# Taxidermy questions



## utaharcheryhunter

Hey I have some questions on issues regarding a mt. Goat and mule deer hides. 
My father and I have been told after 3 years of waiting for our mounts that the "taxidermist" can't mount the hides on both of our animals for reasons I don't get.. It's a real shame..
If someone could pm me, I can give more specifics and see if you might have some answers.


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## robiland

Whos the Taxi? If its who I think it is, then he cant mount them because he sold them or traded them.


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## utaharcheryhunter

robiland said:


> Whos the Taxi? If its who I think it is, then he cant mount them because he sold them or traded them.


Dot tell me that.. That could be, I have told him plenty I want to come get our refunds, capes, and horn/antlers.. But he keeps coming up with " new" ideas to fix the hides

Does this taxi you are thinking live in Roy and works at Sportsmans in riverdale?


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## Packout

Send me a PM with more info if you'd rather not talk about it on an open forum. Or post the rest of the story here and we can answer questions in the open.


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## utaharcheryhunter

I just didn't want to drop any names.. But I can post the whole story..


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## TEX-O-BOB

Time + Tanned hides is never a good thing... But, if I'm reading into it this it sounds like the hides have got acid rot or some other issue related to being old... Get with Packout and get the real answers.


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## longbow

Or tell us who NOT to take our stuff to. Like the taxidermist from Brigham City who didn't have my B&C mulie horns, whitetail horns and capes for both. The guy still owes me $750.


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## martymcfly73

That's a shame. Maybe public pressure will help get your stuff back?


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## utaharcheryhunter

The short story is this guy has had our goods longer than 3 years. 
We had known him for a while, and he had shown me his work at his house/ on display at Sportsmans. Looked good..
He begged my dad to let him do his goat after the hunt, and promised he would do it bono and just take a ton of pics to put in is portfolio. (That was our 1st mistake)
The next hunting season I shot a mule deer in the velvet, and because I had seen one of his deer I decided to give him my deer to work on too.
The next 2 years we were not putting pressure on him, and every time we would go into Sportsmans he would give a new excuse as to why he was so behind and our mounts were not done. 
For the last year he has told us the mounts were either done but he needed to stretch the hides or the mounts were done and they needed to dry so he could paint the face. (Every time we saw him it was the same stories) 
So last December I started putting pressure on him, either visiting him at Sportsmans or calling him 3 times a week. 
Every week from December to February he told me he would work on them all weekend and have them done. He even told me with the most serious, honest face he would bring them to my house on Christmas Eve.
The last 2 months I have told him I am coming over to pick up our goods, and with that threat he has finally started to admit that he can't get the hides to stretch. He will tell me one day that they are dry, and that he is buying some oils, and trying new things to put on the hides to get them to go on the form. On other days he will tell me after he has de thawed the hides and when they are wet, they are too thin and the hides are too soft they start to tear when he starts to work them. 
Yesterday I told him that I was coming over, that I had "had it" with him and demand our goods back. He then told me he had called his "old" tannery to get some suggestions on how I fix them, and they supposedly told him to buy something called "true fire" or something like that.
I now am waiting for him to get paid on Friday to go buy that stuff and wait for him to try and fix it the millionth time.
Now here is the twist, last November he shows me a pic on his phone of a goat hide and another pic of a goat mount. 
He begins to tell me that he took in another goat, took it to his new tannery in the summer, and had it done for a kid he knows because he is coming home from his mission and the taxi "promised" this kid he would have it done.

This SOB gets me so mad.. 
But if this taxi is telling me the truth, and I go and pick up the capes and horns/antlers is there anything or anyone that could fix the hide problem?


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## Critter

You can always pick up a cape for your deer but I would be willing to bet that the goat hide is quite possibly ruined sad to say. It sounds like this guy does taxidermy on the side and really doesn't know what he is doing.

I would go pick the hides and antlers up and see if a reputable shop can fix them for you.

Good luck on what you end up with.


