I used the search feature and could not come up w/ an answer.

With my impending Dall/Grizzly hunt coming up 29 August, my wife asked how much the taxidermy work was going to be. I found typiacal ($100-155 per linear foot) bear costs but not Dall.

If for some reason I cannot afford to immediately arrange for the two to be worked on due to cost (imagine that after just paying for an entire Alaska hunt)what is the best way to preserve my specimens until I can afford to pay the taxidermist?

Big Al,
I just had a dall sheep done in a pedestal mount here in vegas. The sheep was about $595 and the pedestal about $300. It was very nice.

As for your other question, I had the hide tanned in Anchorage - just left it there after the hunt, and then shipped to me. I was stupid, though and thought it would last as a tanned hide without putting it in the freezer. I kept it for about a year before taking it to the taxidermist, and it almost ruined the cape. I was going to mount it as a life size and at the last minute decided to do the pedestal. It was a good thing, according to the taxidermist, because she said there was no way the cape could have been worked for the life size.

Regardless of whether you have it tanned or not, it needs to be in the freezer until it can be mounted. It can stay in the freezer for a number of years tanned or not before having it mounted.

Final word of caution. When you get home with the skull plate and horns, make sure you get the horns off as soon as possible because they become very difficult to get off if you wait.

Where are you hunting?

Tri-state taxidermy in Houston costs 675 for a sheep shoulder and 4000 for a lifesize brown bear, and they look gooooood. The other positive thing is animals coming in right now are averaging 4 months on turn around.

Dall, lifesize mount 3000.00

Grizzly, lifesize mount 4500.00
rug 250.00 L F

"what is the best way to preserve my specimens until I can afford to pay the taxidermist?"

Have tham tanned and put them in the freezer.

Definitly have them fleshed,salted and sent to a tannery (esp.the bear). As JP had stated tanned and in the freezer is the best holding place for any skin. Fleshed only skins left in a freezer for a lengthy time frame could result in freezer burn on delicate areas and grease burn on the bear. Never put salted skins in a freezer as the salt will prevent them from freezing. Tanned skins left on a shelf for lengthy periods of time will become dry rotted which renders them unmountable as they will fall apart when rehydrated.

If you would like one of my husband's brochures Krueger's Creations,Chris Krueger,feel free to PM me, we are in Arizona and have my rugmaking studio on site.

Best of luck to you on your hunt!
Kindest Regards,
Mary

GSSP- In Utah, a quality dall mount will run $3,500-4,500. I am around $3,500, including a standard base. I would recommend having your capes tanned by a reputable taxidermist/tannery. Then you have a few years before making a decision. Best of Luck on Your Hunt.

Dogcatcher, though I agree with your comments generally, Bruce Rittel has some differing opinions. He states that if alum (K2SO4 or Al2(SO4)), a very common tanning ingredient, is used, any moisture (H2O) will reconstitute itself inside the cell structure to form H2SO4 or sulfuric acid and eventually disintegrate the hide. The great taxidermist William Hornedy has no remaining work because he used alum extensively. Many mounts in the Smithsonian Museum have self destructed for that same reason. Now these aren't my words, but Bruce's. I do agree with them however.

I charge 795. for a dall sheep shoulder mount and 3700. for a lifesize dall. The best shops are in this price range. Have the dall horns "cored", the skull plate cleaned and the horns reattached by a taxidermist that does sheep, and then have the cape and hide tanned and then store them frozen until you can mount them.