Good UT Taxidermist

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gotthefever

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-23-08 AT 10:40PM (MST)[p]There was a post that went around a while back on good recommended UT taxidermist and i am unable to find it. i want to find the best taxidermist that takes pride in his work, kicks out quality animals and that is reliable. I don't mind paying top dollar for top end work. But, nothing burns me more than to pay top dollar for low/mid end work.

Saw the Super Man post on Bruce Capes, looks like a great mount. Who else out there in UT is known for top end work?
 
Paul Penny, Alpine or Doug Parry, Pleasant Grove. Can't go wrong with either!
 
dirk bawden of big stuff taxidermy in tooele is the only choice for me,his deer elk are second to none
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-08 AT 09:17AM (MST)[p]Try Monarch Mountain Taxidermy 801-518-2033 out of South Jordan they are great to work with, and get the work done under a year. I will be putting my buck on that I just got back from a September hunt later this week. Bruce Capes with Animal Art does great work but he takes longer that a year and does not go in order. I am not bashing Bruce his work is AMAZING but sounds like he is to busy! You can view taxidermist on this site and they are both on here.
 
I second Paul Penny and Doug Perry, then i'll add in Dave Anderson...three of the best in the state hands down.






Skull Krazy
"No Bones About It"
 
+1 for Curtis at Monarch Mountain Taxidermy. He does an awesome job, and like said earlier, gets it done in a lot less time than some of the other guys around. I have my book cliffs buck with him right now, i should be able to post pics in a couple weeks.
 
RUSSELL BULKLEY IN PANGUITCH UTAH IS THE ONLY! ONE I TAKE MY ANIMALS TO GREAT WORK AND WELL WORTH THE WAIT.
 
Wow! Sounds like there are more than one excellent taxidermist in UT. That is great to hear. One question about paul penny, does he do good work on animals other than muleys? maybe thats a dumb question but i have a few other big animals needing taxi work and want someone who does it all! I have seen one dimensional work before (they only do great work on deer) but put something like a moose or caribou in front of them and they are a little out of their element. I have heard great things of Paul since i have been asking around but wanted to ask the question. Thanks for the help
 
Dirk Barnes has done 20+ mounts for me and my family.

Not cheap, and about 12-18 months, but a true artist.

You wont find a more honest guy around.

If you have something worth getting done, and you will spend the next 30 years looking at it, time and money are a small price to pay for quality work.
 
Paul Pennie mounted my neighbor's 52" wide moose and it turned out perfect. Paul is as good as they get when it comes to elk and deer for sure and he's also VERY good at other critters. His full body mountain goat looks unbelievable. I've also seen a few of his full body mountain lions and they look better than any I've ever seen. His knowledge of the animal?s anatomy, attention to detail and patience is 2nd to none.

NvrEnuf
 
I forgot to mention that he's also mounted 2 mule deer for me and they both turned out perfect! The one below is from last year and the other one is being put on a pedestal this week.

bksmount12-23-06002.jpg


NvrEnuf
 
I have to mention Michael Christensen, Packout here on MM. He is most of the way through my deer from 07 and has really taken the time to make sure I was getting what I wanted, even after I changed my mind on the pose. I believe his stuff is as good as anyone mentioned already. He also did my neighbors Wasatch Elk from 07 and it turned out super as well.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-25-08 AT 11:25AM (MST)[p]Lots of choices out there for sure...in my opinion there are a few things to remember when choosing a taxidermist. First off, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. You can't expect to pay for a Hyundai and get a BMW, if you know what I mean. Secondly, if a guy promises you your mount in a couple months, THERE'S PROBABLY A REASON. And that reason is usually that he doesn't have much work; and there's probably a reason for that too. It's not worth saving a hundred bucks and getting your mount back quick if what you get is junk. Finally, WATCH OUT FOR THE HOBBYISTS. Would you go to a doctor who practices medicine in his spare time? Or only on the weekends? I wouldn't. Choose a PROFESSIONAL. Like what was said above, you're gonna be looking at the mount for a LONG time to come. Great taxidermists charge fees in-line with their counterparts, and likewise get work back in a similar time frame. Like I said, lots of good ones out there, but use good old fashioned common sense when choosing!!! Just my two cents!!!
 
Are you looking for good, or the best? there are a ton of guy's that do a nice clean job, but if you want the best get ahold of Jimmy Lynn. 801-910-8774. there is only one better that I have seen and that's Gary Powell at North Slope in Elko, and Jimmy learned under him. he's doing some of the best natural habitat you will ever see. everything else is just a stuffed head.

