AVOID AT ALL COST!!! One of the most tragic experiences I have ever had with a business. I am a Yelp Elite and rarely will I give a single star to a business but the experience I had with Life Like Taxidermy was absolutely horrible. The owner lied about not being able to tan the hide of a Merino Sheep. Then the wife tried to overcharge me on a small Corsican Ram hide I wanted tanned...She sent me an estimate for $395...Keep in mind this Ram was tiny and they were almost double some places I have worked with regarding hides. I will go into detail so none of you will ever have to experience the poor service I did. I had read and heard about the complaints regarding poor service and ridiculous prices from others prior. The taxidermist who I will be working with on my hunt coming up knew exactly who they were without me even mentioning Life Like's name. What could have been two nice hides from my hunt in February had me going away empty handed, disappointed and angry that my hides went to Life Like Taxidermy. I even called the outfitter that I worked with and told them about my poor experience and they stated they have heard the same feedback recently as well. I told them to find another partner and mentioned that you do not want a partner like Life Like associated with your business. All the taxidermist who I know slammed Life Like for just not wanting to do the work and for trying to rob me. In essence they did because I have no hides to show from that hunt. I had two hides a small sized Corsican with a nice beard and colorations and a large sized Merino Ram. The owner called and said they could not do the Merino because it would be tough and end up like cobwebs after the process and those are his exact words. I begrudgingly agreed to say ok (what they did with the hide, I have no clue). I reached out to my taxidermist friends (I have a popular Instagram Page) and they said he just did not want to do the work and that, that is a normal every day job to do for taxidermists. I even told them it was a wool sheep and they said yeah it does not matter, it could have been done. Sadly, I asked them after the fact. Because I trusted Life Like Taxidermy, I believed them and in the end all the taxidermist said that the guy at Life Like was full of shit and to get your hides...The damage was done and the effort to go down there and deal with this poor business would have been a waste of time. The most shocking part of this tragedy was the Corsican hide and the price they were charging. I was hoping to at least get one hide but this gets more tragic. I have paid $200-$250 in other states for way larger rams when I asked the wife about the invoice, she could only state, this is what we charge. I had already posed this questions to my taxidermist followers on Instagram and all of them said a fair price would be between $200-$300 for blanket soft hides. Life Like Taxidermy sent me an invoice for $395!!!!.....$395 for a small hide. All my Taxidermist followers said that, that place is full of shit and were trying to rob me. I sent a message and stated they were trying to rip me off and that this experience was horrible and that I should have found a more capable and competitively priced taxidermist prior to having my hides picked up by them. The experience with Life Like Taxidermy was PURE TRASH. Seriously, avoid at all cost. You are better off calling Mounts Unlimited in Los Gatos. I asked him how much he charged for hides and he said $300. I asked this prior to sharing my experience with Life Like Taxidermy. That price by Mount Unlimited is still in the same ball park as the other taxidermists from the East Coast, South, Central, Canada and West. Thankfully as a result, I found a better taxidermist to deal with. One of the top 5 worst experiences in my life. If I could have given Life Like Taxidermy a ZERO I would have. AVOID AT ALL COST!!! Time to post this on Google. read more

Life Like Taxidermy - I lost these hides because Life Like Taxidermy could not do the Merino and were charging $395 to do the Corsican. AVOID THEM AT ALL COST! - Taxidermy Near Me - Madera, California

Awesome shop. These guys picked up some ram heads that my buddies and I shot at a local outfitter and were set to do Euro mounts on the heads. Kurt handled the work super fast and the price was very affordable. When I went to pickup the heads we sat and shot the shit for a while and I was on my way. Super cool guy, great shop and great work. All my animals will be going to him going forward. read more

Life Like Taxidermy - 3 ram skulls in truck - Taxidermy Near Me - Madera, California

Best around!!! Highly recommend for tour trophies!! Kurt really nails it !! Says it in the name lifelike!!

I truly could not have asked for anything better! I am blown away with how wonderful all of my mounts have turned out. I was referred to Life Like by Bitterwater outfitters and I am so happy with everything! we had them do the back skin on a bison, the hide of a long horn, and a sheep skin as well as a European mount on the long horn and a shoulder mount on the bison. They more than exceeded my expectations. We have another hunting trip planned soon and will absolutely be sending all of our trophies to life like. Also, their shop is INCREDIBLE and everyone there has been so wonderful to work with, I truly can not speak highly enough about this company! read more

Life Like Taxidermy - Taxidermy Near Me - Madera, California

I've been waiting for my Bison mount since November 2022 shot at Bitterwater. I paid you $1,000 deposit upfront. I keep getting told to be patient but no more. Your answering machine is full and not taking messages. What's going on??? read more

Roger and I love the Elk mount Curt created for us. lights and everything!!! professional and a true artist!!! like the others , this table mount was awesome! read more

Worst taxidermist I have ever done business with. Made a absolute mess out of a big hog I got at Bitterwater outfitters. Horrible finish work,and mount was shipped in a thin cardboard box so when it showed up it was all busted up. I was told by Kurt the owner that this could all be fixed. I met with him and showed him all the things I was not pleased with and he took the mount to fix these issues. Kurt also had a bobcat that I also got at Bitterwater. I was very concerned about this mount and when I tried to discuss my concerns with him he sent me a text message saying he could not honer the price I was told and it would cost me more than what was agreed on. I could never get him to return my phone calls or my texts. I had to get to owner of Betterwater outfitters to contact Kurt and have him send me my boar mount and bobcat hide,he keep my whole deposit for the cat. I would not do business with this guy!! If you hunt with Bitterwater Outfitters and need a taxidermist I would ask them if there was someone else they could recommend. THIS IS A MESSAGE I JUST RECEIVED FROM KURT,THIS IS HOW HE TREATS CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE ISSUES. Hey you pussy. You got something to say. Grow a sack let's talk nose to nose. Typical punk ass bitch. read more

Kurt Santoro is an artist at his craft. Amazing work and always professional. Absolutely the best around, hands down.

Kurt did a beautiful job on a California Tule Elk we brought him. One look at his workshop and you know he is a professional. He gives you his undivided attention, has many years doing meticulous mounts of everything imaginable and has museum quality workmanship. This isn't just his business, it's his passion and it shows. Yes, you may wait a year for your mount depending on how busy he is but it is worth the wait. I would recommend him to anyone and continue to use his services. read more

I have taken several mounts to Kurt Santoro at Life Like Taxidermy, and you will not be disappointed. I have always had an awesome experience working with him and having my mounts come out beautifully. His work is always of quality and he puts his heart into his work always. This is not your average out of his garage taxidermist, he is a professional and excellent in his work. He really makes your mounts look life like. I will never go anywhere else. 5 STARS for Kurt! read more

This company is horrible..Please do not take any of your mounts to this Taxidermy location. This is the recommended vendor for "Bitterwater Outfitters" please do your research before hand. Kurt Santoro will not take any accountability or ownership for my delayed mount and just make excuses stating we were out of the office for the week, we were at the Expo for 6 days or I will send you pictures of the mount and never does. Its been almost 13 months for my ram mount and I still have not received pictures and a ready date. Kurt told me that my mount ended up in the delayed pile because he is the best and took on to much work. He will also talk down about other taxidermy companies.. Seriously that is poor customer service. No communication, no status updates and very rude. I call often with no update or timeline. I was quoted 8 months and now 13 months? How about you hold up to your side of accountability and complete the work that was already half paid for?? Do not recommended!! read more