In search of the BEST deer taxidermist in Texas

[dxtbowhunter]

Wild Bill?��

No. I have a post on here looking for him. Will not respond to my calls or text.

[DKW II]

Mesquite Creek Taxidermy in Pearsall you will not be disappointed!

X2, they are one of if not the very best. We have taken Tony and Carla 3 deer this year. Tony and Carla are first class, go see their new shop and you won’t be disappointed.

[Snowflake Killa]

I know but I’m not telling. He’s busy enough.

[emoji16][emoji16]

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[Southbound 85]

Surprised you weren’t happy with Allen’s work? Might look up Bobby Merchant in Bryan. He does outstanding work on whitetails.


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I’m a bit of a taxidermy snob and will be picking up my 4th from Bobby this week.

[MAP]

Mesquite Creek is who I use, the top two pictures are my bucks. The second picture is a replica set of antlers that they did for me, so you can see the quality of that as well. The last picture are mounts done for another client of theirs. They have done 2 table top pedestal mounts, 2 sets of replicas, 4 shoulder mounts, and still have 2 more to do all for me.

[PondPopper]

I am on a quest to find the best deer taxidermist in Texas, even better if they are in the general Houston area, but not a requirement.

I would like one that is specifically talented on whitetail deer. I utilize other taxidermists that specialize in birds, fish and other big game. So this person could be the worst bobcat or duck taxidermist on planet earth, but all I care about are their whitetail skills.

Ranking of importance:

1. Quality work
2. Realistic work
3. Attention to detail
4. Consistent final products
5. Good reputation


Way down at the very bottom of the list are price and turnaround time. I learned my lesson long ago on choosing a taxidermist based on low pricing and quick turnaround times.

In return for premium pricing and lengthy waits, my expectation is a mount that would be suitable to be published in a book/magazine or used in competition. I am willing to travel 4-6 hours from Houston (if necessary) and pay a premium price reflective of a premium product. I think that is a fair business transaction. I am not a wealthy man in any shape, form or fashion, but I do see the value of paying a higher price for higher quality work. I am fully expecting to spend $750-$1200 for a shoulder mount only (no bases or habitat work).

I have been blessed to be able to travel around the country and see mounts from many different taxidermists but just have not found that one that knocks it out of the park (per my opinion of course), and with as many deer hunters as we have in Texas, surely I am overlooking that taxidermist that really brings these deer back to life. No over the top muscles or tendons showing or eccentric poses.

One thing that I have found are that photos of taxidermy rarely reflect how good the work actually is in person, unless the photos are done semi-professionally with proper lighting, backgrounds and angles. Because of that, social media and website searches often end up with a mediocre representation of otherwise great work. Additionally, most taxidermists are taxidermists, not social media gurus, photographers or web designers. Because of this, it is tough to "shop" online. But, I need to get a list of places to visit and see the work in person. I've done the necessary thread searches on here and gotten a short list of candidates but haven't found what I am looking for yet.

For reference, I have already used Palermo's (in Bryan) and Conroe Taxi, along with an array of other shops, but am still on the search.

This taxidermist does not have to be a member here or a good friend of so and so. Doesn't matter what college they went to or what political party they affiliate with. I just am simply looking for the best whitetail artist/taxidermist there is.

Pictures are welcome and I appreciate yalls insight.

This is an interesting question and the GS is probably not a good place to get it answered.. Have you seen what is called "awesome work" on here?? Probably not because you are new..
If you study LIVE deer then you would realize that many are really not that pretty up close and in person... Many live bucks would do good to pull a 3rd place at a taxidermist competition.. Based on your comment you obviously know and have studied what a live deer looks like up close and in person.. Right?(live reference not dead)
There are many taxidermist in this state that do OUTSTANDING deer work based off of live reference. Some are listed here but many are not.. The worst thing you can do is think you know more about a species than a taxidermist does who has studied this species for years, as many have... If you have "viewed many deer mounts from manty different taxidermist" as you say, then chances are you have probably seen some very high end work, and just didn't realize it, and a whole bunch of bad work.....
You know what a standard copper Penny looks like front and back because chances are, like many of us, you've seen 1,000s in your life.. Now draw both sides, in detail, by memory.. I bet you can't.. Know one could without studying it...
Mounting an accurate deer is no different.. Without using reference(live and pics)and studying the species it is virtually impossible..

[hunting270]

Double Nickel in New Braunfels

[Quackerbox]

B&B is mediocre at best IMO

Agreed.

I have a deer done by them and a deer with one of their guys now

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[TildenHunter]

Browder Graves did this for my brother and dads deer. Turned out awesome. He is in Uvalde, TX.



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[PondPopper]

X2, they are one of if not the very best. We have taken Tony and Carla 3 deer this year. Tony and Carla are first class, go see their new shop and you won’t be disappointed.

You mean James and Carla..

[Grayson]

Jerry Huffaker comes to mind as someone putting their all into each piece

Big shops are likely out to have that quality consistently unless it is always the exact same person doing the work

Also remember they can only work with what they’re given. Not all capes are show quality no matter how much work goes into them

Jerry Huffaker is retiring.

[bphillips]

Jerry Huffaker is retiring.