NVMDF
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-25-08 AT 08:01PM (MST)[p]Wow! I thought the list of exceptional taxidermist would be much smaller! I appreciate the advice and recommendations. I now have a great list of pros to call. Thanks for the help.
 
Another vote for Paul Pennie. I don't know most of the other taxis mentioned here, but you can't go wrong with Paul. I still think one of his best mounts that I have seen was Iverson, the old state record bull elk. Love that mount. Also like the Mule deer he did for founder. Lots of good examples of his work.
 
I find it interesting that the posts on here are opionions that your taxidermist is the best, and you are entitled to your opinion. But some of the people mentioned here are not that great. I am not going to mention names but I have been going to the state taxidemy shows for many years and it is funny how the people who win the top awards are not even mentioned here. except Dave Anderson who has won best of catogory in the Masters division plus has won many 1st place awards in the masters division. Paul has done pretty good at the shows as well but hasn't won any best of category. There are people who win year after year in Masters and have also won "Best of show" that haven't even been mentioned. Like Tracey Jacobson or Dan Loveland. Some of the people mentioned
above do ok work, some isn't that great. Some of the people above haven't even attened the show at all. others have attended but didn't do very well and haven't been back since.
I know that the utah state taxidermy association brings in National and world champions who judge the shows. People who really know what they are doing. I think that says alot. I see alot of taxidermist that claim to do quality work and see that it is far from Quality.

gran.
 
The bottom line is that there are many good taxidermists in Utah. When it comes time all of these guys will provide you with a good mount for your wall. Pick the one that is good to work with and you feel comfortable with. As far as the competitions go that takes it to a whole different level. A competition mount takes a taxidermist weeks to months to complete if done right. Aspects like lacrimal glands, hair patterns,septums need to be in place and perfect. If a taxidermist did a competition mount on all commercial mounts they would not be able to produce a high number of mounts. So I believe there are many good commercial taxidermists in Utah that would give most hunters a great mount. If you want competition mount then you will have to pay for it. So if you want the best mount possible go to someone that does only 20 mounts per year and competition detail. Stay away from guys that produce too many mounts than time allows, that just means they are not taking enough time and worried about how many instead of quality. Overall the people mentioned will give you a great mount and are great to work with. also I have learned that taxidermist are all different when it comes to there signature work. All eyes are different than another guys, some add more muscle detail everywhere, some have a more natural soft look. If you look at a guys work you will see these character traits in their work. Choose one that you like or tell your taxidermist what you are looking for when you choose a mount.
 
Travis Roundy took second the only year he competed in the state taxidermy competetion.His work speaks for itself.

Mike
 
another vote for paul pennie he has done 4 elk for me and my friends and at least 6 or so deer. every one of them was amazing.

Jake
 
I think Utah has some very good taxis. Utah has even more bad garage taxis. I have heard good things about Dave Anderson and Paul Pennie. I use Paul. He takes pride in his work, customer satisfaction is important, he can be gotten a hold of, honest, and kicks work out like a good business man. I cannot say he is the best (although he may be!), because I don't know what the best is (so I will use the word great), but he does a great job and is the best for me (and many others).

I think you need to find one with a good rep and if you feel good about them, use them. A nice, dedicated, clean, shop tells a lot I think. If you want a recommendation from me, then use Paul Pennie.
 
Let me explain how the judgeing goes. There are 3 Levels of competition. Novice (beginner level) Professional, Masters-the toughest level of competition. Each level is scored based on judges critique. 70-79 3rd place 80-89 2nd 90-100 1st. so there can be multiple 1st 2nd 3rd etc. based on each persons score.
to obtain a 1st in the masters division is much more difficult than a 1st in Professional. So lets use travis as an example.He got an 86 for his piece in the professional division but there could have been 10 other guys in the same division the was between 80-89 that got 2nd place ribbons. but there was only one best of category. so the person who really got "2nd" is the next highest scoring 1st place ribbon. And best of show is who the judges feel is the very best piece of the entire show, usually someone from the masters division. I just feel many taxidermist mislead people because of a ribbon they recieved. I have heard some of the mentioned taxidermist say they compete in the same division or Level as the masters to their customers when really they are in the Novice or professional divisions.Or brag about what place ribbon they recieved as if it was 2nd place of the entire show, but infact was a 2nd place ribbon because of score and category. I agree with above mentioned about If you like someones work Fine, but to say they have done well at a show is manytimes incorrect. I just want to educate people because many times these animals are a once in a lifetime harvest and I my self have had some disappointments because someone suggested a certain taxidermist as being the best or show winner or whatever. And I am tired of the false or misleading claims to "award winning Taxidermy".

