"We don't simply want to make a good mount out of your trophy — we want to make it look like it's alive." Shoulder mounts, skull cleaning, and turkey work by John Melvin. By appointment only.
A look at two of our most-requested services. See all 5 with full pricing →
Two tiers, same finish standard. The difference is how the hide gets processed and how fast it comes back to you.
Whitetail skulls cleaned in-shop. $130 cleaned and whitened, $90 clean only. Plaques priced separately.
Hunting Southern Illinois and taking your deer home to your own taxidermist? We'll cape it so it's ready to travel. Text ahead to set a time — appointment only. Off-hours and meeting at another location may be possible; just ask.
The two most recent pieces out of the shop. Browse the full gallery →
Most recent
Upright pose
Basic shoulder mounts run about 12 months, premium 4–6 months guaranteed, euros 6–8 weeks. Here's the four-step path.
We log the trophy, take measurements and photos, and walk through pose options. You leave with a quote and a date.
Basic hides may go to an outside tannery. Premium stays in-house. Skulls cleaned by maceration and degreasing.
Cape on the form. Ears set, eyes placed, detail painted by hand. Same finish on every tier.
We photograph the finished piece and you settle the balance.
A great mount starts in the field. Here's the single biggest rule. The full guide covers cooling, freezing, and turkeys.
For shoulder mounts, do not cut the throat or split the brisket. Cut around the body well behind the front legs, near the last rib. More cape is always better than not enough.
→ See the full guide for cooling, freezing, and turkey prep.
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North 40 Taxidermy is a part-time, appointment-only shop in Christopher, Illinois. John Melvin taught himself the craft, started with European mounts in 2015, and began taking in hide mounts around 2021.
No showroom, no assembly line. When it's time to mount your trophy, it gets 100% of John's focus.
5.0 on Google. Here's a couple from folks who picked up their trophies recently.
“Took my turkey to North 40 Taxidermy to get a fan mount with feet and spurs. I highly recommend, very quick turn around time and John is great to work with.”
“Did a great job on my deer.”