So, you have decided to finally to get out of dodge and go have an adventure by booking a hunt. So now you must decide on where you want to go. Is it going to be somewhere close or going international. Is it going to be a single species hunt or multiple species. What weapon are you going to use. Is it just you or is a buddy going with you. how long is this adventure going to be.

After deciding on the above, its time to find the right hunt and the outfitter. There are many ways to do this, one can search the web,go to sports show like SCI, RMEF,the local show,you can visit the pro’s like Cabela’s,etc and or the pro’s like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC for the taxidermist hear who is good and who is not plus they are always doing work with clients that were successful with outfitters.

If you go to the shows,you can talk to the outfits face to face and see if they have a show special and or if they have a hunt up for auction for you to bid on.

The next action you must take is now get the outfitters references and email and call them and ask them all the questions you would like to know about them,the game, etc.–there are too many questions to ask and not that much space here so contact me and I will give you the must ask questions to.                                                                                                                                     You want the outfit to be very professional. So do your homework and find out everything you can find out about them before you book.

So now you booked a hunt and now what do you do. Just a hold of a travel outfit and have them book you airline,your meet and greet with gun permits-for international hunts-and the hotels for before and after the trip.

Now you must decide on what you are going to do with your trophy or trophies before they hit the ground. Just a skull mount or a shoulder mount,maybe a rug or a life size mount. So your next step is to contact a professional taxidermist like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC for you have invested a lot of money and time for this hunt and you do not want to bring them home for the guy that does it part time and out of his garage, trust only true professionals that taxidermy art is all they do. Contact Capp’s and we will answer all your questions, will send you out a international hunting package with custom brokers info with POA papers,USDA info, tips,rate lists, laminated shipping tags for your trophies,etc..

Its great that you have a open mind and want to explore the hunting world. I, myself love to talk and work for clients that have a open mind and love to hunt and hunt everything, not just turkey and deer. Go explore the world and live….Good luck hunting………………

It’s show time. Get out of dodge and head to one of many hunting show that are all over the country.Most will just go to see old friends and walk through the area . Some will buy items hooked to hunting  like taxidermy , where you will stop at the booth and look over their mounts and if interested, you will start to talk to them , like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC.    Stop by and say hi if you ran across my booth.. Most are going to the shows for hunt/fishing trips. Some will buy them from the outfitter and some will buy them from the auctions. The best is to do the research on the printed material and circle the one you are interested in the auctions . Then go to the booth and talk to the outfit about the trip , get some references and start to call them to ask the many questions about their hunt and then go to the auction and start to bid on it. If it goes too high,you can start on the next trip you want and did the research on and if all go too high, you can always go to the outfit and most have a show specials and it should work in your favor. I once got a client a new Zealand hunt for a gold metal stag for 6k and he did harvest a 390 bull and had the time of his life.  The shows can be overwhelming, esp with African trips so you just must be picky and always do the research to be safe. Then hit the travel booths and see what the airfare would be to go to the area. At my booth, I always donate work for life mounts,pedestal mount,sculptures or wooden cases and then they sell them at auction or silent auction but 1st they are at my booth for people to see. The main thing is to explore and have fun. So if you go, have fun and always think ahead..Good luck………………

What makes a great client. that is a great question. The main thing is that he or she must have a open mind and not a closed,small minded mind. That means that they have to be open to ideas,know what they want in life and will settle for nothing else. They live to have adventures, to travel and not just wishing they were someone else. They come into a taxidermy shop like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC and will use the taxidermist imagination, will never complain about the rates, will always want to be informed about the process, will never be calling or emailing saying is it done yet-over and over. They will understand that great taxidermy takes time and that they are not the only client that taxidermy studio like Capp’s has . They always put down a down payment  at the get go and always pays when completed. Will contact the taxidermist from time to time to talk shop–hunting , fishing, etc.. And always have a like mind like the taxidermist who like to hunt, and do adventures. I ,myself love to talk to clients that like to do what I like to do and love to talk to advertureous  clients that travel the states or world and listen to their adventures and of course also bring their trophies back to Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC.  Will never be lazy. Will always want to be going somewhere to hunt and never be like most and say , when I win the lottery, I will go–( they will never go anywhere in life for they are never going to win the lottery-if they do, they will be broke within  yrs–and you can never have that attitude, you make your own luck by doing and not by wishing.) So when you bring in trophies to the taxidermy studio, remember to be professional ,and think about what the taxidermist has on the line–only if they are professional taxidermists and that means that their only income is taxidermy and nothing else . So only use professional studios and not the one that has a day job and works out of their basement or garage. Be professional at all times.  Have fun and think out side of the box…………………

