Taxidermy question....

[LwnmwnMan2]

How long does it usually take to get a fish mounted??

I realize it's going to depend on work load as well, but .....

Right now I'm waiting since last February.

[gunflint]

A year is standard around here.

[nluchau]

Mine took alittle over a year - You can see it in my avatar.

[porterhouse]

It took about 14 months for my fish to get done.

Brian

[MNmikew]

I brought three URL crappies in last Feb. Still waiting. Should be later this month though.

[LocalGuide]

Most are a little over a year or so.

I have one that has been in for about 2 years. But this is from someone that I know and he is always really busy so it takes him a while. Im going to go and pick it up here in a couple of weeks.

I have had some be only 10 month while this one was 24... Pretty standard...

[pressman]

I know everybody thinks one year is normal.... not at Ron Shaleen's Taxidermy, I found his ad in the back of Outdoor News and it claimed to be a four week turnaround. I had a 12 pound 2oz minnetonka walleye and didn't want to wait a year. Ron did the job in just 3 weeks on driftwood for 7 or 8 dollars an inch, and it was a great looking job.

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[No_Net]

My dad had a 16in crappie that he got mounted that took about 3 months to get done. The crappie sat in the freezer for about 5 years too. I don't think it could have been done much better ether.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I'm going on about 9 months now, with a walleye that was in a freezer for 2 years.

It's with a guy that's got international awards here in the north metro, so I'm not too concerned....

Just getting an idea on timing since 1) I never asked when I dropped it off, as he was on the phone, and 2) Just wanted to get an idea if he'd been blowing my fish off since it HAD sat for so long before I brought it in.

Thanks guys....

[Guest]

1 year is about normal. The only way a taxidermist is going to get it done sooner is if they are not busy, new, or they dont do large game animals or birds.

Many taxidermist nearly have to shut down in the rifle season because there are so many animals coming in and they cant get anything done. Fish take a week or 2 to complete with proper dry time.. sure, most can do a dozen fish at a time, sometimes more... but it still takes time. Large game animals take some time also, and require much more space so time adds up there also.

Its not uncommon for taxidermist to have a years worth of work in the freezer.

So.. if a taxidermist is new.. you might see your fish in a few weeks. If they have been around for a while and are busy, a year is very realistic.

[tonyjor]

What's the timeline on replicas? I caught a nice crappie a couple years back and took pics. I would like to get a replica made but I don't know/haven't looked into cost and time yet. Any suggestions?

[fishinalot]

It seems that most are really only behind 1-2 months. They all hunt and fish and tell you they are out 6-months so they can play when they want!

[Northlander]

tonyjor if your looking at a replica Artistic Anglers in Duluth is the only place I will go for a replica. Anyone can make a replica but Artistic Anglers painter is the best Ive ever seen. I looked all over to see who would do my replica and I wound up just across the bridge in Duluth at Artistic Anglers. I looked at all the shows and on the net and I kept coming back to AA's paintjobs.

Not the cheapest but well worth the little extra $.