How many of you feel the same way?

[Nina]

Let me start this off by saying I am opening my taxidermy shop to customers next year when I turn 18. I feel completely comfortable with my work and want to stick with mainly deer because they are my favorite to work on. Also, my area is a good deer hunting area so the potential customers are there.
Here's to what I'm getting to.
My dad said that I should also learn how to mount fish and birds because they would make me extra money, but I said I don't have any interest whatsoever in anything that has feathers or scales.
I just want to stay with whitetails and maybe take in some small mammal work too, but no fish or birds at all. My idea here is, I want to specialize in one thing and be good at it. How many of you follow the same idea in your business?

[Oakcreek]

Nina , Go with what your interest are in. Financially figure out where you end up and want to be. If you go full time and make good money on deer heads then stick with it. If you have no interest in waterfowl or fish do you believe your work will reflect that and cause a negative??

As long as you pay the bills, do what makes you happy and are interestd in.

Good luck. You are in a great location for deer heads.

[Whitetail Finder]

I agree with you on the whitetails, I love to do them and they are my passion, but I want to do ducks as well. As for small game I will work on my skill level there when I run out of whitetails. Whitetails are number one for me and more than likely always will be, but I live in southeast Arkansas where duck hunting is huge. I want to learn how to do ducks so I will have something to do when I get all of my whitetails done. So to answer your question I understand what you are saying because I love whitetail deer, but I also love the challenge of something different.

[Doug A]

Nina, just start out doing what you like or want to do and let the other parts evolve. While you are living at home is a good time to see the volume you will have vs what you HAVE to have to be profitable. From that you will know if you can do fulltime deer / small game or if you need to suppliment with birds/ fish. If you don't want to do fish or birds from the start they might not look as good as your deer mounts because the feeling is not there. Just let it evolve into what you want.

[outwoods taxidermy]

listen to your dad its the best advice you will ever get, i dont like messing with fish or birds but sometime you have to just to pay bills......

[huntswnm]

Nina,
I think I am in the same situation as you, sort of.  I am also new at this at pretty confident in my skills with big game.  I have tried some birds, with no success, so far.  Once I am ready to "open" up to public customers I am wanting to stick with big game as well.  So what if "extra" money is not coming in from fish and birds.  If you get a good customer base for big game you probably will have more than enough work.  Maybe at some point you (we) will have a desire to expand our business and offer more services.  However, I think you need to have the desire to do other types of game.  If not, you may not enjoy it and your work may suffer.  Hope this helps a little.

Jeff

[Jason O]

if you can live on just deer go for it ,i only like to do horn mounts but i cant live on that ,so it forces me to do deer ,bear, small mammals ,fish,caribou, etc.

[wilson]

 Nina, you have a lot of things against you already and a long...... way to go before you will be able to make a living at taxidermy; MY advice to you is, Never turn down Money!

[afthunt]

I see your dads point of view he looks at it as than you would be more diverse and have work come in year round. When i started i wasn't going to do fish but i found out that i need to to help fill in the slow periods plus in my eyes they are good money makers. I see your work on here often and you are very artistic and you would not have any problems with doing birds and fish trust me i think you would enjoy them once you start them. Just my two cents

[strutinh]

Hi Nina   I do not do fish or small birds, I wholesale them out,  IMOP if I had your artistic talent I would push you drawings and paintings in your shop,have you thought about selling you art at other taxidermist shops? I know I could sell your work out of my shop, I have a bunch of banquets to do and if I had some art work at my booth I know I could sell them, If you advertised your custom drawings with say a hunter and his trophy I think those would sell also. You must do what you like to do!!! to be happy, but you never know till you try,  I bet you could mount one hell of a bird, and putt your artistic touch on painting fish  I,m sure you could handle it!!  hey try it first if you don,t like it sub it out, thats my thought anyway,,

[Scrubby]

It is what you want to do. I don't see you being able to make it at Taxidermy unless you expand. If your intentions are not to be full time and just a little to pay some bills it is OK but if you really want the money you need to do other things. It does have its plus and minus,s. It is all where you want to be in your talents as an artist of wildlife.

[RoyalOaksTaxidermy]

I just tell people I specialize in Mammals I dont do birds or fish...If its got hair or fur I can do it.
  When people call about birds or fish I give them some numbers to bird/fish taxi's.  I originally was going to go ahead and accept the birds and fish in and wholesale them out but I just dont like putting someone elses product out there as being from me.. Ultimately the customers would look to me for any repairs or problems and the turn around time is hard to control when its not you doing the work..  So I decided to just specialize and not worry about if the fish or birds.  If someone was to insist that I send it out for them I might do it... But for everyday people.. Nope I just send them on to someone else.
  Ive passed on alot of birds lately.   Ive been sending them to several taxis semi close to me.. Yes Im probably loosing some mammal clients since some people would rather have all their mounts done in one shop.. But not much I can do about that.
   I know of alot of taxidermists who specialize.. The lady retiring near me only does gameheads, mainly deer. Shes been doing it for like ever and is now retiring.. she is also referring any new calls to me...
  Fact is its no differnt than a car mechanic.. Just because they can work on cars doesnt mean they will do trucks or big rigs.. Pick your area you want to do and go for it.. 

[chris_kreiner]

There is a taxidermist near me that takes in about 10 deer heads and that is all he wants so he sends the rest to me and I too have no desire to do fish or birds.  So I send all of my fish to him cause he does a great job and I have yet to deside who to send my birds to but am still looking into it.  I am a mammal guy and that is what I am planning on sticking to.

[Bill Yox]

You know your dad was just trying to give you advice that you dont want to put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Ok, well maybe hes taking up fishing and found a new waterfowl spot! Lol, all kidding aside, you see the responses youve gotten are running about 50/50. Its really up to you. If you can tolerate losing the customer who wants all his work under one roof, and will take his deer elsewhere cuz he also has birds/fish, then specialize. If youd rather keep the customer there, diversify. I think youll find that taxidermy might take a back seat soon as things in your life change, and also, birds and fish might grow on you later as a new challenge. For now I wouldnt sweat it, enjoy all of what is fast approaching ahead of you. 4000fps makes a good point. Just love what you do!

[Becky P]

Well, you could do what some do just so you don't lose the business, you could sub them out to a trusted taxi. I do a little bird work for another taxi that doesn't do birds. It keeps them from losing a possible client to someone that does do everything. Most people, IMO, want to use only one taxi.  If you feel uncomfortable with them "thinking" you do all the work, just tell them that you don't do fish/birds yourself but you do have a person that does, you don't necessarily have to tell them that person is not physically in your shop.

Specializing is not a bad thing though. If you're good enough, being a "specialist" should command a little more $$. It does in other fields.