I have a friend that just caught a 40 inch redfish and he wants a replica mount made of it. He has the length measurements and a good picture of it. Can anyone recommend a good taxidermist in the East Texas area that would do his trophy justice? He lives in Tyler. Anyone know how much they charge per inch on such a fish? Thanks for the info.

I dont recall exact numbers , but your
friend better have deep pockets. The per
inch rate was real close to that of black
bass, and no one ever catchs a 40 inch
black bass. They do make cool mounts if
they are painted correctly.
MO

By the way, a good bass mount will usually run you $12-$14 per inch.

I second the notion for deep pockets

Does anyone know if many people replicate the Redfish? Just curious. I caught a 42" and a 40" last year. Took a few pictures and thought about measuring the gerth, etc. for a mount, but decided not to.

Joe

_Hey Yall: Just Check with Bass Pro Shops...They Offer Saltwater Mounts as well as Freshwater Bass!!

_Good Luck and Catch A Big'un Yall!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Bazztex<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hey guys,

I guess I should have posted this here since I have been hanging out here the most. I posted "Taxidermy Questions?" in the freshwater discussion board. Red fish make a beautiful mount as do most saltwater fish. A replica is usually the way to go with some since not all species make good canidates for skin mount. I did a replica 30" Red (action pose), scenery habitat wtih a large shrimp (skin mount) and I charged him $495.00. Most taxidermists charge the same amount for skin mount or replica which can range in price greatly from $10 to $30 an inch. There are a lot of drawbacks to replicas like you cannot always get one in the exact size, flaws in the replica, lack of true action in the pose and thick hard fins. There are only two companies that I will purchase replicas from, they are not cheap but, the quality is the best I have used. As far as recommendations, I will say you get what you pay for so do your research. You won't regret it!

Hope this helps,
A Tracker

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The Great Outdoors, Yellow Labs, Wild Turkey....Ain't Life Grand

It can be taxing finding the right taxidermist
There are guidelines to follow when entrusting your prized trophy to a stranger

November 28, 2002

A smattering of calls are routed to the outdoors desk this time of year, asking me to steer hunters away from this taxidermist or that game processor.

These outraged and frustrated consumers usually are near the end of a long search for satisfaction, which ultimately could come up empty. Each caller also wants to make sure others don't fall prey to the so-and-so who did them wrong.

The stories sound strikingly similar, so much so that they could be talking about the same couple of taxidermists. There are only a few ways to disappoint or anger a taxidermy customer, who has entrusted an irreplaceable trophy to a virtual stranger. Dissatisfaction is rare, but you should report serious problems to the Better Business Bureau.

To find out which area businesses have unresolved or unanswered complaints against them call the Coastal Bend Better Business Bureau at 852-4949 or log on to Caller.com/bbb. If you're looking in the Yellow Pages for a local taxidermist, ask the BBB about each one. There are only a few.

The most common complaints against taxidermists include overdue or lost mounts, unreturned phone calls, home-based businesses that relocate without notice or that shut down without notice. Again, these are rare.

Shoddy workmanship, actually is not a common complaint. One of the calls I received recently from a local woman is typical.

After some prodding, the woman had received a beautiful turkey mount from a local taxidermist. Because of the quality of workmanship, the woman overlooked the missed deadline and decided to try him again.

This time she left the head of a ram killed by her teen-age son, which she assumed would return as a cherished heirloom. This was about 18 months ago and she has neither seen nor received hide or horn of the ram.

After numerous attempted visits to his home and phone calls, she sued the taxidermist. Of course, the elusive artist missed his day in court. During a telephone conversation several months ago, the taxidermist told his unhappy client that he had the mounted ram at his home. But then he missed several scheduled opportunities to deliver it.

Alan Bligh, president of the Coastal Bend Better Business Bureau, suggests that at the first hint of a problem consumers should document each contact or attempted contact with a business. This ledger of shame will serve you well in court, if it comes to that.

I consulted with area reputable taxidermists - Marty Prater at All Creatures Great and Small, Fred Randolph at Randolph's Taxidermy and David Hibler at Hibler's Taxidermy in Kingsville - and we came up with this additional advice, in no particular order:


References - If the business wasn't recommended by a trusted friend then ask the taxidermist for the phone numbers of three recent customers you can call to gauge their level of satisfaction.

Visit in person - Do not shop for a taxidermist exclusively by phone or Internet.

Beware of guides or booking agents who insist on using a particular taxidermy service. The association could be more about profit than quality.

If a taxidermist is difficult to reach during hunting season, chances are they will be impossible to reach during the offseason. Availability is a sign of a good business.

Background and training - They may not have a diploma or certificate. No formal training is required and good taxidermists can be self-taught or have gone through an apprenticeship program. It might be worth knowing how they learned their craft. Discuss background and check it out if possible.

Licensing - Texas does not issue taxidermy licenses. But a federal permit is required to work on migratory game birds. Your bird could be seized as evidence if it is left at an unlicensed shop that is busted. Among the non-game migratory birds that are illegal to possess are owls, raptors, marsh and shorebirds, songbirds and any species on the protected, threatened and endangered lists.

Inspect the shop - Use all your senses, including your common sense, to scrutinize the place of business. If it's sloppy or smelly, chances are so is the work that it turns out. This goes for garages too.

Inspect the work - Ask to look behind the scenes at recently completed pieces. Meat processors also should welcome you to look around. Often taxidermists display their contest mounts in the open. These pieces represent the quality of work of which a taxidermist is capable but not necessarily what is performed on clients' pieces. A refusal on this request should be a red flag. Pay special attention to the nose, ears and eyes on mammal mounts such as deer. These features should appear natural. The nose on a mounted deer should appear as cold and wet as your dog's nose.

Inspect hides that are waiting to be stretched. It isn't unusual for taxidermists to send out their tanning work. But wherever the tanning is done, the skins should be soft, pliable and relatively odor-free. Stiff hides might be the result of powder tanning, a shortcut that may not last. Ask about their methods.

Ask who will perform the work. Some taxidermy shops farm out some of their jobs. If you learn this, inspect the contractor as well.

Novices - You could get lucky and find a fledgling taxidermist with skills that defy his experience level. But generally experience counts for a lot in this field. Know going in that many novices with good intentions get in over their head. They charge less than the competition to attract business and then are overwhelmed by the amount of work. Turnover is substantial is this business. The most common complaint involves fly-by-night taxidermists, who disappear with money and animals.

Price - Generally you get what you pay for. Some customers are satisfied with a $230 shoulder mount. But the going price is closer to $500. Redfish and trout usually cost between $9 and $12 an inch. Fiberglass mounts are more. Ducks generally run between $150 and $200.

Completion date - Some taxidermists are notorious for missing deadlines. A professional should know roughly when his work will be completed and should be willing to commit to this. On the other hand, beware of unrealistic completion estimates. Most taxidermy work can be done within six months to a year. Don't rush him. Longer than this and the shop probably has contracted too many jobs. The exception to this is local fish taxidermist John Glenn. His work is so coveted that the average wait is 18 months.

Get something in writing - be it a receipt or contract, don't leave a deposit or animal without getting a piece of paper as proof.

Photo - Take a picture of your animal before dropping it off. This is particularly important for antlered species.
Outdoors writer David Sikes'

column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at

886-3616 or sikesd@caller.com

Bassmaster1208 ; The only $.02 of advice I can give on this is ; find a taxidermist that specializes in fish mounts . Taxidermist who do great with deer or turkey may be just so-so on fish and vice-a-versa . This is the advice I got from an amature taxidermist friend who will not do fish . You have to visit a few taxidermist shops to examine the type of work they do.