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## utaharcheryhunter

Critter said:


> You can always pick up a cape for your deer but I would be willing to bet that the goat hide is quite possibly ruined sad to say. It sounds like this guy does taxidermy on the side and really doesn't know what he is doing.
> 
> I would go pick the hides and antlers up and see if a reputable shop can fix them for you.
> 
> Good luck on what you end up with.


Yeah I don't care about my deer, but the goat to me is priceless.. 
And you are exactly right.. He does do it on the side.. 
When we first met him, he had broke away from a taxidermy shop, and took the Sportsmans job to help pay bills while he began to work up clients. He had totally transformed his garage into a shop, and I thought it looked legit..
But after 6 years of knowing him, he still is at Sportsmans full time and has gone no where..


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## robiland

I wouldnt waste another minute with him. Just think of all the crap he has done to your capes, if he even still has them. I bet they are toast! sorry, but dont waste another minute. Go get them. Just show up at his house with out calling.


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## Mr Muleskinner

robiland said:


> I wouldnt waste another minute with him. Just think of all the crap he has done to your capes, if he even still has them. I bet they are toast! sorry, but dont waste another minute. Go get them. Just show up at his house with out calling.


agreed. My brother an I got the same run around with a couple of bears. Minimize your loss and git yer stuff.


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## martymcfly73

You've been more than patient. Get your stuff back! Hopefully it's salvageable. That really sucks. Good luck!


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## sagebrush

The only person I know from sportsmans that does taxi work is Tom likes to shoot the b.s. I would say that you are screwed.


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## utaharcheryhunter

sagebrush said:


> The only person I know from sportsmans that does taxi work is Tom likes to shoot the b.s. I would say that you are screwed.


 bingo


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## swbuckmaster

When there's smoke there's fire


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## Packout

PM sent. 

You need to understand that all may not be lost. It may be possible to re-tan the hides. It may be possible to re-hydrate them. It might be that they are ruined. You'll never know until you get them to someone who knows what they are doing.


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## swbuckmaster

Packout is correct. Give him a chance

My first mule deer was ruined by a guy named forest atkins. As soon as I paid for it I took it to another guy named Tyler anderson and he re tanned the hide and fixed my hideous looking forest job.


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## utaharcheryhunter

****update****
Went to the taxi's house today.. 
Was able to pick up the goat hide.. An it looks like crap!
He told me he threw the deer hide away because he claims it was so dry rotted that it started to crumble.. (I don't believe that for a second) 
The goat cape looks so off white.. And when we brought to him it was so beautiful.
We did get the forms because he had already mounted the antlers/horns.
I remember the deer antlers were nice looking when I brought it to him.. Now they look nasty.. 
And no deposits back.
Lessons learned..


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## martymcfly73

Oh man that really sucks. I hope they are salvageable.


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## Guest

That goat will be an easy fix. An I got tanned archery deer capes.


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## Guest

I could fix that goat. I have archery deer capes in stock.


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## Springville Shooter

I appreciate this post because it serves as a really good reminder to all. taxidermy is an art and it is worth the full price and the wait. Helping new or aspiring taxidermists is great but not with animals that you care about. I had a friend ask to mount a couple smaller whitetail we killed a few years ago. I was planning on doing plaques so I didn't care. A year later he came to me and explained that he had ruined the capes. What a relief when I didn't care one bit. He gave the antlers back and I made my plaques. When I finally killed a buck that I wanted mounted, I took it straight to a qualified reputable artist who happens to be on this thread. The result was better than hoped for and I enjoy the mount everyday. Do yourself a favor and only trust the best with your trophy of a lifetime.-------SS


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## spencerD

Springville Shooter said:


> I appreciate this post because it serves as a really good reminder to all. taxidermy is an art and it is worth the full price and the wait. Helping new or aspiring taxidermists is great but not with animals that you care about. I had a friend ask to mount a couple smaller whitetail we killed a few years ago. I was planning on doing plaques so I didn't care. A year later he came to me and explained that he had ruined the capes. What a relief when I didn't care one bit. He gave the antlers back and I made my plaques. When I finally killed a buck that I wanted mounted, I took it straight to a qualified reputable artist who happens to be on this thread. The result was better than hoped for and I enjoy the mount everyday. Do yourself a favor and only trust the best with your trophy of a lifetime.-------SS


I'm lucky to know a taxidermist who said today that he's willing to teach me how to start doing fish. Seeing as I'm a fisherman, I've always wanted to try doing fish myself. And guess what I'm gonna be doing? My own tiger trout from a few months ago. It just baffles me that people would try to do others' mounts without even knowing how. I wouldn't dream of touching someone else's fish for a long time.


