Here's what I can't understand. Guys will pay $300-1000 for a tag, $500-1000 for a rifle, $200 on scope, gas, lodging, and food, but will not pay the money to get a quality mount of their trophy. you say you paid $280 for one of those mounts. After $65 on the form cost, $8 minimum for a set of eyes, tanning costs, which costs usuallly about $60 that leaves $145 dollars for the taxidermist!! From that he needs to pay his electric bills, and possibly shop lease, then himself!! That leaves him making about $7 an hour. How many of you work for $7 an hour? And to be honest your mounts look like $300 dollar mounts. You say all the details are correct? Look at a few pics of deer, you will see that they are far from correct. The armpit hair does not extend halfway up the shoulder, the ear muscles lack detail, the eyes are not correctly shaped. Those are just a few things. Look at some of the work in the taxidermy forums, especially the elk/deer pedestal thread. you will see quality taxidermy and I bet it don't come cheap.
To me it's worth spending a little extra. 
