Hey guys,
Been doing taxidermy for about4 years now and I think I am getting good enough that I am about ready to tackle a lifesize. i Had a guy tell me he was going to bring me one from a ranch hunt. I feel very comfortable with my sewing, shaping of the eyes, ears, etc. I do however have a few questions about doing a lifesize. I appreciate any advice from anyone who has done one. Here are my questions.
#1 Would a dorsal incision be best here or ventral? I see the
benefits both ways.
#2 Is there anything special I need to know about cleaning and
mounting in the hoof area?
#3 Would a relief cut for the legs be in order or is it possible to
slide them all the way on and still be able to do the hoof work?
#4 Any good suggestions about extra measurements on the animal to
insure a quality fit to the form?
#5 What advice can I give my hunter to insure I don't get a cape
butchered up? The ranch is in Tennessee. He told me if at all
possible, he was going to bring it straight too me from the hunt.
Not gutted or anything. Should only be about 5 or 6 hours top to
get it here and I could get the measurements while the skin is
still on the deer and not gutted. Should I tell him to do this?
Sure would make my job easier.
#6 Now the big question, how much should I charge him? I'm not for
sure about how much prep time goes into a life size. He asked me
how much I would charge and I told him I would have to research
this a little because I haven't done one yet. I told him not to
hold me to this but it would definitely be at least $800 and
probably closer to $1,000 with the habitata and all. He didn't
say anything but that's about what I thought. Am I in the ball
park? Because that seems like a ton of work.
Thanks in advance for any replys and the time you took to read all this drama!
Bazie
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2495.00 for the mount, 800 for the habitat
Make some money
and by the way vent cut it, do it right.
1)I do all my lifesizes with the dorsal cut and it works great. It is a lot easier to adjust the hides and you will not have to worry about sewing around the legs which is a pain in the rear. but the cut is a personal preference. Some here like the ventral cut, some love the case cut. It is up to you what you are going to like best.I mounted large lifesizes that were ventral cut, case cut and cut like a rug. I prefer the dorsal over any of them, hands down. You just going to have to take your time on sewing and do little stitches. If you put a thing layer of clay under the seam while you sew you can push the seam into it afterwards. Use good glue too under the seam area.
3)Yes you will have to do some relief cuts on the inside of the lower legs closer by the hooves or you won't be able to get them out.
6)We charge 1,800 for a lifesize fallow deer not including the habitat.
5)On lifesizes I prefer my customer to leave the animal alone and let me do the skinning. Also tell you hunter not to drag the animal so he won't mess up the hair on the body, not to hang it by the neck, and not to split the skin in the back legs for hanging the deer.
4)Measure tight rather then loose. Remember the skin will shrink some during the tanning and you do not want to over stretch it on the mount. You will need the eye to nose, neck, girth and total length. If you can't find a form that is close to all your measurements go by the neck and girth. Youcan easily change out a head and a form can always be shortened or lengthen. It is harder to increase or decrease the girth.
2) Be careful on the hooves not to cut yourself. You will have to get the very last bone out of there (leave in the toe bone). I split the skin all the way to the very end and then do one toe at a time. It will take some time to get them out. Hooves are a pain in the rear.
Evelyn,
I appreciate the response. It took you as long to answer as I did to ask it! Would you have an email that I could contact you at if I had further questions? I appreciate the the price range too, I am way under aren't I. Man, that is a lot of money to put into a deer isn't it? But then again, taxidermy is a luxury not a neccessity!
By the way, are you the one they call Superpig on here?
Thanks,
Bazie
If you haven't checked yet, not many fallow forms out there lifesize. Be prepared to do alot of form mods. The forms available are for big fallows, most game farm deer are smaller so you have to charge for possible alterations.
your price. Lifesize form $250.00 to $300.00 Tanning $100.00 Time skinning fleshing turning a lifesize deer for salting 4 to 8 hours depending on your skill level, prepping the tanned hide and form prep and modifications 1 to 3 days, time on base not to mention mounting the deer, cost of supplies, overhead and the big one profit. And yes you are right its a ton of work. Also fallows are considered exotics, cost more then whitetails.
you can contact me at that email address.