hey guys, i've never done taxidermy before, truth be told i'm a metal guy all the way, but recently i've been doing alot of metal shilloutes of animals in natural habitats and its got me thinking again about how much fun itd be to do some taxidermy, i'm not looking to do anything professional, just a hobby to spend some time on, i'm wondering what the cost would be to get started mounting things like pheasants, prarie chickens, ducks and things like that, possibly squerrials and rabbits as well, i'm a hunter so i would be mounting animals that i have shot, i'm just curious what the cost/time commitment would be before i really start to dig in, if i decide to do it i'll be asking for advice on manuals, kits etc to get me started, but right now i'm looking for just some basic info, thks alot for the help.
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
Relatively speaking, birds are fairly cheap to get in to...you can get a wire wheel for about 150..atleast thats about what a paid for the last new one that I got 2 yrs ago, some borax, dawn dish lq, a few scalpels or x-acto blades/handles, tweezers and other small tools..etc plus the mannekin/eyes/ & art. head if you want to go that way..and your set...
Get the Breakthrough bird manual and a couple videos also...and visit this site often --the archives are great for beginners..
Good luck
TJ
...get your license and take in customer's birds, etc. And then find a GOOD taxidermist that's willing to do wholesale work for you.
If you're looking for "fun" then by all means take the time to learn the trade. But it WILL take time. You don't want to be practicing on customer's mounts. No metal sculpture in the world is going to take their eyes off their trophy if it's all jazzed up.
Also, I would imagine that your metal work is not cheap. Keep in mind your target audience because when you get to the high end of things you narrow your audience considerably...
Is starting up supposed to mean that you want to stock up on supplies, or just obtain enough to do one mount, and then move on? Simple tools can start you, and be replaced as time, money and skill dictate. You could mount a bird with household tools on the kitchen table for a while, with little investment. Sorry I still didnt really answer you with a figure, but its a tough question.
i think mentioning the metal art part may have throwen some people off... i when i do metal stuff i cut out shillouttes of animals and then build a natural habitat for them... i was not plannng on combineing the two (although now that you mention it... hmmm, could be fun) however i've spent alot of time browseing on here learning techniques i could apply to the projects i allready do as far as habitat stuff goes and now i've gotten interested in doing taxdermy as well. i guess basicly my question is.. as a hobby.. what do i need to do it well, without breaking the bank? when i started fly tying i had crappy hackle, crappy furs etc etc and i about gave up a simply because the materials i had were worthless to tie with, i dont want that to happen with this so how much do i need to spend to get decent stuff that wont just be a headache?
TJ: i knwo what most of the thigns u mentioned are, with the exception of the wire wheel (my wire wheel sits on my pedistal grinder, but i'm not seeing what applications taht would have in taxidermy ;) ) so.. what is a wire whell?
thks for the quick responses guys, keep um coming and i just might get hooked, lol.
buy a video on pheasant or squirrel and watch it,,,seeing it done will let you know if you want to proceed with this venture,,, if so i would buy a kit ( all supplies will be provided within )if not sale the video on here or ebay,,,WASCO has videos on pheasant and squirrel for a bout $20.00 each,,, and Van Dykes sales kits for both at about 20.00 each,,, so for $40.00 and a few simple hand tools you could be on your way,,,,,,,,first time out i would allow a weekend for either project ,,,,,,,,,,,,,good luck,,,,,,,,,,,jim
I mounted my first bird for under $10.00 using coat hangers for the wire I needed (free), cotton I already had, borax (at dollar store for $3.00), eclicsar? (at walmart for $2.00 in craft section) and getting eyes for $5.00 at a local taxidermy shop. also walmart has books on taxidermy cheap that can give you a start.
For birds or squirrels you can start up very cheap. I would suggest that you go to the for sale section and try to find a used video tape and watch it first. You can probably get one for $15 to $20. Worst case senario is to get one new from the supply house for $25 to $30. After you watch and see what you need to do, then you can collect your supplies. For a bird or squirrel you will need a knife (preferrably a scalpel or exacto knife), scissors, dawn detergent, and borax. You would probably do well to buy a kit from one of the many supply houses for your first project, that way you won't have extra supplies if you quit after that one. If you decide to stay with it, then you can look at getting away from the kit and keep supplies on hand. I do not recommend that you invest in a wire wheel just yet as it will increase your cost significantly. It's a bit more time consuming, but you should learn how to flesh by hand. You likely will not get a great mount at first, but if you can identify your mistakes and continue to try, it will come. Good Luck.
I want to kill your momma then rape her corpse whil i lick your daughter's [expletive deleted] and squeeze her tits. Oh yeah. That's the crap.
I have no idea what I'm talking about but I do like to smoke da pot and I loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove titties.