Gran
 
Just because someone wins some show doesn't make that someone the best taxidermist around. In my opinion, it all comes down to personal preference. I have a guy that does the best sneak or semi sneak mounts for mule deer that I've ever seen. Muscles in the neck just like the second live picture on this page. I have yet to see another as good as far as I'm concerned. He has done my last 2 deer and it makes me want to do a redo on my others done by someone mentioned above. This guy is too busy just on word alone, he doesn't advertise anywhere, and I'm not going to mention his name because he doesn't need anymore business. He is just simply the best at what I mentioned above.
 
+1

I think hyundai won best car of the year.. Certainly not the best in my book.

Everytime this issue comes up there is always one guy that pipes in about trophies and taxidermy shows. (IM not picking on anyone, just simply saying...) Some guys have great show pieces... But do they do that type of work everytime? I have seen some of the taxidermists work mentioned above outside of those shows and its obviously NOT the same quality of work as they put into their show pieces. Its not that they are not capable of doing that, its not realistic for them to exzert that amount of effert into every piece.

I will throw Paul Pennie into the mix.. Like everyone here doesn't already know I use him. He is also a one man show.. Meaning he doesn't sell taxidermy with his name and have someone else finish the product.

I will also add Packout into this post as well. He does great work too.
buck1.gif


Later, Brandon
 
There have been some very good points brought up. I'll add mine. I have had 6 deer mounted for myself and my dad. The first two were done by a taxi no longer in business. He hired kids to work for him. I wasn't happy with either except for the turnaround and cost. The next mount I paid a little more for and on reputation was expecting more. Again, I was disappointed.

I then had a huge set of sheds to get mounted and talked to an unknown taxi working out of his garage. I saw his work and was impressed. He did the mount and I was estatic about what I had on the wall. No compitition, no ribbons. Just superior work. I mad the mistake of referring several friends to him. This even made him slower. They all complain about the time he takes, but they will not go elsewhere, and niether will I. I like several taxi's work, but I have no reason to switch until he quits. The only bad taxi work I've seen in his garage, is what someone brought to him to fix. Dirk Barnes is my top choice. Just look at jagr's sheep mount in the other forum and you'll see why.

Yelum
 
My top choice is Dirk Barnes also. He has done some work for me and some friends. Top quality and a real stand up guy.

_gloomis
 
I just thought I would throw out Kelly Memmott, and Ben Neilson, of Pleasant Grove. First rate taxidermy, and nice guys. They have mounted 3 deer, a bear, 2 antelope, and one of the best cougar mounts you will ever see. I think if you want to know how good a taxidermist is, then take a look at one of their cougars. These guys know how to bring them back to life.
 
Dirk barnes will be mounting a mule deer for my brother that lives in Ohio.He is very excited to get his mount back to go along with some whitetails he has on his wall.
Bet he will want to take down his whiteys off the wall once those buckeye boys see what a real mount looks like.HA
Shane not ripping on your mounts but you will see first hand when your mule deer is complete what a great looking mount will look like.he he
 
There are some good points here, but some of you have a midunderstanding of what goes into a mount. Depending on what brand form a taxi uses, has a lot to do with "the look" you get back.

Some taxis modify forms, some do not. Just depends on the individual animal, and how much effort the taxi wants to put forth into the mount, to get "the look" he likes.

Most hunters price chase, others go with the taxi that gives them the look they like.

I can tell you, on a commercial basis...most taxis are not modifying forms, and his work will resemble whatever brand form he chooses. Some are oversculpted with muscles, some are undersculpted, giving a sleek look.
 
Crap Larry,
We might be shooting ourself in the foot. If ya know what I mean.
Oh well, the longer he takes, the more times I can stop to have a beer.
 
One of the taxi's mentioned on here has employee's that do many of his mounts.That wouldn't fly with me!I believe you get what you pay for.When a guy tells me he can get a deer mounted for $250-300, the red flags go up.

Good taxidermy is really in the eye of the beholder. I have seen some bad mounts that people display with pride.

Deerbedead, remember the stuffed bobcat in that ole codgers store in CO.

Mike
 
There is nothing wrong with having employees do mounts or anything else. as long as the quality is there and the person's taxidermy company is overseen by someone who will ensure quality is maintained. I have hired people to do all kinds of things for me and I have hired reputable companies that their employees do the work but the same quality of work is done. I'd be willing to bet that many of you people own companies like I have described. I know of large taxidermy buisnesses that have multiple employees that do awesome work.If the work load demands it is good buisness sense to hire good people to help meet the demands of the customers. Also $250.00-300.00 for a quality mount????? I don't think so.

