About Us
We Are Expert Tanners,
Generations Strong…
Wildlife Fur Dressing, Inc. is a family-owned business with a legacy spanning four generations. What began in 1955 with our founder’s father has grown into a lifelong passion for leatherwork and craftsmanship. In 1984, Armando Navas II brought this expertise to California, building on decades of experience and formal training in chemistry, physics, and histology. Today, our family continues this tradition, perfecting the art of fur dressing while maintaining the highest standards of quality and service. Every hide we process is handled with care and precision, from careful inspection and preparation, to fleshing, shaving, tanning, and finishing, with rigorous quality control at every stage. We combine old-world craftsmanship with modern techniques, ensuring that each skin is durable, flexible, and ready for display. At Wildlife Fur Dressing, our commitment extends beyond the work itself — our team manages every aspect of the business, including customer service, accounting, packing, shipping, and international clearance, to provide a seamless and professional experience for our clients. Over the decades, each generation has added knowledge and expertise, deepening our respect for the craft and the artisans we serve. Taxidermists across the country trust us not only for consistent results, but also for the personal attention and care we bring to every project. Choosing Wildlife Fur Dressing means becoming part of a family tradition built on passion, precision, and pride in every hide.
Quality Received. Quality Returned.
Our Facility
Located in California, our shop has the capacity to tan your hides no matter the quantity. Wildlife Fur Dressing has state of the art equipment, but we also have hand built many of the drums and tools that are used to provide you with the best quality.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to have incisions made?
We can make short incisions and dorsal cuts on skins, but there will be an additional charge depending on the type of animal skin and the incision being made.
- Short Incision on North American, Texan, and exotic skins (except for Blacktail, Coues, Mule, and Whitetail Deer Cape): 15% additional charge
- Short Incision/Cased on African skins and heavy capes (such as an Axis, Oryx, etc.): 35% additional charge
- Dorsal Cut on North American / Exotic skins: 20% additional charge
- Dorsal Cut on African life-size skins: 40% additional charge
All skins with the hide and head attached will be charged the price of life size minus the price of the feet.
What are your USDA handling fees?
We charge a $150.00 handling fee on all incoming international shipments from customs. If hides are received completed or not scheduled for in-house processing on entire crate, the handling fee is $250.00. All crates must be picked up/shipped as soon as inspection has been completed to avoid storage fees.
Additional shop time can be incurred for
- disposal fee for each wood crate
- Re-packing fee
- Storage fee – can incur daily upon invoice due date
- Additional treatment for skins that arrive improperly treated, such as being damp, poorly salted, greasy, etc.
- Quarantine services on shipments with live bugs.
If you choose our rush service, there is a an additional fee.
What should I be aware of in regards to your services?
In addition to our handling fees listed above, there are extra charges for the following:
- Additional shop time charge is added for removing excess flesh, drying damp hides, splitting lips and nostrils, removing tailbones, removing knuckles, and/or turning ears and removing shield on boars.
- Rush Wet Tan 1-15 days = 75%, 15-30 day rush = 50%
- Rush Dry Tan 1-45 days = 100%, 45-75 day rush = 50%
- Pedestal size – 15% additional fee
- Any rejected hides may be subject to partial processing fees based on our discretion.
- Processing fee for freight shipments
- Wet Tan conversion into a Dry Tan – additional 50% charge.
- Re-tan service for any skins tanned previously at another facility is subject to a 100% charge of our listed tanning cost. (We do not guarantee the result on this process).
- Sheep (domestic/merino) that arrive: short incision will be required to split it open.
- Bison/Buffalo that require extra attention for bloody, matted hair or is too thick will be charged shop time.
- Processing fee of 3.5% will be added to all invoices. This fee is discounted for non-card payments, incurring only a 1% fee.
What are your damages, liability and insurance policies?
We are not liable for any lost shipments to and from Wildlife Fur Dressing, Inc. You must request shipping insurance.
Late fees and storage fees may apply to any packages not paid for or shipped out within one month of the invoice date.
No disputes will be accepted for any discrepancies on orders not picked up within 2 months.
Any orders/boxes not paid for within 4 months will become property of Wildlife Fur Dressing, Inc.
Limit for any damage or loss while in our possession there shall only be the reasonable current market value as indicated on the shipping form. Current market value capped at $2,500.00
Subject but not limited to additional fees not listed here or on pricelist. Please contact our office with any questions.
By remitting skins to Wildlife Fur Dressing, Inc. you agree to our policy that all tanning is accepted at the owner’s risk. During the preparation of the hides there are many circumstances that are out of our control. We do our best to keep the integrity of the hide, however, for that reason we assume no liability, nor guarantee the results.