Submitted by John on 12/10/1998. ( jgill@acronet.net )
Being a beginner, and since I am not able to obtain fresh specimens myself, I am leaning towards buying pelts mail order. Can anyone tell me what to watch out for? What have been your experiences? Is it better to buy green or tanned? I am interested mainly in small mammals -mink up to coyote. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, John
Return to Beginners Category Menu
This response submitted by Bill on 12/10/1998. ( yoxtax@aol.com )
John, it's touch and go as far as who you buy from. As an example, theres a guy who advertises from my state who is such a rip off, charging big fees for returns and not selling what they describe, etc. You'll learn from trial and error. I would suggest trying to buy mammals raw frozen. Be careful to check YOUR states game laws, its YOUR responsibility, not the sellers. I'm pretty sure you cant buy b.bears or red fox in NC for example. You could try to contact the local trappers association to get native species and post your needs on this forum's wanted to buy.
This response submitted by John on 12/11/1998. ( jgill@acronet.net )
Thanks Bill, I'm trying to cut down on the trial and error part (i.e. money and more money!) as much as possible. With that said, can anyone recommend a dealer that they have purchased from and trust? I know John Bellucci sells some, but his stuff is usually too big for me. Thanks Again, John
This response submitted by Dave on 12/12/1998. ( Rkerr1998@aol.com )
Bills advice on checking with your local trappers organization is right on the money. These guys are usually more than happy to sell you some nice specimens, mostly because the dont have to skin em and they make more money on em than at the auctions. They also might be able to hook you up with some unusual specimens like albino skunks, muskrat, etc.. Good luck, Dave
This response submitted by Mick on 12/13/1998. ( MicD63@aol.com )
John, I provide lifesize skins to taxidermists across the country. Most have already been skinned via the dorsal incision, then the hides have been specially packaged and frozen, for the taxidermist to prepare via his favorite means. I also carry some tanned items as well. While few things in this field are cheap, I offer top quality specimens at fair prices. As I am located in Bill's home state, I hope he will take the opportunity to assure folks that I am not the supplier that he was referring to in his last post (though I do believe that I may have done some business in the past with that same supplier). Be carefull of purchasing skins through the large "middleman" operations, as I've found what they consider as "lifesize mountable" and what we consider,is not the same. While it may be true that we are able to work around certain difficulties, ie. short ear buts,not enough lip or eyelid skin,etc, when we work on a customers trophy, that is a different ball game as we're able to charge for the extra work. The last thing we want in a resale item or competition piece is extra man hours. Also a drawback of dealing directly with trappers is that most of them feel they are offering you a top of the line specimen which commands a premium price,which is rarly the case. Consider what happens to a fox,mink or bobcat when it is just tossed into a trash bag,sometimes sealed closed,and jammed into a freezer,often not even bagged. Or maybe the trapper overlooked trap or snare damage,that require us extra time to repair. In a nutshell, I have to wade trough a lot of garbage durring a season of specimen buying to get what I want. I for one believe you are best off, especially as a beginner,to deal with a taxidermist, that has already gone through the sorting process and eliminated the headaches for you. Bottom line is you'll pay a little more, as I do, but just like everything else, you get what you pay for. happy trails mick drop me a line, if you'd like my specimens listings
This response submitted by John on 12/13/1998. ( jgill@acronet.net )
Thanks for help guys. Since there's not much trapping done locally (SE WI) I think I'll give Mick a try when I'm ready. Thanks again, John
Return to Beginners Category Menu