How Much Does Bailee's Insurance Cost for a Taxidermy Shop?

By MountChief Editorial Team|Updated Mar 2026

Most taxidermists know they need general liability insurance for their shop. Fewer realize that general liability doesn't cover customer property in their possession. That gap is what bailee's coverage fills. And without it, every customer specimen in your shop represents uninsured exposure.

Here's what bailee's insurance costs, what it covers, and how to make sure your coverage limit matches your actual exposure.

TL;DR

Bailee insurance covers damage to or loss of customer specimens in your possession.
General business liability does not cover customer property: you need a separate bailee policy.
Bailee coverage typically costs $300-$800 per year for a mid-volume shop.
Without bailee coverage, losing a customer's trophy to a fire or flood creates unlimited personal liability.
Most professional taxidermists carry at least $50,000 in bailee coverage.

What Bailee's Insurance Covers

A bailee is a person or business that takes temporary possession of someone else's property. When a hunter drops off their deer cape, you become the bailee of that property until you return the finished mount.

Bailee's insurance (also called "bailee's customer goods" coverage or "customer property insurance") covers damage, destruction, or loss of customer property while it's in your care, custody, or control.

This means:

If your shop floods and ruins 40 deer capes, bailee's coverage pays the customer's claim for their specimens
If a fire destroys mounts in production, bailee's covers customer property value
If a specimen is lost in transit to the tannery, bailee's provides coverage

Your standard general liability policy almost never covers this. Read your current policy to verify. Most commercial general liability policies exclude property "in the care, custody, or control" of the insured.

How Much Does Bailee's Coverage Cost?

For a full-service taxidermy shop, bailee's coverage typically runs $300 to $800 per year. The range depends on:

Your coverage limit (how much total value you're insuring)
Your location and regional insurance market
Whether coverage is a standalone policy or a rider on your commercial property policy
Your claims history

Some insurance providers offer bailee's coverage as an endorsement to a Business Owner's Policy (BOP). Others write it as a separate inland marine policy. Standalone policies tend to be more flexible on coverage limits.

The Peak Season Inventory Problem

Most taxidermy shops are underinsured during their peak season. Here's why.

Your bailee's policy has a coverage limit. A maximum total value it will pay out in a loss. If you set that limit based on your average inventory across the year, your limit may be $30,000. But during November and December, you may have $75,000 worth of customer specimens in your shop.

A total loss during deer season (fire, flood, or other catastrophic event) could exceed your coverage limit by $40,000 or more. That gap comes out of your pocket.

The solution is to calculate your peak season specimen inventory value and set your coverage limit based on that number, not your annual average.

How to Calculate Your Peak Season Inventory Value

At the peak of deer season, count the number of jobs in your shop or awaiting completion. Multiply by the replacement value per specimen. A reasonable calculation for a whitetail-focused shop:

Shoulder mount deer cape: $300 to $500 replacement value at intake
Finished shoulder mount: $500 to $900 value (mount value increases as production work is invested)

If you have 80 deer capes in house at peak season, plus 20 in various stages of production, plus 15 other species jobs, a total specimen inventory value of $50,000 to $80,000 is reasonable.

Your bailee's coverage limit should be at or above your calculated peak value. Review it annually.

Other Insurance Considerations for Taxidermy Shops

Bailee's coverage doesn't replace general liability, you need both.

General liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage claims from third parties in your shop. A customer who slips and falls on your intake floor is a general liability claim.

Commercial property insurance covers your shop building, equipment, and your own inventory. This is not the same as bailee's coverage. Commercial property covers your stuff, not your customers' stuff.

Business income insurance covers lost revenue if your shop has to close temporarily due to a covered loss. Worth considering if a shutdown during deer season would be financially catastrophic.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much bailee's insurance does a taxidermy shop need?

Your coverage limit should match your peak season specimen inventory value, not your year-round average. Calculate the number of customer specimens you typically have in your shop at the highest point of deer season and multiply by their replacement value. For many full-service shops, peak inventory value runs $40,000 to $80,000. Most taxidermy shops are underinsured during peak season because they set limits based on the off-season inventory. Review your limit annually before season opens.

How do I calculate my peak season specimen inventory value for bailee's insurance?

Count the number of customer jobs you typically have in your shop at peak. Both physical specimens awaiting production and mounts in progress. Assign a replacement value per specimen based on species and type. Deer capes at intake are worth $300 to $500 in replacement value; finished or partially finished mounts are worth more. Sum the total and use that as your minimum coverage limit. Your insurance guide for taxidermy shops can walk through the calculation in more detail.

What does bailee's insurance cover for a taxidermy shop?

Bailee's insurance covers customer property that is in your care, custody, or control (which includes every specimen in your shop from intake until pickup. If customer specimens are damaged, destroyed, or lost due to fire, flood, theft, or other covered perils while in your possession, bailee's coverage pays the claim. Your standard general liability policy does not cover customer property) most commercial liability policies specifically exclude property "in the care, custody, or control" of the insured. Without bailee's coverage, customer specimen losses come out of your pocket.

What is bailee insurance and why do taxidermists need it?

Bailee insurance covers property belonging to others that is temporarily in your care, custody, and control. As a taxidermist, you are legally a bailee for every specimen in your shop from intake through pickup. If a specimen is lost, stolen, or damaged while in your possession, you are liable to the customer. Bailee insurance transfers that liability risk to the insurer.

Does my general business liability policy cover customer specimens?

Almost certainly not. Standard general liability policies cover your premises and your products but specifically exclude property belonging to others that is in your custody. Do not assume your existing coverage protects your customers' trophies. Ask your insurance agent specifically whether your current policy covers customer specimens and get the answer in writing.

How much bailee coverage should a taxidermist carry?

Coverage should reflect the total replacement value of specimens that might be in your shop at peak inventory. During and after deer season, a mid-volume shop might hold 150-200 customer mounts representing $90,000-$160,000 in replacement value. $100,000 to $200,000 in bailee coverage is a reasonable range for mid-volume operations.

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Sources

National Taxidermists Association (NTA)
Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America
Breakthrough Magazine

Get Started with MountChief

Bailee insurance is a basic protection that every professional taxidermist needs, and knowing you are covered lets you take in customers' trophies with confidence. MountChief's intake documentation also creates a clear record of every specimen's condition at arrival, which supports any insurance claim if it is ever needed. Try MountChief to protect your shop on both the insurance and documentation front.