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## RandomElk16

Sorry to see/hear about this. 

I think this is a great thread though. I was thinking about this a few weeks ago. Having a sticky thread about taxidermists. Contact info and some reviews/photos. The main post could be continuously edited to update the information presented by users.

Scary to give a stranger your trophy of a lifetime.


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## Truelife

There are some interesting posts here. I want to add my 2 cents about "on the side" taxidermists as they have been called in this thread. I have been one of these myself for nearly 20 years now. I could give you names of many other on the side taxi's in the state as well. Some people might be surprised to find that it was their hobby, or side job. Some well known taxi's on this forum that are considered THE VERY BEST have professions outside of the taxidermy world. Some of the very best don't do taxidermy as a full time profession, and some who do only taxidermy aren't very good at it.

If you are the type of guy/gal that isn't able to, or doesn't want to pay top dollar for your taxidermy work then either save your money for a while, or take the deal you can get. 

If you give your animal to someone who tells you that they are learning taxidermy and they will give you a good deal........... well that is no different than pulling up to the high school mechanics class and telling them that your transmission just went out on your car and could they please fix it.

You might get it back in one piece. But nobody has to wonder if it will turn out different than it would if you took it to a mechanic with years of experience and paid him to do the work he knows how to do.

I've had an aweful lot of guys come to my shop and want to learn to be a taxidermist. All of them have walked away with a new appreciation for the price tag attached to quality taxidermy work. Only a couple stuck with it for more than a few days.


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## Packout

First- the hide looks rough. Did he glue the felt to it? Without seeing it in person, it is hard to say what can be done. 

Second- I agree with True that there are some fantastic taxidermists who do it part time. There are also so many who do it as a hobby or on the side that just don't turn out work that is worth anything. Same can be said for full time guys, but there are more who do quality than do junk. There is one bit of difference though-- the full time guy will be out of business if he does poor work. The part timer won't. If someone helps their brother-in-law frame his basement, they don't call themselves a general contractor. But if a guy mounts a deer head for his BIL and neighbor then he calls himself a taxidermist. 

I'll say it again- go meet taxidermists before the hunt. See their work. Get a feel for what kind of person they are and if you want to give them your hard earned money. Any decent taxidermist would welcome the inquiry. There are too many good ones out there to go with someone who isn't.


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## Truelife

Packout said:


> I'll say it again- go meet taxidermists before the hunt. See their work. Get a feel for what kind of person they are and if you want to give them your hard earned money. Any decent taxidermist would welcome the inquiry. There are too many good ones out there to go with someone who isn't.


Couldn't have been said better Packout!

I could tell you some funny stories that guys have told me about experiences with other taxi's. Maybe that should be a thread!


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## Longgun

Caveat emptor indeed!

~

As a used-to-be less than part timer type taxi, i feel the need to chime in on this subject. Ive done well with the "first off's" over the years (20+). It comes down to applying ones-self to the project at hand and aply performing that task. Take for instance my first time ever laying my hands on a pair of King Eiders-- they Scored High Red's in the Master Bird Taxidermist Catagory that year.


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## Truelife

I second that thought Longgun.

Here are a couple of firsts of mine.


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## Longgun

Nice!

The amount of stiches that i know it took to get that Giraffe done, makes my hands ache...

Edit:

and thats MUCH less than it could have been, ugh.


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## Truelife

Yes, I should have counted them just to know. I didn't, but I know that it was A LOT!!

If you can manage to stab yourself with a needle twice while sewing a standard deer mount................. how many times can you stab yourself with a needle while sewing a giraffe :smile:

I can't even imagine doing a life-size giraffe.


