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.

[smg id=9627]

[smg id=9628]

[smg id=9626]


[smg id=9632]

[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