Options for Taxidermist Problems

[wjohnson1983]

So I wanted to get some opinions on my options for an issue I am having with a taxidermist in WY. I live in AL and came out in October of 2016 and was able to tag an antelope. Dropped it off with a taxidermist in the Casper area and paid half down for the deposit which is pretty standard.

I still don't have my antelope mount, and have not been able to get in touch with the taxidermist since the last week of November. I have called at least 4 times since the end of November with voicemails and no return calls. Honestly I wouldn't call that much if I just knew what was going on or and estimated date at this point.

 

[wy-tex]

I've had to wait for 2 years to get a mount back from a well established, and well respected taxi before.
pm sent

 

[wjohnson1983]

I have waited two years as well for a caribou mount, but the taxi always answered the phone or called back. Once he let me know he had shoulder surgery and it would probably be done by x date, I left him alone for well over a year.

 

[JimP]

I think that two years is way excessive unless the taxidermist is having health problems and would never accept that long of a turn over. My brother in law had a bull elk done and it took close to two years and there were problems with the mount, it looked like a first year taxidermist did it, that long it should be perfect.

I just dropped off my coues deer to have a mount done at the end of December and they said it would be 8 months out which is about right. I have also had mounts done in less than 5 months, it all depends.

It is too bad that the one that you are using isn't returning phone calls, that goes to show what he thinks of customers.

 

[Hilltop]

Let us know what taxidermist and the town. Maybe a forum member could drop in a ask in person? I have heard some horror stories through the years with fire, theft, and taxidermists going out of business. I personally experienced one that went out of business. I was having two 6lb trout mounted together. Paid a deposit and never heard from the guy again. The locals said he packed up shop and disappeared. His business is closed and I never got got my money or the fish back.

 

[Tim McCoy]

What Hilltop said... Had a similar issue in Olympia some years back.

 

[johnsd16]

Bogus deal. With as many WY members as there are someone local can probably help out.

It only takes a couple weeks-month to mount a deer/antelope. All the other wait time is just your animal sitting in a box or freezer. My buddy started doing deer for family and friends and I have gotten to see the process first hand. When a taxi quotes a 12, 18, or 24 month turnaround that just means he/she has that much work to finish that is in line boefore yours.

 

[Colorado T]

Bogus deal. With as many WY members as there are someone local can probably help out.

It only takes a couple weeks-month to mount a deer/antelope. All the other wait time is just your animal sitting in a box or freezer. My buddy started doing deer for family and friends and I have gotten to see the process first hand. When a taxi quotes a 12, 18, or 24 month turnaround that just means he/she has that much work to finish that is in line boefore yours.

While I agree that the OP has waited too long for his mount and something is definitely fishy that he cannot get a hold of him, this statement is not completely accurate. The actual mounting process does take a couple weeks with dry time and finishing, however most taxidermists send capes/hides out to be tanned and that process can take months depending on who they use. I was just quoted 8 months from a local tannery to turn my elk cape around. I won't be using them but there is more to the process than just the actual mount.

 

[Spudman]

In my experience I've never had to wait longer then a year to get a mount back. Now all mine are standard shoulder mounts, nothing fancy. But this seems a bit off. I wish you luck and hope you get some answers soon as well as your mount.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

One year is pretty standard for you to get a mount done. Pretty frustrating that he doesn’t call you back tho.

 

[wjohnson1983]

Thanks for the replies. I'll keep trying him.

I've also received a couple of PMs from folks offering to try and help out.

 

[the wanderer]

I did the same thing with an antelope I got back in ?14. The taxidermist in Casper called me after about a year and said it would be done in a week , and asked if I could send the rest of the money. So I did. After about three weeks I tried calling and he said a few more weeks. I called back after a few more weeks and then he suddenly had some medical issues. He was BSing me. Every time I tried calling after that he would never answer. Caller ID was working apparently. So I had my dad call to see if he would answer the phone. He answered right away. This infuriated me. I called him right away and left a really nasty message. Of course he then returned my phone call and was upset with me. Unbelievable! He never should have had me send the money until it was finished. My mistake was sending the money before it was finished and believing him. I?ll never do that again. I would have been fine with it taking longer had he been honest with me. I?ll pm you the name of the taxidermist to see if it?s the same guy. I wish you luck.

 

[johnsd16]

While I agree that the OP has waited too long for his mount and something is definitely fishy that he cannot get a hold of him, this statement is not completely accurate. The actual mounting process does take a couple weeks with dry time and finishing, however most taxidermists send capes/hides out to be tanned and that process can take months depending on who they use. I was just quoted 8 months from a local tannery to turn my elk cape around. I won't be using them but there is more to the process than just the actual mount.

Yes and no. Tanning does not take months, it also actually only takes a few days of sitting in the various solutions. So when you say that tanning ?can take months? that is not true. The taxidermist may be waiting for for months on he cape from the tannery but they are not working on it the whole time, it is just sitting in line like the tanned cape does at the taxi when it gets back.

Fleshing takes less than an hour, tanning/drying takes a week say, actual ?mounting? or putting the cape on the form, setting antlers, eyes, pinning etc takes hours, then drying time and painting is a couple days then a few hours of work again. My buddy does his own tanning and only works on stuff nights and weekends as well as his full time job, hunting and parenting duties and I get stuff back in February/March that I drop off in November or December.