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## lifes short

Does this person have a business license in his city, or county? Is he paying sales tax on the money he took from you? Do you have a contract for the work you hired him to do for you? What tannery did the work on them?
He would have known if there was any problem with those capes as soon as he got them back from the tannery ( or while the were in the chemicals if he tanned them). Any slippage caused from when you had them would show then and he should of been on the phone with you about that then. Not have them taken care of in this amount of time is neglect. Not treating them in a timely manner or using improper tanning methods is neglect. He should be liable for his neglect. Taking someones money and not being able to do the job agreed to is theft by deception. If I hire someone to install a sprinkler system and they never complete the project I would call the authorities and have them prosecuted.
I have been through this scenario with a taxidemist who used to do business in Riverton. I was unaware that he had been not finishing his work for years. People had just been letting him get away with it by calling him and letting him gives excuses for unfinished work until they got fed up and picked up what was left of their trophies and not doing anything about it. Please do not let it stop there. If he did this to you he is doing it to other people. Call the Police and press charges. You may have to prod the authorities but I was able to get my case pushed into court. The City pulled his business license and put him out of business. If we don't stop this type of business either full time or part time other trophies will be ruined. 
If some of you professional Taxidermist think this is out of line let us know. I just think it is awful to let these Hackidemist stay in business.


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## utaharcheryhunter

lifes short said:


> Does this person have a business license in his city, or county? Is he paying sales tax on the money he took from you? Do you have a contract for the work you hired him to do for you? What tannery did the work on them?
> He would have known if there was any problem with those capes as soon as he got them back from the tannery ( or while the were in the chemicals if he tanned them). Any slippage caused from when you had them would show then and he should of been on the phone with you about that then. Not have them taken care of in this amount of time is neglect. Not treating them in a timely manner or using improper tanning methods is neglect. He should be liable for his neglect. Taking someones money and not being able to do the job agreed to is theft by deception. If I hire someone to install a sprinkler system and they never complete the project I would call the authorities and have them prosecuted.
> I have been through this scenario with a taxidemist who used to do business in Riverton. I was unaware that he had been not finishing his work for years. People had just been letting him get away with it by calling him and letting him gives excuses for unfinished work until they got fed up and picked up what was left of their trophies and not doing anything about it. Please do not let it stop there. If he did this to you he is doing it to other people. Call the Police and press charges. You may have to prod the authorities but I was able to get my case pushed into court. The City pulled his business license and put him out of business. If we don't stop this type of business either full time or part time other trophies will be ruined.
> If some of you professional Taxidermist think this is out of line let us know. I just think it is awful to let these Hackidemist stay in business.


I am not sure if he has an actual "license" that's a good question.. 
I would 99% sure he is NOT paying taxes on our money. 
An I do remember signing some piece of paper when we started, hen I gave him my deposit at least. Not sure if my father did. I doubt it though because this guy started out doing the goat as a freebie..
And he used WESTERN SKIES as his tannery on our hides so he claims..

The new guy I have contacted to see if he can fix the goat uses WESTERN SKIES on all his hides and he loves them.. 
I have something I am brewing up with a lawyer in my neighborhood.. Especially if the goat hide is not salvageable.. 
Never thought about going to the police.. But I do know that he his behind on other mounts too. He was crying to me that he has another guy threatening him because he is behind on a bear rug..


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## utaharcheryhunter

Does anyone know if you can find a mtn goat cape? What do capes cost? A velvet deer cape cost?


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## Critter

I would be willing to bet that you are out of luck finding a goat cape. Those animals are so hard to come by that I doubt that anyone would be willing to part with one. 
A deer cape on the other had is a common cape and a lot of taxidermist will purchase several during the hunts just to have on hand as a just in case. For price I have sold a couple of capes to the taxidermist that I use for $50.00 and they were larger than normal heads. So it would just be a matter of time before you actually find one that you want to use if needed.


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## Truelife

You can find capes / skins for just about anything. Some might take a little longer and the size will determine the cost to a certain extent. If you find a good taxi that you are working with I would go through him to get your replacements. Cost will also be determined by the condition of the cape. Green capes are cheaper, but require the work and cost of tanning. Tanned capes have the work done, but there is always the gamble of who did the tanning and with what.

