Why Every Taxidermist Should Be Doing Time Studies (And How to Start)

Most taxidermists know roughly how long things take.

• “A duck takes me about an hour to skin.”
• “Mounting a deer head is a half-day job.”
• “Caping takes a bit, depends on the animal.”

But “roughly” isn’t good enough if you’re trying to:

• Price your work correctly
• Improve your workflow
• Make more money without working more hours

That’s where time studies come in.

What Is a Time Study?

A time study is simply tracking how long a task actually takes from start to finish.

Not just the main task — but everything around it:

• Setup
• Finding tools
• Cleaning up
• Interruptions
• Switching between jobs

It’s about measuring reality, not guessing.

You don’t need anything fancy to start. A stopwatch, your phone timer, or even a notebook works just fine.

Why Time Studies Matter

Most shops are losing time in ways they don’t even realize.

You might think:

“It takes me 45 minutes to skin a duck.”

But when you actually track it, you might find:

• 10 minutes finding tools
• 5 minutes setting up your table
• 45 minutes skinning
• 10 minutes cleanup

Now that “45-minute job” is really a 70-minute process.

That difference matters.

Here’s why:

1. Accurate Pricing

If you don’t know how long something takes, you’re guessing your prices.

And guessing usually means:

• Undercharging
• Working longer hours
• Lower profit

2. Identifying Wasted Time

Time studies expose things like:

• Walking back and forth for tools
• Searching for supplies
• Repeating setup steps
• Poor shop layout

These are silent profit killers.

3. Better Workflow

Once you see where time is going, you can:

• Streamline processes
• Organize your workspace
• Reduce unnecessary movement

4. Foundation for Future Improvements

This becomes especially important when you start thinking about:

• Shop organization
• Hiring help
• Scaling your business

(We’ll dig deeper into organization in a future article.)

Example: Skinning a Duck

Let’s break this down the right way.

Most people would say:

“Skinning a duck takes about 45 minutes.”

But a proper time study looks like this:

Step-by-step breakdown:

1. Pull bird from freezer / thawed storage
2. Gather tools (scalpel, scissors, borax, etc.)
3. Set up workspace
4. Skin the duck
5. Clean up tools and area

What you might discover:

• 8 minutes gathering tools
• 7 minutes setting up
• 45 minutes skinning
• 10 minutes cleanup

Total: 70 minutes

That means:

• Only 64% of your time was actual skinning
• The rest was support work

That’s eye-opening.

The Hidden Problem: Setup Time

One of the biggest things time studies reveal is setup inefficiency.

Questions to ask:

• Are your tools always in the same place?
• Do you have to stop mid-process to grab something?
• Are you walking across the shop multiple times?
• Are you resetting your workspace every single time?

If you’re spending:

• 10–15 minutes just getting ready for each task

That adds up fast over a week, month, or season.

How to Do a Time Study (Simple Method)

You don’t need spreadsheets or software to start.

Step 1: Pick a Task

Start with something common:

• Skinning a duck
• Caping a deer
• Mounting a fish

Step 2: Use a Timer

Use:

• Your phone
• A stopwatch
• A simple timer app

Step 3: Track Everything

Start the timer before you begin setup.

Don’t just time the “main work.”

Track:

• Setup
• Actual work
• Cleanup

Step 4: Write It Down

Keep it simple:

• Notebook
• Whiteboard
• Notes app

Example:

• Duck #1 – 68 minutes
• Duck #2 – 72 minutes
• Duck #3 – 65 minutes

Step 5: Repeat

Do it multiple times.

You’re looking for patterns, not one perfect number.

What You Should Be Tracking

Eventually, you want to track all parts of your production:

• Skinning
• Caping
• Mounting
• Finishing work
• Painting
• Drying prep
• Shop cleanup
• Tool prep

Even things like:

• Answering customer calls
• Receiving animals
• Tagging and labeling

All of it is time.

What Most Taxidermists Will Realize

After doing time studies, most people discover:

• They’re underestimating total job time
• Setup and cleanup take longer than expected
• They lose time searching for tools
• Their workflow isn’t as efficient as they thought

And that’s a good thing.

Because now you can fix it.

Final Thoughts

If you’re not tracking your time, you’re guessing.

And guessing leads to:

• Underpricing
• Burnout
• Slower growth

A simple timer can completely change how you understand your business.

Start small:

• Pick one task
• Track it honestly
• Do it a few times

You’ll learn more in a week of time studies than you have in years of estimating.

Coming Next

In a future article, we’ll build on this and talk about:

How shop organization directly impacts your time—and how to fix the biggest time-wasters.

Because once you know where your time is going…

You can start taking it back.