How Many Hours Per Week Does a Full-Time Taxidermist Work?
Admin and status calls add 8-10 hours weekly to a taxidermist's workload, software eliminates most of it. Peak season taxidermists often work 7-day weeks during the most intense intake periods, but the composition of those hours matters as much as the count.
Full-time taxidermists typically work 45-60 hours per week during deer season (October-December) and 30-40 hours during the off-season. The variation is enormous depending on volume, species mix, and how well the shop is systematized.
TL;DR
- A typical deer shoulder mount requires 5-10 hours of skilled labor across all steps.
- Preparation steps including fleshing, ear turning, and lip turning account for 2-4 hours before mounting begins.
- Mounting, form prep, and finishing work take another 3-6 hours for a standard shoulder mount.
- Labor time per mount is one of the key inputs in pricing: shops charging $600 for 8 hours of work earn $75/hour before expenses.
- European mounts take 2-4 hours of active work compared to 5-10 for a full shoulder mount.
- Larger species like elk and bear require proportionally more time per mount.
The Breakdown of a Taxidermist's Working Hours
For a shop processing 200 deer per season without management software, a typical peak season week looks like:
Production (mounting, finishing, preparation): 25-35 hours
Intake processing: 8-12 hours (during heavy intake weeks)
Status call handling: 7-9 hours (8-12 calls/day × 7 min each)
Administrative tasks (invoicing, records, tannery coordination): 4-6 hours
Customer communication: 2-4 hours
Total: 46-66 hours
With management software (MountChief):
Production: 25-35 hours (unchanged)
Intake processing: 1-2 hours (AI intake at 3 min vs 18 min)
Status call handling: Under 1 hour (portal handles the calls)
Administrative tasks: 1-2 hours (automated invoicing, digital tannery logs)
Customer communication: 1-2 hours (pre-written templates)
Total: 29-42 hours
The difference, roughly 15-20 hours per week during peak season, either reduces the overall workload or converts to additional production capacity.
The 7-Day Week During Peak Intake
Most full-time taxidermists work 7 days per week during the first 2-3 weeks of firearms deer season. It's not sustainable long-term, but the seasonal nature of the business makes the sprint unavoidable for high-volume shops.
The quality of those 7-day weeks is what management software most directly improves. A 7-day week where 2+ hours per day go to status calls and paper intake is significantly more exhausting than one where that same work is automated.
How Software Changes the Weekly Workload
The taxidermy shop management software reduces weekly hours primarily through:
- Status call elimination via customer portal (7-9 hours/week recovered)
- AI intake efficiency (5-7 hours/week recovered during peak intake)
- Automated invoicing (1-2 hours/week recovered)
- Digital tannery tracking (30-60 minutes/week recovered)
The 14-18 hours per week that the average shop wastes on administrative tasks that could be automated is a significant portion of a 50-60 hour week. Recovering those hours reduces burnout, improves work-life balance, and, if redirected to production, increases revenue capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the weekly schedule of a professional taxidermist?
During deer season (October-December), most full-time taxidermists work 50-65 hours per week, including weekends during peak intake. A typical week breaks down to 25-35 hours of production work and 15-30 hours of intake, customer communication, administrative tasks, and status calls. During the off-season (January-August), the schedule drops to 35-45 hours per week, focused primarily on production work and preparation for the next season. The variation in off-season hours is large depending on spring turkey and fish volume.
How do taxidermists manage work-life balance during deer season?
The taxidermists who manage work-life balance best during deer season are those who've systematized their administrative tasks so the non-production hours are minimized. A customer portal that handles status calls, AI intake that processes each deer in 3 minutes instead of 20, and pre-written communication templates eliminate the friction that most taxidermists experience as "being constantly on call." Setting defined intake hours, using voicemail to route calls to the portal, and batching administrative tasks to one time period per day also help maintain boundaries during the most intense weeks.
How does software reduce weekly hours for a taxidermist?
The largest single reduction comes from status call elimination. A shop receiving 10 status calls per day at 7 minutes each loses 70 minutes per day, nearly 8 hours per week, to answering "where's my mount?" A customer portal that handles those calls reduces this to under 30 minutes per week. AI intake reduces processing time by 15 minutes per specimen, saving 5-7 hours per week during peak intake. Automated invoicing and tannery tracking add another 2-3 hours per week in savings. Combined, a fully implemented management system typically recovers 15-20 hours per week during peak season.
How does labor time affect what a taxidermist charges per mount?
Labor time is the primary driver of pricing after materials and tannery costs. A taxidermist who spends 8 hours on a shoulder mount charging $600 earns $75 per hour before expenses. Increasing mount prices or reducing non-productive time are the two main levers for improving hourly earnings. Shops using digital intake save 15-20 minutes per job that would otherwise come out of the same hourly rate.
Which species take the most time per mount?
Full-body bear mounts, large predator mounts, and highly detailed bird mounts with complex plumage are the most time-intensive. Full-body mounts of any species take significantly longer than shoulder mounts. Fish and waterfowl mounts generally take less time per piece than large mammal shoulder mounts, which is reflected in their lower pricing.
Does efficiency improve with experience?
Yes, substantially. An experienced taxidermist who has done hundreds of deer shoulder mounts will complete the same work in less time than a newer taxidermist. This improved efficiency over time is part of why established shops can price competitively while earning higher effective hourly rates. Technique refinement through competition and continuing education accelerates efficiency gains.
Related Articles
- How Many Weeks Is a Taxidermist's Peak Busy Season?
- How Much Does Bailee's Insurance Cost for a Taxidermy Shop?
- How Much Does a Taxidermist License Cost in Each State?
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Sources
- National Taxidermists Association (NTA)
- Breakthrough Magazine
- Taxidermy Today
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Every minute you spend on intake paperwork, status calls, and administrative work is a minute not spent on the production that earns your revenue. MountChief automates the administrative side so your hours go where they generate the most value. Try MountChief and reclaim your production time.