taxidermy oops
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: BowmanMD
19-Jan-22
I always tell my wife that taxidermy-day is better than Christmas day. Until it's not. Taxidermist called to tell me my buck from 2020 was finally ready to pick up. I go to pick it up and it looks good except that instead of a left turn he had done it with a right turn. I had a very specific spot that it needed to go so now instead of looking out into the room, the deer will be looking at a wall and a bookshelf. Pretty frustrating. He apologized and said that it was the first time it had happened in all of his years of taxidermy. He's done a lot of my mounts and has always done a pretty good job, not top-shelf, but a solid B+ at a reasonable price. I ended up paying the full price ($500 plus a $50 tip because I had already written the check before I noticed the oops). And yes, we went back to his notes and confirmed that I had ordered it with a left turn. He has my buck from this year that he hasn't done yet, so I just told him to do that one with a left turn and I'll put it in the spot where this one was supposed to go but I'm not too happy about it, especially since I'll probably have to wait another year and I don't really have a spot for this one to go with a right turn. I know, first world problems, but still frustrating.
From: Grey Ghost
19-Jan-22
Yup, taxidermists are human too. If he's worth his salt, he'll give you a discount on this year's buck.
Matt
From: Pat Lefemine
19-Jan-22
Can’t he just redo it on a new form?
From: smarba
19-Jan-22
Redoing on a new form would be painful but doable. Maybe you can get him to speed up your current mount and move it to the front of his list?
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Jan-22
Killllll him
From: Live2Hunt
19-Jan-22
Yes, if it has not been on the form long and it is a tanned cape it can be rehydrated and put on a different form. The problems come if it has been on the form for a length of time and the skin gets memory of the form it was removed from. Also if it was DP'd instead of tanned.
From: Grunt-N-Gobble
19-Jan-22
Forestbows - LOL ??
I can picture Loyd from Dumb&Dumber saying that line.
From: t-roy
19-Jan-22
That’s a bummer, BMD! I was thinking the same thing as Pat.
My taxidermist moved to Colorado a few years back, but he still has family in my area, so he comes back to Iowa a couple times each year to pick stuff up or bring finished mounts back. He’s a good friend and does really good work, but it does suck a bit not being able to swing by his shop to shoot the breeze, and see how he’s coming along, and to be able to give some input/suggestions/tweaks on my particular mount that he was working on at the time. Lots less chance of crossed wires, that way, IMO.
So far, I’ve only had one snafu on my taxidermy work with him being in Colorado now. He brought back my finished 2019 Sitka blacktail mount. Only problem was….he had put it on a Coues form and a Coues cape! He still doesn’t know how he screwed that one up! He took it back with him and redid it (along with pics of his progress on it) He should be bringing it back in February, along with both of my 2020 whitetails, and hopefully my grizzly rug. A good taxidermist is hard to find, so it’s worth it to me to deal with an occasional minor inconvenience.
From: mattandersen
19-Jan-22
I had a taxidermist that had at the time, my biggest buck yet, about 90% done when somehow the mount fell and the face smashed in...he was honest with me about it and had to utilize another cape as the original was glued on and not able to re use. I got a discount and the other cape was just fine. Luckily the original didn't have a double throat patch or anything truly unique. I stuck with him for my next buck which had a fairly fresh scar under his one eye and he asked if he should repair it or leave it and I asked to please leave it I want it to look just as it did when I shot it. Well he went above and beyond that and made scar fresh and bloody. It looked cool but that isn't what I had asked for...So when I came to pick up I made mention of that and he seemed annoyed...it looked cool but wasn't what I asked for so I don't use him anymore. Also he was out of the way a few hours. His turn around was quick though I will say that!
From: Nick Muche
19-Jan-22
Troy! That’s funny as hell….
From: Brotsky
19-Jan-22
Never seen a Sitka whitetail before T-roy! That was a real trophy! :)
From: Southern draw
19-Jan-22
While we are on taxidermy stories, I killed a buck in SK many years ago I passed him up several days and the day before my hunt ended shot him because of a white circle spot on his neck. During the summer outfitter called and said the taxidermist had phoned him with the news that a house cat had somehow dragged my cape off and he couldn’t find it, but would replace it at no charge, what recourse did I have so I agree and a carrier for the taxidermy shop shows up and hangs the mount in Tennessee. Later in the summer the Outfitter sent a brochure with options to hunt with him again needless to say I didn’t.
From: BowmanMD
19-Jan-22
I texted him about it today because I just couldn't make it fit in any of my spaces with the right turn. He texted back immediately and said that he would fix it--new cape and remount it, no charge. I hate to make him re-do the work, but I think I'm going to let him do it. I am glad he's willing to make it right.
From: smarba
19-Jan-22
Hang him upside down and he'll be looking at you. Or put a mirror on the wall he's looking at. Just trying to think outside the box LOL
Sounds like a good taxidermist, willing to make it right immediately.
From: SB
19-Jan-22
I think my Taxidermist was dyslexic! They were ALL facing the opposite direction I requested! He has since passed from cancer...And I'm done hunting anyway due to health issues.