Most taxidermists would prefer to get a green cape so they can control more of those variables themselves.

edit:

5 second google search turned up this one.

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php?topic=286811.0

Taxidermy.net is a good place to look. Most guys are reputable on their. If they are bag eggs they get roasted pretty quick but it never hurts to ask around.

Sorry, I should look closer first 
:-?

This link is to an old add. But I still think you can find a mountain goat cape with a little time and effort.


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## Truelife

lifes short said:


> If some of you professional Taxidermist think this is out of line let us know. I just think it is awful to let these Hackidemist stay in business.


 This may feel, or sound out of line to some, but you are right. If we were ripped off by a mechanic, or any other profession we would try to do something about it.

It may not turn out to be so easy though without some type of contract, or this person being licensed. Utah doesn't require any formal licensing for taxidermy work like some states do. Many other states require a person to pass some criteria and prove they know what they are doing before they can become a licensed taxidermist. Utah has nothing like that. It may turn into a private matter that could be handled as a civil suit, but nothing more.

Unfortunately that would likely cost more than walking away and buying a replacement cape.


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## Packout

utarcheryhunter- If you have a new taxidermist then you need to ask him/her about the replacement capes. The answer is yes they are available, but that should be answered by your new taxidermist- who should have knowledge on where to obtain them. I hope that does not come across as harsh- it is not meant to be. 

Nice mount True. They are an interesting critter to work on.


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## lifes short

Salt Lake County Sherriffs office did the investigation in my case and took it to court. It is a criminal act to take money and not perform the service.


> Unfortunately that would likely cost more than walking away and buying a replacement cape.


Sometimes the right thing to do does cost money but stopping someone from ruining other peoples trophies is money well spent. Even without the case going to court a visit from the police just might help him realize what a rotten thing he is doing to people and that there are consequences for it. I just wish someone before me would have pushed the issue with the ex Riverton taxidermist that ruined 3 of our bear hides and one elk cape. The only thing we ended up with was the satisfaction of Riverton pulling his business license and sign from his building and shut him down, he filed Bankruptcy on our judgement. It was still time well spent and the right thing to do.
To run a business in Utah I believe you do need a Business license even though Utah does not require a Taxidermy license. Maybe the Taxidemists should get together in their association and get their State Rep to push a bill through for licensing. (and I hate government intervention).


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## utaharcheryhunter

Packout said:


> utarcheryhunter- If you have a new taxidermist then you need to ask him/her about the replacement capes. The answer is yes they are available, but that should be answered by your new taxidermist- who should have knowledge on where to obtain them. I hope that does not come across as harsh- it is not meant to be.
> 
> Nice mount True. They are an interesting critter to work on.


Not harsh at all, just flat out truth!
And I will be asking as soon as I drop the cape off.. I forgot to mention the new taxidermist is out of town this week, so next week that will be the first thing I ask!
Thanks for the advice packout


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## utaharcheryhunter

lifes short said:


> Salt Lake County Sherriffs office did the investigation in my case and took it to court. It is a criminal act to take money and not perform the service.
> 
> Sometimes the right thing to do does cost money but stopping someone from ruining other peoples trophies is money well spent. Even without the case going to court a visit from the police just might help him realize what a rotten thing he is doing to people and that there are consequences for it. I just wish someone before me would have pushed the issue with the ex Riverton taxidermist that ruined 3 of our bear hides and one elk cape. The only thing we ended up with was the satisfaction of Riverton pulling his business license and sign from his building and shut him down, he filed Bankruptcy on our judgement. It was still time well spent and the right thing to do.
> To run a business in Utah I believe you do need a Business license even though Utah does not require a Taxidermy license. Maybe the Taxidemists should get together in their association and get their State Rep to push a bill through for licensing. (and I hate government intervention).


How were you able to get the sheriffs dept involved?


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## longbow

Torowy, thanks for the PM. Do you remember the guy's name? He called his business Fins and Feathers Forever. If you don't want to post it, PM me and I'll be happy to post his name. I would take great pleasure in posting a warning about him.


