The phone rings and the first question is "why do I need an appraisal for my taxidermy mounts"? Answering this question is easy, do you realize what you have invested in your trophies? Do you know the current replacement value of each taxidermy mount? Most hunters have never stopped to actually think about the investment that they have in all their taxidermy mounts. Also they don't have a list or pictures of each mount.
It is very important to have all your mounts cataloged and multiple photographs of every trophy mount available incase of a disaster. Keeping an electronic copy in the cloud or burnt on a CD in multiple places is and excellent idea. You could also have a bound copy or two at different locations, copies can be printed and bound at most office supply stores.
I would highly suggest getting a certified personal property appraiser to do this all for you, they will provide you an insurance appraisal. This report should include three photographs of every taxidermy mount along with the current replacement values for each trophy. The appraiser should deliver to you at least one printed and bound report and a PDF copy of this report. I would suggest burning the PDF on a number of CDs and file them away at other locations then where your trophies are located.
So the answer to why you need an insurance appraisal for your taxidermy mounts is because you don't have one and the information is vital to have available. Getting an appraisal is a small investment to cover your large investment. Your appraiser is required to keep on file your information for 5 years, this is another place where there will be a copy of your investment in your taxidermy mounts.
You can search taxidermy appraiser and find a qualified person on the internet, feel free to call them and ask questions.