I moved and can?t use him anymore and have no problem waiting for taxi work, but when someone says my taxidermist is really good.. I had to wait two years for my mount. That was not two years of work, it was the same several hours of work spread over 24 months. I was quoted 12-18 months for my deer I dropped off at my new guy a few months ago and he still hasn?t called for my antlers. I expect my cape has been sitting in his freezer or is at the tannery. He?s not ?working? on it.

Not to derail the initial post but it all plays into what the OP is going through.

 

[Colorado T]

Yes and no. Tanning does not take months, it also actually only takes a few days of sitting in the various solutions. So when you say that tanning ?can take months? that is not true. The taxidermist may be waiting for for months on he cape from the tannery but they are not working on it the whole time, it is just sitting in line like the tanned cape does at the taxi when it gets back.

Fleshing takes less than an hour, tanning/drying takes a week say, actual ?mounting? or putting the cape on the form, setting antlers, eyes, pinning etc takes hours, then drying time and painting is a couple days then a few hours of work again. My buddy does his own tanning and only works on stuff nights and weekends as well as his full time job, hunting and parenting duties and I get stuff back in February/March that I drop off in November or December.

I moved and can?t use him anymore and have no problem waiting for taxi work, but when someone says my taxidermist is really good.. I had to wait two years for my mount. That was not two years of work, it was the same several hours of work spread over 24 months. I was quoted 12-18 months for my deer I dropped off at my new guy a few months ago and he still hasn?t called for my antlers. I expect my cape has been sitting in his freezer or is at the tannery. He?s not ?working? on it.

Not to derail the initial post but it all plays into what the OP is going through.

You are taking things way to literally. Yes, the actual process from tanning to the actual work can be broken down into hours and days, however when you multiply that by the quantity of animals a taxidermists takes in as well as a tannery takes in, the process gets extended. If a hobbiest, like your friend and myself, only concentrated on a few animals at a time then it doesn't take nearly as long. However most full time studios are one-two guys who usually stop work during the hunting season to focus on caping, fleshing and turning the ears, nose and eyes. Then send everything out at once for tanning. Most guys run their business the most efficient and cost effective way they can because there is not a lot of profit in that work. I by no means am condoning how long this particular guy is taking or that he is not returning calls but most shops will quote 10-12 months turn around time. Guys like this are bad for the industry and should be called out as is being done to warn others.

 

[JimP]

Also most taxidermist will not just ship in one or two capes or hides to be tanned. They wait until they have a good amount to cut down on shipping cost. So if you drop a head off at the beginning of archery season the cape or hide might not get shipped to the tannery until the end of the rifle hunts.

I got lucky on one mount and dropped the cape off at the end of the rifle hunts in November and had the mounted head back in 5 months.

 

[BKhunter50]

I used to do taxidermy for myself and friends. I wasn't awesome at it, but I did manage to win first place in the amateur division on an antelope and whitetail mount. When I did it, I caped them out myself and salted the hides down. Then I sent the hides to a tannery in New York. Once I got the cape back, I could mount the animal as soon or as late as I wanted to. But at the earliest - it would take 2 weeks once the cape was back (includes cape and paint dry time). As some of these other guys have said, up to a one year wait is fairly normal.

Taxidermist can be an odd breed. Most of them are introverts. They prefer working by themselves and limiting their interaction with people. He may just be ignoring you - which is obviously not very professional - but never the less, it may be the case. I would see if one of the guys on this forum can check in with him. Also - never pay for the entire mount until it's done and you have pictures. Also - I recommend to anyone that if they can - take the cape home with you and have a local taxidermist do the work. That way you don't have to pay for shipping a mount and you avoid the risk of shipping damage. Also - if they don't return calls you can jump in your vehicle and go see them in person. Honestly - you don't have to be a taxidermist in Wyoming in order to do a great goat mount either. There just isn't that much on a goat to mess up as long as the taxidermist uses good tanning practices and follows standard procedure on preserving the skull plate.

 

[jimss]

For future reference the less $ you put down on a mount the more incentive a taxidermist has of finishing your critter! The majority of taxidermists take a year + turnover. The taxidermist that have their act together are caught up before the next hunting season starts. If you think about it from a taxidermist's prospective they get paid diddly for a lot of hard, detailed labor. It definitely pays to research taxidermists before giving them work. You usually get what you pay for and it's often worth paying a little extra to hire someone that does exceptional work and fairly good turnover. As you found out it is always good hiring a taxidermist that lives close. I often ask my taxidermist if I can look over the form before he adds the cape and again prior to getting the finished product. That way he can make adjustments. Not all taxidermists are willing to do this...but I make a point of being super close to my taxidermist so he's willing to work with me.

 

[wjohnson1983]

I want to thank everyone for the replies again.

I do realize the actual time it takes to do the taxidermy vs. waiting in line/tannery etc. I also researched taxidermist before I went out to hunt. The one that was most recommended to me didn't answer the phone or call back, so I went with second choice. I decided to go local because honestly I thought someone out there would do a better job of mounting the antelope than someone in AL that hardly ever mounts one if ever.

I guess more of what I was looking for is options to resolve the problem.

Is there any point in calling F & G? Not sure they can even do anything at this point?
Call the credit card company, say the $300 was a fraud charge, and cut my losses on having the mount? Not even sure I'm within the time constraints to do that anymore.
Lawyer up, but the lawyer would cost more the what I've paid so far on the mount?

 

[Hilltop]

Why not take the offers for a member to pop in and check on it for you? Things get done out west face to face on a much more efficient level.

 

[wjohnson1983]

I have responded the member's PMs that have offered to pop in. I also tried calling again yesterday.

After hearing the story above about the bait and swap on the phone numbers, I may have to try that.