What Percentage Deposit Should Taxidermists Require?

By MountChief Editorial Team|Updated Mar 2026

Most professional taxidermy shops require 30 to 50 percent deposits at intake. Fifty percent is increasingly common as material costs have risen 25 percent or more since 2020. The higher the deposit, the lower your abandoned mount risk. And shops requiring 50 percent deposits have 95 percent lower abandoned mount rates than shops that collect no deposit.

If you're still collecting no deposit or a token $50 deposit regardless of mount type, here's the case for raising it.

TL;DR

Standard taxidermy deposits range from 25% to 50% of the total quoted price.
50% deposits are the most common standard in the industry.
Deposits protect the taxidermist from uncollected work by covering upfront material and tannery costs.
Higher deposits for higher-value mounts like full-body bears or record-class elk are appropriate.
Your deposit policy should be stated clearly in your intake paperwork and quoted price.

Why Deposit Percentage Matters

The deposit serves two functions:

Financial protection: Your deposit covers the materials you buy before production begins, tannery fees, form, and early materials. If a customer cancels after you've incurred those costs, your deposit should at minimum cover them.

Commitment signal: A meaningful deposit creates a psychological and financial commitment on the customer's part. Customers with a 50 percent deposit on a $650 deer mount have $325 invested. They're not walking away from that. Customers with no deposit have zero sunk cost. Abandoning the mount costs them nothing.

The abandoned mount problem is real. Taxidermists hold an estimated $30 million in unclaimed work nationally at any time. The deposits held against those abandoned mounts don't come close to covering the material and labor costs.

The 50 Percent Standard

The trend in professional taxidermy shops is toward 50 percent deposits. Here's why 50 makes sense as a floor:

Deer shoulder mount at $650: 50% deposit = $325. Your tannery cost alone might be $65 to $85. Form and materials: $100 to $120. At 50% deposit, you're covered on materials even if the customer cancels after tannery submission.

Elk shoulder mount at $1,200: 50% deposit = $600. Tannery plus shipping: $200 to $250. Form and materials: $250 to $350. The deposit covers your material exposure with room to spare.

Bear rug at $1,500: 50% deposit = $750. Tannery: $300 to $400. Materials: $170 to $300. Covered.

For high-value mounts, a 50 percent deposit is the minimum that makes financial sense if you're covering your material costs.

Species-Specific Deposit Considerations

Deer

30 to 50 percent is appropriate. At 50 percent on a $650 deer mount, you collect $325 at intake. That covers materials and creates meaningful customer commitment.

Elk

50 percent or higher is appropriate. Elk are your highest-value, highest-material-cost mounts. A 50 percent deposit on a $1,200 elk mount is $600. Money that covers your tannery and form investment completely.

Bear

50 percent. Bear production costs are high and the production timeline is long. A meaningful deposit protects your investment in materials before the customer's commitment is tested by a long wait.

Fish

30 to 50 percent depending on species and size. For smaller fish mounts, 30 percent is common. For larger, custom, or replica work, 50 percent is more appropriate.

Birds

30 to 50 percent. Turkey full-body mounts justify 50 percent given the labor investment. Fan mounts can work at 30 percent.

How to Raise Your Deposit Requirement Without Losing Customers

The common fear about raising deposits is that customers will balk and go elsewhere. In practice, the loss is minimal. And the customers you lose over deposit amount are often the same customers most likely to abandon their mounts.

Frame it professionally. "Our shop requires a 50 percent deposit at intake to cover material costs before production begins. This is standard for professional taxidermy shops."

Give notice before the season. If you're raising your deposit requirement, communicate it through your pre-season marketing. Email, social media, signage at the shop. Don't surprise customers at intake with a new policy they didn't expect.

Don't waive it. Once you set a deposit policy, apply it consistently. Waiving it for one customer signals that it's negotiable, which it shouldn't be.

The hunters who care about their trophies will pay a 50 percent deposit without blinking. The quality of your customer base often improves when you charge appropriately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard deposit percentage for taxidermy?

Most professional shops require 30 to 50 percent deposits. Fifty percent is increasingly the standard at high-volume shops as material costs have risen. No-deposit policies are associated with high abandoned mount rates and should be avoided. A 50 percent deposit covers material costs even in a cancellation scenario and creates the financial commitment that keeps customers from walking away from their mounts.

Should I charge more deposit for elk vs deer?

The deposit percentage doesn't need to be higher, but the dollar amount will be naturally higher for elk due to the higher mount price. A 50 percent deposit on a $1,200 elk mount is $600, versus $325 on a $650 deer mount. The higher dollar amount on elk is appropriate given the much higher material costs (tannery, form) that you incur early in the production process.

How do I raise my deposit requirement without losing customers?

Communicate the change before the season through your marketing channels. Frame the deposit requirement professionally as a standard business practice to cover materials. Apply it consistently to every customer. The customers you might lose over a 50 percent deposit are rarely your best customers. Serious hunters who value quality work accept deposit requirements as normal for professional services.

Is there an industry standard deposit percentage for taxidermy?

The informal industry standard is 25-50%, with 50% being the most common in high-volume shops. Some taxidermists require lower deposits to be more competitive, while others require higher deposits for large or exotic work. The right amount for your shop depends on your costs, your typical customer, and your risk tolerance for uncollected work.

Should I charge a higher deposit for out-of-state hunters?

Many taxidermists do charge higher deposits for out-of-state hunters because the risk of non-pickup is somewhat higher when the customer does not live nearby. A 50% deposit versus a 25% deposit on an out-of-state elk mount is a reasonable policy, and most out-of-state hunters understand the logic.

Can I keep a deposit if a customer cancels?

Depending on your state's consumer protection laws and what your intake agreement says, you can generally keep a deposit to cover costs already incurred, such as tannery fees paid, materials purchased, and time spent. If no work has been done and no costs incurred, the ethical and often legal standard is to return the deposit. Your intake agreement should state your cancellation and deposit policy explicitly.

Try These Free Tools

Put these insights into practice with our free calculators and planners:

Sources

National Taxidermists Association (NTA)
Small Business Administration (SBA)
State consumer protection statutes

Get Started with MountChief

Clear deposit policies stated upfront prevent most payment disputes before they start. MountChief's intake system records the quoted price, deposit collected, and balance due at every job so there is never any ambiguity. Try MountChief to make your payment process as professional as your mount work.