Full turkey mount?

What should one expect to spend to get a complete turkey mounted?

Probly quite a bit. I paid $200 around 1985 to have one mounted in a flying position. Good luck.

Just paid $675

$600 for a quality mount

I’ve got one at the taxi now for $800. Hicks in Northport wanted $1,200.

500-750 and I’d question someone who said they could do it for a whole lot less than that and stay in business.

My taxidermist sends the heads off to be freeze dried, which is supposedly preferred to just putting a plastic head on there. But I’m no expert in taxidermy.

Gary Hubbard mounted my turkey years ago. He told me that freeze drying was the only way to make it look realistic. After more than 30 years, mine still looks like it's flying away. You made the right choice. I have seen others done differently, but can promise you there is no comparison. I haven't talked to Mr. Gary in years & can only assume he's still living. He's mounted deer for me as well & have had them back in only 3 months. He has never taken in too much stuff that he couldn't do the job fairly quick. He's a heck of a taxidermist. You should be happy with your turkey mount by the freeze dry method.

That’s good to hear.

Paid 600$ for the one I mounted

Black wings Turkey is more but well worth the price. I think its 800-1k.

I've also been given them as a recommendation.

600-1000 these days. I paid $500 but that was years ago. There’s a guy on FB that has impressed me, John beard I think. His heads are incredible.

I was quoted $1,100 from Blackwing which seems to be in line with the upper end level work.
My thoughts, no sense doing a full body mount unless it's going to be good.

I'll check out John Beard.

Damn that almost more than the hunt is gonna cost us!

Cally Morris did three for me years ago. Not sure what he charges now

So what state do you need to keep the turkey in if you're doing a full mount? Fully intact, bag it and freeze it?

Ouch, he won another stoopid contest. It was $800-850 just 2 years ago.

Called Birds Only outside Nashville, $1,100 also

Tommy Knight of Catonment Fl did all of mine(5). Damn good work.

Blake Wilson in Union Grove does a jam up job as well.

Mike at black wings wins almost every contest he enters. You got to pay to have the best. His regular mounts look just as good as his competition birds. Only things he does different is give competition birds a butthole.

Birds Only does amazing work. He has done 4 for my buddy. He'll be the guy I use if I ever decide to have one mounted.

I will probably use black wings if and when I kill a rio to put on the wall. that will finish up my mounted slam with all the birds having at 1 1/4 inch spurs. ive already got 4 full body mounts. like I said eastern, osceola, and merriams. also one being a Kansas double beard. at the time it would have been in the top 10 of double beards taken in Kansas. it wasn't a pure rio, a hybrid, with more eastern traits than a Rio.

scott

If it's not wall mounted, you need to plan on an acrylic case or it will stay dusty. Figure 5-600 for case.

The only person I'd take a duck, turkey, or any other bird to.

I paid $600 in 2014 to have one done. The guy that is mounting the deer my son killed back in January is either $800 or $850 for a turkey.

Just wondering ... do you have one in the freezer that you are wanting to get mounted or just planning ahead for next season?

Planning ahead.

A big gobbler requires some maneuvering to fit into a standard size freezer, even one that's completely empty...

Here's mine from this year

That's awesome

$600 is the bottom of the barrel price. It's harder to hide "mistakes" on birds that it is on fur bearing critters.

For a good quality mount you'd start at $800 and go up from there from what I've seen.

If you want the best; call Shane Smith. All those taxidermists the others listed above that are "great" bird guys learned from Shane. He gets $1500 I think. That's more than I'm willing to pay but he is the best.

Shane and John from Birds Only just hosted a 4 day seminar together.

I saw that Shane had one last week.

.......

If you don’t mind me asking, how in the hell did you figure this out?

Does he add poop too?

Good judges always check for buttholes.....

I asked him to mount my bird just like he would a competition bird and he said well if you want your bird to have a butthole I will but my process is the exact same. Mike and I have become.pretty good friends over the last several years as well and I have asked a multitude of questions about it. How I know he has been winning all the competitions, well when every couple months he throws up pics of another win on FB you kind of get the point. He won this year at the NWTF and has a bird going to world this year. If I was a betting man, I would put money he will win that as well.