How Long Does It Take to Taxidermy A Deer Head?

It’s very frustrating to wait for the deer’s head to return from taxidermy for months to months. 

So, how long does it take to taxidermy a deer head? 

Well, it takes approximately 2 to 3 months to get your deer head back from taxidermy. It depends from time to time. In off-seasons, it can be quite a delay up to 6 months. But actually, the process takes a week or two. The delay time varies for different reasons like taxidermy studios’ conditions. 

You must be still in the blue about that matter. Don’t worry, let’s jump to the details and clear your head out. 

How Long Does It Take to Taxidermy A Deer Head? -Detailed Discussion

Deer mounts are the taxidermy industry’s bread and butter. This is due to the fact that they actually create enough revenue to be worthwhile. And they are not that hard to accomplish like removing hide from skull. 

They really aren’t needlessly convoluted, and a skilled taxidermist could indeed complete them in a timely manner. For new taxidermy, it took me about 20 hours to finish a deer shoulder mount. 

From dismembering the animal to handing it over to the customer, this included everything.

Black bear rugs were another fruitful specimen. However, taxidermists in the Midwest don’t get a lot of those to mount. In a bear rug. It usually slept for 17-21 hours.

Elk shoulder mounts were most favorite, but they took a long time to complete. For small elk. It would cost around $1000, and for huge bulls. It would cost up to $2000. 

Small animals that didn’t make a profit were the least popular to mount. However, as a taxidermist, they must do them in order to keep clients coming in.

Migratory birds, turkeys, and predator shoulder mounts were the most difficult projects. All of them cost money.

How Long Does it Actually Take to Complete Taxidermy? 

Taxidermy of a deer head can be a simple task for any taxidermy studio. Actually, the process takes much less time than you think.

Most taxidermy studios claim that taxidermy takes 3 to 6 months or more than a year. As a result, you may believe it is a lengthy procedure. However, this procedure takes a week.

And you’ll have your taxidermy deer head in a week. You must first prepare the deerskin. If the studio or taxidermist is inexperienced, the skin preparation will take 4 to 5 hours.

However, it will take less than 2 hours for a skilled taxidermist. The skin must then be tanned and rested for a week. After tanning, you must apply a finishing touch, which can take up to two hours.

As a result, the process took 6 to 8 hours. You can get your taxidermy deer head in a week if you rest.

However, most taxidermies would not wait more than 2 or 3 months for a taxidermy deer head. So you’re probably wondering why it’s taking so long. 

Let’s get down to business.

Why does Taxidermy Take So Long? 

There can be so many reasons why taxidermy took so long to process. Though the process is not that difficult. But you might need to wait more than a month to get your taxidermy deer head. 

Here I have discussed some of the core problems why this delay happens. 

Reason 01: Longer Waiting Period 

Animals are skinned at the taxidermist in the standard industry procedure. Many studios have a lengthy waiting period. It is some time of several weeks to several months before sending enough skins to the tannery. 

The majority of taxidermy studios are family-run businesses. The skin is then sent to a tanning salon to be tanned. As a result, they must gather a large quantity of skin to send all at once. 

And this process can sometimes take more than a month.

Reason 02: Tanning Delay 

Tanners can sometimes keep tanned skin for more than a month before returning it. And the tanning delay adds to the overall length of the process. 

However, some taxidermy studios have their own tanner. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get your taxidermy deer head within a month.

Reason 03: insufficient Stuff 

The majority of taxidermy studios are small, with insufficient staff and financial resources. As a result, when the workload increases during the hunting season, they are unable to keep up.

Many projects are frequently shelved until the projects ahead of them are completed. But regardless of how long you ought to put it on hold.

A taxidermy deer head is frequently used as a trophy for you. It can also be crafted or hung on the wall.

Here are some of the good-quality frames that you can use to decorate. 

These frames are good in quality and they would be good for hanging elk shoulder mount. 

FAQs 

How much does it cost to mount a deer’s skull?

In the United States, the average cost of a shoulder mount for a white-tailed deer is $500. And that is with most people spending closer to $600. However, the average cost of a skull mount including a plaque or other mount is only $150.

How much money does a taxidermist make?

Taxidermist salaries in the United States range from $20,800 to $100,240. And with a median salary of $55,258. The middle 50% of Taxidermists earn between $44,911 and $55,244. Also, with the top 83 percent earning more than $100,240.

How long is it going to learn how to be a taxidermist?

Taxidermy courses usually last from a few weeks to several months. And apprenticeships are at least a year long. Most training programs and traineeships include many hours of arms practice mounting animals.

Bottom Line 

Thank you for tagging with me till the very end. Hope now you are clear about this matter how long does it take to taxidermy a deer head. 

Before taking your deer head to a taxidermy studio. You should look for a studio that has its own tanner. It will make it faster. 

Best of luck.