So you find your self short of money or you inherited some mounts and you don’t want them or you want to upgrade and sell a older mount to pay for a new one, well here are some tips. If the mount is a special draw animal like a moose,sheep,mt goat then you will find a buyer soon and should get a good price, if its a deer or elk or something average that you can buy the tag over the counter then its going to be a lot tougher. The big thing here is “finding the buyer”. We can all sell something if we can only find the buyer. If you are selling normal game then most buyers are only buying it for the horns,head gear so if its big and makes book then we can ask for some money but if its only your memories and small head gear than you will be lucky to move it at all. African, Asian or the rest of the world trophies, it takes big head gear or very large predator to get a price for it. There is a blue book, so to speak, on mounts but most of them are insurance programs  but it will give you a good idea of what they are worth. If they have any CITIES permits-like elephant,rhino,leopard,etc then you must 1st get permission from the USFG for a permit to sell them and then they can only be sold in that state only and if you don’t have any papers on the mount then you can not sell it,legally. Vintage mounts are old and do not even looks like the animal so they are only valved after their head gear.

The best place to start is were  the out of state person is to visit on visiting your state or where they are buying property for before the economy went south,everyone coming here to build wanted a moose or buffalo hanging over their fireplace so look at realtors, and then go  with interior designers by calling them or emailing pic’s of the mounts with a normal rate so you have room to dicker. There are some sites on the web to sell but I would stay off sites like eBay unless you are not asking much for it . Professional Studios like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC would be able to offer where to sell in that area or other ideas. The newer the mount is, the better to sell and are done up by professional taxidermist like Capp’s then its a plus for then they are build to last and are correct anatomy. Like I said at the 1st part, if its a book animal with big head gear–predators cannot be put in this catagory for the book item is the skull,not the mount. And if its a special or CITIES animal then they are worth some big money but only if you can find the buyer.

If anyone has other ideas that work on where to sell,let me know……Good Luck………

Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC would like to wish everyone that reads my blog a happy holiday. Sit back and enjoy the family, friends and everything that makes you happy. If your in snow like myself or on a warm sunny beach (lucky dog) or in the middle somewhere. HAVE A GREAT ONE…………………………

How to ship your trophies to Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC. It all depends on what we are shipping to Capp’s. On big game ,like elk,deer,etc then you will have to skin out the head and remove the antlers. You then can freeze the cape and ship it by next day air–always on a Monday. Or you can roughly skin it and salt the holy crap out of it and place in a wax box or a cooler and ship it by next day air. Or you can bring it to a taxidermist or someone that knows how to skin out the head and turn the ears,etc and salt and dry it and then you can ship it by UPS or USPS for it will not spoil. If you are flying out of a area like Alaska with bear,caribou,etc you can just skin the head out in the bush and then roughly salt it and let it drain for a couple days and then place in a waxed fish box and just claim it as baggage on the flight out. The rack must be shipped with the skull cape cut in half and the 2 sides duct tape together and the skull cape wrapped in plastic and claimed as baggage, if needed you can always mail your clothes down to you so you do not have to many bags to claim. If you go hunting internationally, then you must 1st get hold of Capp’s and I will give you a hunting packet with P.O.A. papers,shipping tags,custom papers,etc. so you can have your trophies shipped in to the USA through a customs port and if you harvest any swine or primates, then into a USDA tannery –sorry, you can not shoot them and then come home with them, it usually takes 3 to 10 months to get them into the US. For almost all shipments, you want to ship by next day or 3rd day air if they are frozen or salted,regular mail if its dry salted and through customs if it’s international. The best is to call or email if you are going on a trip and I will tell you all you need to know….go hunting……………

Why do we have any item taxidermy. Some would say its for the bragging rights or to inflate their ego.And some do that but the main reason to have your item taxidermy is for the memories, yours and the people, if any with you. I can look at my personal trophies and I remember the hunt,weather,time of year, the work to get the meat, trophy out and all the sweat that goes with it. Same goes for my children trophies cuz I was there and I also remember their enjoyment of harvesting that trophy with  dad. I had a grumpy old lady once ask what was I going to do with all my trophies I have in my showroom when I die, I looked at her( the only reason she graced my studio with her persist was her husband was picking up a life trophy)  and said I’m dead, I don’t care what my family does with them, they are my memories so hopefully the family will sell some but some they will stay in my family. So people just don’t get it and that sad. A mount haves a lot more zip than some floral design, scene picture or whatever they would have on their wall. True, some mounts have a lot to be desired but if you have great taxidermist like Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC then you have a work of art and if you use your imagination and really put in some habitat, maybe a pedestal and have the game have attitude then it will look great to all but only if all has a open mind and not a closed one like some have. Taxidermy is art. A great studio like Capp’s  custom sculpts the mannikin’s for all the details for a action mount and then custom builds the bases to add the mount and the habitat on. Not all taxidermist are created equal, everyone has a different style. So next time you harvest a item,fish,bird,game,etc. and it has a lot of memories, bring it in to a taxidermy studio like Capp’s and have to done to save the memories and display it proudly

Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC has now expanded the business to include Don’s sculptures. Don has been doing taxidermy for over 41 yrs and has been sculpting mannikin’s for that long. When you hire Capp’s, you can decide on how ever you want you mount to be and if it does not exist, Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC will make it for you and that is want gives Don the edge on sculpting , you must use your imagination. What I have been sculpting is what intrigues me the most and so far that has been the game animals of Africa.I have tons of experience is all of the animals of the world from doing taxidermy on most of them. You just let your mind do all the work. I have a rhino as the brand symbol of Capp’s so that has been the 1st sculpture that I have done,a bust and then it was a small life one of a rhino too. And so on its been leopards,elephants,etc..they are all detailed up and if its a life one,its in action. Its like life mounts,i like to see action in them instead of just standing there looking out into space. The main mediums that I use are clay and for the most detailed parts I like to use a special blend of wax. Sculpting on this scale just can be addicting for there is nothing you cannot create–the world is yours. You will have to check out the new page that will be coming up in the near future with some of the clay models,bronzes and then a sale page for them and also the business name it will be under.. Then when the studio is at a sports show,you can view some of them up. If anyone wants a special made piece,just email us for more details.Enjoy

I hear that the” big shops” say that if another studio does not charge high rates like themself  then they are not a quality studio. Boy are they wrong, sure that is most of the case but there are exceptions, like my studio. Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC is very professional and experienced. At this studio I have much lower rates then most shops and that’s cuz of Montana’s economy and lower overhead–nothing else!!!!!!! Most shops are located in populated areas and have more population in their city than Montana has in the whole state. I only use the best national tanneries, .the best materials and the best mannikin’s that I think have the best anatomy. I’m contently re sculpting the forms to match the measurements of the hides, to place in the details of the muscles that are working for that pose,age,in all shoulder mounts,heads of the rugs,fish,or the life mounts and to what the client wants. Original dosen’t cut it here . Here at Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC we do not cut corners on quality. Our work would go toe to toe with the big shops any day. We use the best and have the experience . This full time studio has been in the business for 33 yrs, have done lots and lots of the worlds animals many times over and over 50 yrs in the field experience is very valuable. Here in Montana i’m spoiled for I can go look at wildlife anytime I need to,drive 5 minutes and i’m looking at elk or bighorn sheep or another example is that I have been running hounds for decades and have treed lots of lions,bobs,coons and even lynx when legal to do so. When I sculpt the mannikin’s or for the bronzes,I can think of all of the anatomy in my mind and transfer it to the mediums-clay , foam, etc..That’s experience and that’s what you get when you hire Capp’s. I guess I’m pretty opinionated but I’m very passionated about creating. I just love to watch an project come to life and I love to recreate action, making the project in motion by running,fighting,hunting,etc.

So how can I charge alower rate, its cuz of where I live, lower bills, lower taxes and Montana has no sales tax and knowing things that only come with experience .So you cannot judge this taxidermy studio by the low rates,would I like to get the major rates that the big shops  get, hell yes but in my Montana economy I would never get it , I would get some in state clients and some of the out of state client that really support this studio but I think in time I would go out of business. So do not judge  on price, judge on the work and the experience. So when the “big shops” say they are the best, some maybe but way over prices…Check out Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC  you will not be sorry, you get what you pay for and here it’s a lot more…

Here at Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC we pride our self on being totally professional in all aspects. We are the only studio in this part that do all services under one roof. All mounts,rugs,skulls,fish,birds,wood work,horn work–NO contracting work out.!! We do all except for the tanning. I use 7 different tanneries,why, cuz I do not like to keep all my eggs in one basket but one tannery dose a great job on international but not so good on furs or one is great on furs but suck at elk,etc. To be one of my tanneries you must be professional,must have low prep time,great luster on the hair,great turnaround and mainly it must have great stretch. We also own our own colonies of beetles for cleaning the skulls. Sure you can boil your own skulls but what that dose is boil the grease into the bone,and you can not get every piece of meat on the skull but some say that’s OK, it’s only mine and it looks great.But the real truth is the beetles eat everything,hell if you don’t cover the horns on sheep,antelope,etc. they will eat them too.The sinus are left intact where when boiling,they will have to come out and leaving a empty cavity.Its like if something is wrong with you and you need to see a doctor,do you go with a crappy one or do you go with a good one. Here at Capp’s Taxidermy Studio LLC we prep the skull,freeze them to kill anything that is on them,place them in the colony,remove them after all is cleaned off it, degrease them for days to weeks-depending on the type of game,place them in the whiting compound-not painting the stuff on it but submersing them,remove and dry, seal and ready for the client. We receive the international shipment, we make the hardwood bases,pedestals,etc.Get  a MAJOR discount for shipping the crates out to you. We can also update the clients with pic’s of the work through your email if wanted. Custom sculpture the forms. Hell I’m now doing sculpture’s made out of bronze but that will be another post.     All I can say is that this studio does it all and for great rates,why, cuz I have lower overhead.. We think of the client all the way. Try us out, you will not be sorry.