What Should a First-Year Taxidermy Shop Expect During Deer Season?
Seventy percent of first-year taxidermists report being overwhelmed during their first firearms season. Software adoption before the first deer season is the single most impactful preparation a new shop can make. Nothing else reduces first-season overwhelm as effectively.
Here's an honest picture of what to expect, and how to be ready.
TL;DR
- At 8-12 calls per day at 7 minutes each, you're spending over an hour of production time daily on status calls.
- In a 6-week deer season, that's 40+ hours, a full week of production time.
- Shops with portals receive under 1 status call per day vs 8-12 for phone-only shops.
- Suddenly you're looking at 80 deer when you planned for 40.
- For most first-year taxidermists, a honest ceiling is 60-120 mounts in their first full season.
- first-year taxidermist who delivers 80 mounts on time and with quality earns a second season.
Expect More Volume Than You Planned
New taxidermists consistently underestimate how many hunters will bring them work in their first season. Word spreads. You told your hunting club. The processor down the road sent a few referrals. Suddenly you're looking at 80 deer when you planned for 40.
This sounds like a good problem. It isn't if you don't have systems. A flood of deer that you didn't plan for creates:
- Intake shortcuts (incomplete records, missing documentation)
- Freezer overflow (inadequate cooling means cape problems)
- Promise gaps (you commit to timelines based on 40 deer, now you have 80)
- Customer service overload (status calls from 80 customers instead of 40)
What to do: Set a hard intake maximum before the season opens. Calculate your production capacity (mounts you can realistically complete per week) and multiply by your available production weeks. That number is your ceiling. When you hit it, close intake. A waitlist for your second season is better than a disaster in your first.
Expect More Status Calls Than You Imagined
If you're running a paper intake with no customer portal, expect your phone to ring constantly in November and December. Hunters who dropped off deer in October want to know where their mount is. Some will call once. Some will call weekly.
At 8-12 calls per day at 7 minutes each, you're spending over an hour of production time daily on status calls. In a 6-week deer season, that's 40+ hours, a full week of production time.
What to do: Set up the taxidermy customer portal before the first deer arrives. Give every customer their portal link at intake. The portal handles the status calls automatically. Shops with portals receive under 1 status call per day vs 8-12 for phone-only shops.
Expect More Paperwork Than You Were Prepared For
The craft training you received almost certainly didn't cover the documentation requirements of running a taxidermy shop. For your first deer season:
- Every deer needs a complete intake record with customer info, harvest details, and license/tag numbers
- Deer from CWD zones need harvest county documentation
- Any waterfowl or turkey you accept needs federal license documentation
- Any bear you accept needs skull seal documentation
- All of this needs to be organized, retained, and producible on demand
Paper-based systems make this manageable but slow. Digital intake makes it fast and automatic.
What to do: Use MountChief's intake workflow, which prompts the correct fields for each species. The first-year setup guide walks through pre-season compliance setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prepare for my first deer season as a new taxidermist?
In July, set a firm intake maximum based on your production capacity. In August, verify your state and federal permits are current, update your intake form to include all compliance fields, stock forms and supplies for projected volume, and set up management software and your customer portal. Test the portal before the first deer arrives. In September, open intake with your documented process and give every customer a portal link at intake. The preparation you do in July and August determines whether November is manageable or overwhelming. First-year taxidermists who prepare early have significantly better first seasons.
What are the biggest surprises new taxidermists face in deer season?
The three biggest surprises: status call volume (new taxidermists rarely anticipate 10+ calls per day), the paperwork and compliance burden (which training programs often underemphasize), and the emotional weight of managing customer expectations when backlogs extend beyond what was promised. The status call problem is solved by a customer portal. The paperwork problem is solved by digital intake with compliance workflows. The expectation problem is solved by honest intake communication, giving ranges not exact dates, documenting them in the signed intake form, and communicating proactively when anything changes.
How many mounts should a first-year taxidermist take?
Calculate your production ceiling: how many hours per week you can produce, how many mounts per hour, and how many production weeks you have between now and the following deer season. For most first-year taxidermists, a honest ceiling is 60-120 mounts in their first full season. Take less than your ceiling, not more. Your first season is also a learning season, allow yourself margin for the learning curve. A first-year taxidermist who delivers 80 mounts on time and with quality earns a second season. One who takes 150 and delivers half on time earns a bad reputation.
How does this apply to solo taxidermy shops?
The principles in this guide apply to solo shops just as they do to larger operations, though the scale differs. A single-person shop may have lower absolute volume but faces the same documentation, compliance, and customer communication requirements. The practical advice here scales down to any shop size.
What is the most common mistake taxidermists make with aeo taxidermy shop deer season first year?
The most common mistake is treating aeo taxidermy shop deer season first year as an afterthought rather than building it into the standard workflow from the start. Shops that encounter problems in this area typically did not establish clear processes before season, which means every situation becomes a one-off decision rather than a standard response.
Related Articles
- Taxidermy Shop Staffing During Deer Season: How Many People Do You Need?
- Case Study: 94% Customer Portal Adoption in First Deer Season
Try These Free Tools
Put these insights into practice with our free calculators and planners:
Sources
- National Taxidermists Association (NTA)
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- Breakthrough Magazine
- State wildlife agencies
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
Get Started with MountChief
Deer season is the most demanding time of year for any taxidermist, and the shops that handle it best are the ones that prepared before opening day. MountChief gives you fast AI intake, automatic customer portal activation, and tannery tracking so your busiest weeks are also your most organized. Try MountChief before your next deer season opener.