Didn’t know that. To be fair he’s never done my deer just my Dall sheep

[greatwhite84]

This is an interesting question and the GS is probably not a good place to get it answered.. Have you seen what is called "awesome work" on here?? Probably not because you are new..
If you study LIVE deer then you would realize that many are really not that pretty up close and in person... Many lives bucks would do good to pull a 3rd place at a taxidermist competition.. Based on your comment you obviously know and have studied what a live deer looks like up close and in person.. Right?(live reference not dead)
There are many taxidermist in this state that do OUTSTANDING deer work based off of live reference. Some are listed here but many are not.. The worst thing you can do is think you know more about a species than a taxidermist does who has studied this species for years, as many have... If have "viewed many deer mounts from manty different taxidermist" as you say, then chances are you have probably seen some very high end work and just didn't realize it... Think so? You know what a standard copper Penny looks like front and back because chances are, like many of us, you've seen 1,000s in your life.. Now draw both sides, in detail, by memory.. I bet you can't.. Know one could without studying it...
Mounting an accurate deer is no different.. Without using reference(live and pics)and studying the species it is virtually impossible..

New member but long time lurker. Commenting on someone's taxidermy work is one of those awkward moments when you don't want to be a jerk and say a mount looks bad, kinda like when someone shows you your kid and says "isn't she cute??" What are you going to say without being disrespectful?

Its not my concern though as its not my deer. As long as they are a happy customer, that's fine by me. But I would venture to say 95-98% of the deer I've seen pictured online in general would not meet the level that I am after.

I feel like that sounds extremely judgmental but I am not sure how else to answer it.

I do amateur wildlife photography so I am able to freeze those moments and look back at them. It is extremely noticeable in animals like waterfowl, where you see a taxidermist mount a bird in a position that is completely unnatural for the animal. Awkward neck shapes, feet angles, wing position. Sometimes you even see waterfowl mounted in positions that they physically cannot do (Think diver jumping off off the water like a puddle duck). In deer, I mainly notice the details around the eyes, the position of the ears, the over-emphasized neck muscles and tendons, folds of skin. Unnatural things that you can put next to a photo of a live animal and tell the something is off.

In my work life, I have also been on many properties that are out of my checkbook range where I tend to just sit in a blind and observe while paying customers do the shooting somewhere else on the property. In my own time, I am on an MLD property where the extended seasons and intense management requirements put alot of deer in front of me to observe rather than shoot. I tote a 400mm L series lens, high end binocs and spotting scopes to the blind and take advantage of watching everything from hawks and cardinals to deer, bobcats, squirrels and such. While I would never venture to call myself a professional at anything that I am not experienced or educated in, I would venture to say I have spent my fair share of hours in the field observing wildlife in their natural surroundings. In no way do I have the experience working with deer anatomy that a professional taxidermist does. They are a talented bunch and I am not even remotely talented or patient enough to be one. Let me be very clear on that.

In my opinion, anyone can learn the basics from videos and seminars, classes and introductory apprenticeship, but the outcome of their work is going to show that level of training. The next level up are those that have experience. Those that have learned from other professionals and spent their own time learning the craft and how to make things look correct and that the processes are done correctly and know the little tricks of the trade that only experience can provide.

And then, then you have the ones that just have a special gift. A truly natural talent. You see it in many lines of work. Carpentry, sculpting, car racing, sales, politics, interior decorating. One example that comes to mind is in the car restoration industry. There are thousands of people that can restore and redesign old cars. Then you have the Chip Foose's and Dave Kindig's of the world who just have a special gift for design and attention to detail.

All artistic stuff aside, there is also standard quality items that some taxidermists make sure to handle while others do not. I have mounts that you can see the stitching on from 50 feet away. Another that the nose isn't fully painted. Another where the mannequin itself is visible. I have a bobcat that was mounted on the wrong form and the pedestal is disintegrating away. I have a duck that the guy just cut off a piece of a fence post instead of using drift wood. Wrong color bill on a mallard. Even a dead mount of ducks that defies gravity haha.

To me, that's a quality problem and I see it often. I would hope most of those issues would be eliminated simply by choosing taxidermists in the highest price bracket. That being said, I have paid what I consider a premium on more than one occasion and got back work that I would expect from a taxidermist that charges half as much and with half as much experience. The problem here is I want the quality product, not the cost savings. I am just looking for that really gifted person. I have found them in waterfowl taxidermy. I have found them in fish taxidermy. I have found them in other North American species taxidermy. I have not been able to find them in deer yet, which is why I came here.

Lets take this Richards Taxidermy fellow. He has no website or social media that I can find. I've driven by his shop a hundred times just like I have a bunch of other taxidermy shops. Without the responses on here, I would never have even known to look into his work. Same thing with the Rockin R example.

[Hills of Texas]

This is an interesting question and the GS is probably not a good place to get it answered.. Have you seen what is called "awesome work" on here?? Probably not because you are new..
If you study LIVE deer then you would realize that many are really not that pretty up close and in person... Many live bucks would do good to pull a 3rd place at a taxidermist competition.. Based on your comment you obviously know and have studied what a live deer looks like up close and in person.. Right?(live reference not dead)
There are many taxidermist in this state that do OUTSTANDING deer work based off of live reference. Some are listed here but many are not.. The worst thing you can do is think you know more about a species than a taxidermist does who has studied this species for years, as many have... If you have "viewed many deer mounts from manty different taxidermist" as you say, then chances are you have probably seen some very high end work, and just didn't realize it, and a whole bunch of bad work.....
You know what a standard copper Penny looks like front and back because chances are, like many of us, you've seen 1,000s in your life.. Now draw both sides, in detail, by memory.. I bet you can't.. Know one could without studying it...
Mounting an accurate deer is no different.. Without using reference(live and pics)and studying the species it is virtually impossible..

Very well said. Most common comments I hear are “ he didn’t look that good alive”. When looking mounting, I always use the hair patterns as a road map to tell me where to go with everything. There’s a lot that goes into it. Makes my day when people actually notice it!

[Beargrasstx]

Allen Palermo in Bryan TX is who I’ve always considered the best

Second