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## lifes short

I called the Sherriffs office and filed a complaint, a patrol officer came out and took my complaint then my brother filed a complaint on his bear and my buddy filed a complaint on his bear. I met another person that had never reeived his Muskox back so I told him and he filed a complaint also. About a week later a detective contacted us and and came and looked at our paperwork we got when we dropped our hides off with the taxidemist. I believe the detective ended up charging him with Theft By Deception and one other thing about contracts. We never got called to testify but were awarded a judgement but that ended up in Bankruptcy and we never got a dime. But after the charges the City of Riverton pulled his business license and made him take down his sign. I hope that saved other peoples trophies from getting ruined or sold.

The thing that concerns me about flakes like we are discussing is people thinking all taxidemists are like this NOT SO. If you really want a top notch mount get with a good taxidemist and have him let you know what he needs from you between the kill and when he gets it, this care is critical to a good mount. A good taxidemist will help teach you. How about one of you pros enlightening people reading about this problem of the right way to go about choosing a Taxidemist and what to learn before the hunt starts. 

It really sucks that this type of thing happens but I think far more trophies are ruined in the field than at the shop.

When you get those mounts done you will still have all of the great memories of the hunt everytime you look at them so even with the extra cost of capes I believe it is well worth it. Chalk the extra dough up to a learning experience and maybe you saved that learning curve for some people who read your thread.


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## Longgun

lifes short said:


> I called the Sherriffs office and filed a complaint, a patrol officer came out and took my complaint then my brother filed a complaint on his bear and my buddy filed a complaint on his bear. I met another person that had never reeived his Muskox back so I told him and he filed a complaint also. About a week later a detective contacted us and and came and looked at our paperwork we got when we dropped our hides off with the taxidemist. I believe the detective ended up charging him with Theft By Deception and one other thing about contracts. We never got called to testify but were awarded a judgement but that ended up in Bankruptcy and we never got a dime. But after the charges the City of Riverton pulled his business license and made him take down his sign. I hope that saved other peoples trophies from getting ruined or sold.
> 
> *The thing that concerns me about flakes like we are discussing is people thinking all taxidemists are like this NOT SO. If you really want a top notch mount get with a good taxidemist and have him let you know what he needs from you between the kill and when he gets it, this care is critical to a good mount. A good taxidemist will help teach you. How about one of you pros enlightening people reading about this problem of the right way to go about choosing a Taxidemist and what to learn before the hunt starts. *
> 
> It really sucks that this type of thing happens but I think far more trophies are ruined in the field than at the shop.
> 
> When you get those mounts done you will still have all of the great memories of the hunt everytime you look at them so even with the extra cost of capes I believe it is well worth it. Chalk the extra dough up to a learning experience and maybe you saved that learning curve for some people who read your thread.


Bingo! Good post LS

Good Taxidermy starts with specimines in good condition. Although, conveying that to folks can be a real challenge sometimes.


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## torowy

longbow said:


> Torowy, thanks for the PM. Do you remember the guy's name? He called his business Fins and Feathers Forever. If you don't want to post it, PM me and I'll be happy to post his name. I would take great pleasure in posting a warning about him.


I don't remember his name. But ya, Furs and Feathers Forever. I lost 2 bear hides, and my deposit.

Here is his google page. I am the only review on there.
https://plus.google.com/107632776258572384487/about?hl=en&gl=us


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## Duckholla

UtahArchery,

PM'd ya!


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## swbuckmaster

Forest atkins near Preston Idaho is another wanna be who screwed me.


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## longbow

swbuckmaster said:


> Forest atkins near Preston Idaho is another wanna be who screwed me.


Do you mean Atkinson? In Franklin, Idaho? I took my moose skin to him and it got lost for a few years then miraculously turned up tanned and in good shape. Seems his ex found it at the bottom of a heap furs while sorting through his stuff while packing after a divorce.


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## swbuckmaster

Yup that's him. He's also a wanna be rock star.


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## polarbear

Hey UtahArcheryHunter, I ran across this today. Not sure where you're at with this situation or if this would even work (nanny hide) but thought I would pass it along.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29544440&cat=542&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=8


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