Post by: jbauch357 on February 09, 2016, 08:35:11 PM
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!
Post by: h2ofowlr on February 09, 2016, 08:51:19 PM
Post by: jbauch357 on February 09, 2016, 08:56:28 PM
It is going to look awful funny on the wall between a mule deer and wild boar mount though.
Post by: NW-GSP on February 09, 2016, 10:26:36 PM
Post by: Remnar on February 10, 2016, 12:05:59 AM
Post by: Red leaf 67 on February 10, 2016, 03:43:47 AM
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on February 10, 2016, 08:14:35 AM
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.
Post by: Red leaf 67 on February 10, 2016, 08:59:05 AM
jbauch,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... :dunno: 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. :twocents: So, yes BlackRiver has some valid point's.
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.
Post by: Red leaf 67 on February 10, 2016, 09:45:09 AM
Post by: jbauch357 on February 10, 2016, 11:35:12 AM
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.
Post by: Buckmark on February 10, 2016, 12:00:57 PM
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.
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on February 10, 2016, 02:47:50 PM
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. :o
Post by: jbauch357 on February 10, 2016, 03:01:19 PM
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on August 14, 2016, 08:43:31 AM
Post by: jackelope on August 14, 2016, 08:53:38 AM
Post by: Turner89 on August 14, 2016, 02:35:32 PM
Post by: pd on August 14, 2016, 05:52:05 PM
Post by: syoungs on August 14, 2016, 06:14:08 PM
Post by: jbauch357 on August 15, 2016, 08:35:38 AM
Post by: Gringo31 on August 15, 2016, 08:58:32 AM
Awesome :tup:
Post by: gunnarnewt on August 15, 2016, 09:47:23 AM
Post by: Tawnos on August 15, 2016, 08:20:42 PM
Been a while since the original post....finished up the two little guys and thought I'd share. Thank you Jbauch for the work!
Thank _you_, those look awesome! Jbauch took care of finding someone for both rats, and I'm glad you came along! Those are well done and the price was more than fair for the effort it looks like you put into mounting a couple rats that had been frozen for over a year :). I'll be sure to look you up next time I need something taxidermied.