Gran
 
Some of the best work that I've seen done was done by Dirk Bawden of BIG STUFF TAXIDERMY in Toole, Utah. Top Notch!!
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-27-08 AT 01:57PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-27-08 AT 01:56?PM (MST)

++++++++++++ 1 for Travis Roundy. He did a buck for me in '97. He also did a HUGE Paunsagaunt buck for Mr. George Strait that same year. Made my buck look like a baby but Travis treated me just as equally and fairly as he did George. I had it back by June the next year.

Here is a pic - sorry for the quality.

47ebfade525f6c31.jpg


This one is better:

47ebfc35598b5737.jpg




UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
granola,

Sorry man, but I totally dis-agree.. Im not paying 600.00-900.00 for a mount done by someone else. That doesn't work for me. Its buying a name with experience. You can't teach somethings. They are learned over years of experience. Thats like sending a High School quarter back to training camp with a pro.. sure they learn things, but they are NOT at that level. I doubt these people are told that the guy they think is doing the work, really isn't. It shows in their work.

buck1.gif


Later, Brandon
 
+1 what Browtine said

If you believe taxidermy is an art like I do, than an employee doing the work is not acceptable. It's like someone comissioning Brent Todd to do a painting but instead his aprentice does it.I got no problem with a taxi having a guy around to do a little grunt work like fleshing capes and other small tasks.My taxi gets help from time to time, but when it comes to bringing that trophy back to life the Solo taxi gets my vote everytime.

Mike
 
I agree 100% Browtine. I'd be ticked if I found out I took my buck specifically to "Joe" just to find out that he didn't have time to do it so he had "Bob" mount the thing instead. No way!

NvrEnuf
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-28-08 AT 04:31PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-28-08 AT 04:27?PM (MST)

Theres a lot of mis-conceptions going on with taxidermy in this thread.

For starters, I think a lot of people would be shocked how much work is whole-saled out between taxidermists. It happens all the time and there isnt anything wrong with it as long as the quality is maintained.

Another thing worth noting is that taxidermists that compete will usually be better taxidermists when it comes to their commercial work. Commercial work being their everyday customers stuff that goes out the door. Many compete simply to learn and better themselves.

But, on the other hand, just because a guy spends 200 hours on a piece and wins a ribbon at a taxidermy show doesnt mean you'll be getting anything close to that kind of quality in your mount. In fact, I can guarantee you wont. They dont have time to spend 40 hours on your $600 deer mount, none of them. Unless you're willing to spend some huge money, you wont ever get a taxidermists best work. These guys are trying to make a living and they simply cant put competition pieces together for every customer for a few hundred dollars. Wont happen.

I've seen good taxidermists turn out some real crap from time to time. It happens, everyone has their good days and bad days.

All a person can ask for is good, clean taxidermy, thats relatively correct. Meaning, some form of symmetry, decent finish work, some grooming, hair lines in correct places, correct eye shape, antlers/horns set right, etc.

Everyone thinks their taxidermist is the best, but their commercial work would get hammered at most any competition. Meaning the deer mount in your house would be lucky to receive a ribbon at all in a show.

Oh, and after walking around the expo in salt lake...there was a lot of very average to less than average taxidermy at the expo...and also some darn nice taxidermy as well. Places like that is where you'll see difference in quality.

The average hunter wouldnt know good taxidermy if it bit them in the a$$.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-28-08 AT 07:46PM (MST)[p]The stuff I first had done, NOT BY MY CURRENT GUY!!!!!!! is out in the garage. The garage mounts need to go on the worst taxidermy thread. One of them won a ribbon. I think it won best looking grasshopper?
 
I am really suprised that nobody has mentioned Sam Raby, he has done all of our family's work and is one of the best if not the best. Paul Jibson and Paul Pennie also do excellent work
 
I was going through the list and see that the Ogdens are in here a few times. Shan and his dad do awesome work as well. The life size mount of the 443" Utah bull was very nice!


buck1.gif


Later, Brandon
 
Hands down dean schulte of coalville, Utah! this man ranks among the best in the world.. I don't know if your plannin on just the basic deer or elk but he does animals from all over the world. His favorites to work on are african cats. His detail will out do any one's from cat to deer. he doesn't expect anything wrong with any of his mounts. they are all perfect. If I find his web site I will post it later or send it in a message. there you will see where he ranks among the best, and you will see all his awards. If you want he welcomes anyone into his shop to look around. Just search High uintas taxidermy and you'll get an address. Coalville is small so you can't miss it.. atleast check him out before you make your decision.. thanks for listening,
Garrett
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-06-08 AT 02:14AM (MST)[p]http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/user_files/47f885ca35d3c201.jpg




this is my 2007 buck
 

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