even tougher 

[bucklucky]

Jay is gona crap when he checks his post 

[Jerome]

You definately have to have the passion to do it full time.  Its like becoming a tattoo artist.  You really have to stand out with your work or you will have a short life spand. 

[turkey slayer]

Good luck man. Seems like yo starting off pretty good. There has been some really good points made by Charlie and BLKBEATKLR just be smart.  If I was you I would take a business course if you haven't already. Just my 

[BLKBEARKLR]

Good luck man. Seems like yo starting off pretty good. There has been some really good points made by Charlie and BLKBEATKLR just be smart.  If I was you I would take a business course if you haven't already. Just my 

Turkeyslayer I love you like a taxidermist brother, but dang bro it is blkbea  R   klr, meaning I kill black bears. Not blkbeatklr. Sounds like I am trying to kill RAP..... 


Joe

And yes I agree a business class would be a good approach on different ways to look at things.

[bucklucky]

 

[turkey slayer]

WOOPS You no what I ment

[WCTaxidermy]

Slayer, don't take that from Joe.  Heck he doesn't even have hair, how can he justify correcting you on that little mistake   He has never killed a bear let alone a black bear.    John

[BLKBEARKLR]

And one more thing

spe·cial·ize   /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/  Show Spelled [spesh-uh-lahyz]  Show IPA verb, -ized, -iz·ing.  –verb (used without object)
1. to pursue some special line of study, work, etc.; have a specialty: The doctor specializes in gastroenterology.

Should really re think that. Example

John -  WC Taxidermy - Specializes in birds and only birds

Charlie -  bucklucky - Specializes in elk

Michelle - Nelsons taxidermy - Specializes in bears.

Rick Krane / Dave Campbell / Jeff Lumsden - Specialize in fish.

I have been doing this for three years now, went to school for all the above, and I still do not feel that I am able to rate myself in a specialized area. Just something to think about.

I am getting ready to go to a yoxathon this month for more training, I have a school date lined up in May of 2011 with Rick Krane for ten days and I will still not be able to really say I specialize in one area - let alone all the areas you have listed. So like saying not trying to be rude/disrespectful or any other aspect of negativity, just trying to let you know what I learned when I first started this. 

Here is my introduction from my website, maybe will help you out some.

My passion for hunting and fishing started at a very young age, growing up in Northern New York gave me the privilege of being able to hunt and fish on beautiful Lake Champlain. While serving in the United States Army I have had the chance to travel, hunt and fish in many different states, which gave me the opportunity to become skilled at many different species of North American wildlife. Although, I have attended formal training and was certified in all aspects of taxidermy, I believe there is no such thing as too much knowledge or experience. I continue to hone my skills, learn new techniques and keep up-to-date on the latest products and tools from some of the best taxidermists in the field through taxidermy competitions and seminars. I am also a member of multiple forums which enables me direct communication with hundreds of taxidermist around the world.

Joe

[Michelle_Nelson]

BLKBEARKLR (Joe) - A Living Memory - specializes in the harrasment of John, Charlie, and Me as much as he possibly can.  He is becoming quite an expert!   

[NWBREW]

 

[KillBilly]

I am going to take up TAXI driving when I retire... I hear they make more money   

[Ridgerunner]

I think Charlie specializes in deer, his are about the best out there.

[whacker1]

I feel like I should be taking a tax deduction at the end of the year for Taxidermy as Charity.  No offense, but you guys really paint a bleak picture.

And yes I will continue supporting taxidermists....  All you guys do great work.

[Coasthunterjay]

You guys are funny!

THANKS TO EVERYONE SERIOUSLY....this is all great information! And blkbearklr you will enjoy the yoxathon...Bill is a really stand up guy and he really knows his stuff...

I went to a yoxathon a while back and it was worth every penny! Get ready for a solid long 12-16 hour day...I think the second night we didn't finish till about 2 am....i was ready to keep going....lol..but personally the information i learned there was invaluable!

Oh and i didn't really have a choice in whether i kept working or not...I was forced out...Injured my shoulder and got a medical retirement..Not a great thing, but I'm 27 and get a small retirement check every month that just barely pays the bills...That and from everything Ive ever learned from my father and the military if your not willing to jump head first or spend some money, sweet, tears, and frustrations, you will never learn and never grow.

I really have been messing with this for a while now, just quietly because i hear you guys on here all the time bad talking it and i wanted to let you guys know that I'm here for the long haul!(I UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE ALOT TO LEARN) and yah i understand that hunting for the most part is out of the question but i started learning after doing some guiding part time a few years back that i really fed off the reaction of people when they had the animals they harvested in there hands! Something about seeing the persons happiest moments relived as they share there story to me made me so happy! And i might not be able to hunt year round(i never have), but i can still hunt a couple days out of the season and not worry that its going to hurt my business to much!

and my wife is currently taking business classes at the local college and is going to help me run my business and while i was in the Coast Guard i helped manage and budget multimillion dollar accounts. So a few thousand here and a few thousand here will be a cake walk. Just understanding that i have to take care of it is going to put me ahead of the ones who don't.

THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS GUYS! and the angle of the picture does make it look like its smiling, when its on the wall it looks alot more familiar(had to do it, Never mounted a bugling bull before so i had to try it at least once so my customers could see it.  ). Ill be glad to share more pictures with you all as they come up...The season should be a good one! THANKS!

Oh and if anyone would like to come to my show room any time after the 28th of AUG you are more than welcome to come take a look at my fine work!

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL...AND I HIGHLY APPRICIATE THE CAUTIOUS COMMENTS!

[Austrian Hunter]

Good Luck to you!!  I think you will be doing just fine!!!!! Don't let anyone talk you out of your dream!  

[markts]

Congrats again bro-Keep us posted with pics. Mark

[Coasthunterjay]

THANKS MARKTS, and austrian hunter i appriciate the kind words...!

Hey blckbearklr i just wanted to say thanks and let you know i like your introduction alot.....Says enough with out it being to much!

Bucklucky thanks for being honest!

I really want to thank everyone and hope that i can earn your guys respect and trust..i know that when i first came on this website several years ago i came on here with a very loud, immature, and obnoxious additude towards things and well with age and life changing incidenses ive really learned that things that i thought where more important were not and that i needed to make some life changes and mellow out. Life is right in front of me, and with the way i was going i was doing nothing special....So really honeslty i appriciate the truth from all you guys....only way im going to suceed is by growing and fixing things and being constantly challenged and told how to become better and what to watch out for......

My mouth is shut and my ears are open, or in the forum case my eyes are open...! lol... so i plan on taking in everything that you all have to say and teach me!

SO THANKS, AJ

[PacificNWhunter]

Congrats man! Those critters look good.

[oneezreiter]

Coast, if you may want to look at persuing your degree also.  The post 9/11 GI bill offers a housing stipend if you are a full time student.  Full time is not that hard for most military guys to handle and still dedicate most of there time to work.  It would get you your degree and help with the bills until your business is established.  Also talk to the local VA rep about small business.  They have a lot of programs and information that can help.  Astoria is a cool little town, I grew up there and still have a lot of family running around down there.

[Pathfinder101]

I think Charlie specializes in deer, his are about the best out there.

 

[bowtech721]

coasthunter did you go to second nature? looks like it from the pics.... i was there in the spring and learned alot. Good luck to you and dont let anybody squash you down about it  Ive gotten that from quite a few people too but not really on this site because I dont really post about it but anyway you should do fine if you stick with it 

[Michelle_Nelson]

dont let anybody squash you down about it  Ive gotten that from quite a few people too but not really on this site because I dont really post about it

BLKBEARKLR and Bucklucky are not squashing Coasthunterjay oy anyone for that matter at all.  I agree with both of them 110%.  Taxidermy is not an easy field to get into and make a ton of or easy money.  Your hunting time will be reduced to almost nothing.  Would you much rather we lie to you guys?   If we did and we gave you the wrong impression on what you guys are going to go through trying to set up and establish a shop than we are doing neither of you any favors.

[bucklucky]

Nice reply Mich!  I was actually going to post something along those lines of what you just said earlier. I just posted what is reality and wanted to share. Like I have said before, Ive seen alot of taxi's come and go because of what I stated. I wish you neew guys well and hope you make a good buisness at the feild you chose. I will help with any questions you guys may have. I enjoy helping others out with there questions if I can give a descent answer. I can truely say, I dont know everything when it comes to Taxidermy but I can tell people what I have learned whether it be the hard way from not listening to good sound advice from some good taxidermist or actually listening to it. Now back to a couple bears I go 

[cohoho]

Good Luck Jay ----  Owning your own business is hard for sure and tough not to quit when it gets rough, but stay at and learn everything you can, market it right and be the best you can and always give 120% if your serious in growing the business, always provide upmost respect for customers and be a positive image on sites like this and you'll gain business for sure....

I put a half ass attempt to a previous business, as I wanted it for the wrong reasons (time off) and we'll it is the reason I am back working for the man!  Do take advantage of the Post 911 GI Bill as you might be able to utilize it towards your business, you earned it, so use it! 

Finally -  Learn to do a reproduction of a big old fat Over sized 9 foot Sturgeon..................   (for cost) and you got another customer....

[Coasthunterjay]

Finally -  Learn to do a reproduction of a big old fat Over sized 9 foot Sturgeon..................   (for cost) and you got another customer....

NOW THATS FUNNY! COST...lol...holy cow...I actually enjoy painting fish alot!


I hear what you guys are saying ..ts gonna be hard...I know this...and i expect it to be...otherwise it would be boring...and i just want to let you know that im not in this to make big bucks...I honestly enjoy doing taxidermy and if i can learn to make a living doing this i will! I lived off of 25k A YEAR AND LIVED HAPPILY for 7yrs.... and with my wife going to school i transfered my post 9/11 benefits to her which will allow her to utilize the benefits 100%...Im not stupid i new who would use them to there full potential and made a decision...

IM A TAXIDERMIST AND PROUD OF IT! SO YOU ALL WILL BE HEARING FROM ME IN THE FUTURE...thanks again to all my friends out there!