From: t-roy
19-Jan-22
If the Coues mount would have had a double throat patch, I might have let it slide……
Good deal Bowman! Sounds like he’s gonna make it right for you. If it bothers you a little, maybe you could give him a tip. I’m sure he’d appreciate the gesture and might ease your mind as well.
From: Live2Hunt
19-Jan-22
Well, I did it once so it does happen. But, I had it wrote down a direction of turn and he couldn't remember if he told me or not. Luckly it worked for him. Kind of a fly with the eagles to a drown with the turkeys moment.
From: 4nolz@work
19-Jan-22
I had a guy shoulder mount a smaller buck and euro mount a monster buck, he got it backwards when I dropped them off
From: bowonly
19-Jan-22
OK, I feel your pain, but what I want to know is how the hell are you getting your stuff back in just a year????
From: Pat Lefemine
19-Jan-22
I dropped three bucks off tonight so I asked my taxidermist how big a deal it was and his response was it’s a loss for him and his time but he can reuse the form and it’s totally doable to remount the buck with the correct pose. Impossible for a fish, but no issue with a deer shoulder mount.
Sounds like your guy is making it right. Good for him.
From: BowmanMD
20-Jan-22
I'm always grateful for anybody who is willing to own their mistake and make it right. Kind of a rarity in today's world. And a year is about as long as my ADD can tolerate!! If you guys are waiting longer than that, I feel bad for you. I've even thought about paying the extra $$ to go somewhere with a quicker turnaround just because I'm so impatient and I want my mounts done yesterday! 8)
From: BRIBOWl
20-Jan-22
High class problems that said he should give you a discount on the next one congrats on all your success.
From: BRIBOWl
20-Jan-22
High class problems that said he should give you a discount on the next one congrats on all your success.
From: midwest
20-Jan-22
"If the Coues mount would have had a double throat patch, I might have let it slide……"
Yeah, then you could have just spray painted the forehead black. :-)
From: Live2Hunt
20-Jan-22
So, turnaround depends on a lot for a Taxi. Quantity of mounts he has in line, full time taxi., inhouse tanning or outsourcing. I do a few a year and want them all done by April so I do inhouse tanning and I limit my intake. Full time taxi's. generally send there capes out for tanning and will not get them back from the tannery till mid summer of the year following the Fall hunting season. When they get them back it's first come first serve.
From: 4nolz@work
20-Jan-22
Can racks be exchanged on finished shoulder mounts?
From: molsonarcher
20-Jan-22
I am with Bowman. I hate waiting on taxidermy, and have for the last few deer been doing my own euro mounts. I had a pretty good taxidermist locally and was happy with his work, until the last deer he did for me. I havent used him since.
I was fortunate to shoot a very nice antelope this past year and decided to have him mounted. I dont foresee any issues with the new taxidermist since he is a full time guy and his work is all over Bowsite.
From: RD
20-Jan-22
4nolz@work, yes most of the time. I have a friend who buys mounts and puts racks from deer he shot on them.
From: Boreal
20-Jan-22
Years ago, I had a taxidermist do my first bear rug. He went over the options with me and about a year later he calls me up and told me to come and get it. I was so excited! I got to his shop and I thought it came out perfect! I brought it home and took some pictures and posted it on Bowsite. Little did I know how wrong I was! My Bowsite brethren quickly pointed out that black bears are timid creatures and the open mouth pose that I had chosen was in poor taste and had more to do with low self esteem and feelings of inadequacy then what the bear actually represented. I was told the bear should be mounted in a way that represented what his true nature and attitude was when I shot him. Although I was very disappointed by this response I had to admit that they were right. I called my taxidermist and told him how disappointed I was with the rug. I told him what everyone on Bowsite had taught me about how it should be mounted and he agreed. He told me to bring it right back and for an extra $300 he would redo my rug so that it would convey to everyone who saw it the wild beauty of ursus americanus. This is the poor job he did on the original rug.
From: Boreal
20-Jan-22
The next day I picked up the mount and was once again thrilled with my rug. Well worth the extra $300 to portray this noble beast in it's true wild nature!
From: scentman
20-Jan-22
Boreal that is a realistic mount, though a snickerbar wrapper sticking out of bucket would add more realism ;0)
From: bluedog
20-Jan-22
LOL!!!!! Funniest thing I've read lately Boreal. Thanks!
From: Pat Lefemine
20-Jan-22
LOL! nicely done
From: SB
20-Jan-22
I think the original looks great! Its not a full nasty bite your ass off pose like some.....my Cinnamon phase is a closed mouth though...
From: Mossy Cypress
20-Jan-22
Lol at boreal...that's good stuff right there! I wanted a banded duck mounted flying....when I picked up the mount he was mounted hanging dead....he saw the look on my face when I went to pick it up and he said you dont owe me anything. Another time with the same taxidermist, I wanted my turkey full strut but he mounted it half strut, not the end of the world but when paying with your hard earned money to a supposed professional you should get what you want. Needless to say I don't use that taxidermist any more.
