# Taxidermy Blues



## duckkilla (Feb 19, 2008)

I am posting this message to get some oppinions i have a great taxidermist he does excellent work and i have refered him to alot of people the problem is his good work is about as far as it goes he does not finish when he says he will everytime me or someone i refered calls when it is time for our mount to be done it is not ready also he is very hard to get ahold of even though he has a couple different #s, it usaully take 3 to 4 times of him saying it will be done for it to actually get done. i know it takes a while for good work but he says it will be done so he says a day and you usually end up calling him a couple times after that you can just count on it taking 3,4,or 5 months longer than you were originaly told i am thinking of going to someone else just because of service i wanted to get oppinions from other people. everyone i have refered has had the same problem is this a valid reason to go to someone else?


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

I think thats how the majority of them are. I was told 3 weeks for a euro mount ended up taking 4 months. Same think happened to my buddy.


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

i can see your points, and it is frustrating. we are all excited to get our mounts back, but its not fair to get our hopes up and then get put off a couple more weeks/months. i completely understand that especially at certain times of the year, taxidermists get slammed and backed up, but they need to give a reasonable, honest time, and stick to it. there is definitely something to be said for keeping the professional aspect of running a business and keeping clients happy. it sure is fun to finally take your mount home, and display it proudly and remember the good times... until the wife shares her opinions about dead animals in the house :wink: a personal example, i have a bad back, and the best back doctor around has like a 6 month to 1 year waiting period just to get in to see him. i know he does the best work, and is world renowned for it, but he is in very high demand. see my point? on the other hand, if i make the appointment with him, i know it will be sceduled and kept. i dont know what to tell ya


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## BRL1 (Sep 12, 2007)

I have two birds out now with two different taxidermists. One was supposed be done 3 montha ago, still waiting, call every week and get told will have it next Friday, been hearing that for 2 months.

The other bird is supposed be done June 09, I think I will see it on time if not early.


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

as a person of the mentioned trade, or in my case hobby i apologise. i know for a fact that many of us try like hell to get the projects out in a timely manner but there are always exceptions to the rule. to be honest 3/5 months after the verbal quote to completion isnt real bad...not good but definitly NOT the worst ive heard of:|


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## gunrunner (Feb 1, 2008)

Longgun said:


> as a person of the mentioned trade, or in my case hobby i apologise. i know for a fact that many of us try like hell to get the projects out in a timely manner but there are always exceptions to the rule. to be honest 3/5 months after the verbal quote to completion isnt real bad...not good but definitly NOT the worst ive heard of:|


3/5 months late is not bad????
Hell my guy doesn't even venture a guess he just says go away and I'll call you when it is done.
Perfection takes time!!!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

"verbal quote" should have said verbal _date_ quoted...

"GO AWAY........ILL CALL YOU!" now that has a nice ring to it. 8)


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## callofthewild (Sep 7, 2007)

i would much rather be told 9-12 months and expect it than to be told over and over again that my mount is not ready.


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## blackchucker (Feb 6, 2008)

My guy can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, but the thing that I know is that it will be done the way I like it and done right. One time I went to some one else for a coyote mount and it took 2 and a haft years and it was the crappiest mount I have ever seen (only payed him half of what I owned him, it was that bad). So what I am saying if you like the work he does give him the time to get it done right. You only get one chance at getting it done might as well be done right.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Sounds like these guys recruit from the construction trade; I guess they must be so hard up to sell the deal up front based on their lack of confidence in their work that they must try and make up for it by giving an estimate based on no contingencies and the best case scenario. I would personally strongly prefer to be told very frankly and honestly what is realistic; to be told repeatedly a lie or an unrealistic guess would infuriate me to no end :evil: and is not good for business.


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## jhunter (Dec 14, 2007)

So I am still waiting to hear the name of a great taxiderist. I am in the cache valley area and I dont mind driving down along the front, I just want a couple of opinions on guys that do good work. Dont care much about the time line.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

jhunter said:


> So I am still waiting to hear the name of a great taxiderist. I am in the cache valley area and I dont mind driving down along the front, I just want a couple of opinions on guys that do good work. Dont care much about the time line.


Do a search for that topic on the forum and I think you will find that covered elsewhere possibly, I do not know so I can't help you; ask Tex, he is one...I believe; didn't he just post his snows that he did two weeks ago, look good to me. Pro will definitely have an opinion on the topic.

PS what is your avatar???


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

I think tex may be awsome. But someone asked how much and his response was if you have to ask it's to much :shock: ....They say the same thing about Lamborginis. I don't know how to spell Lamborginis.  I'm usually pretty close, probably only missed by a couple of letters.


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## InvaderZim (Sep 7, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> I think tex may be awsome. But someone asked how much and his response was if you have to ask it's to much :shock: ....They say the same thing about Lamborginis. I don't know how to spell Lamborginis.  I'm usually pretty close, probably only missed by a couple of letters.


I love you! :rotfl:


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## jhunter (Dec 14, 2007)

Thanks huge, I will look at it. And my avatar is IRON MAN!! -()/-


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## BugBuilder (Oct 17, 2007)

Taking a month or two longer than quoted is fine with me if it is a quality mount. I once had a mallard go 18 months over. I only called once a month and he said that was too much! I ended up going to get my bird back and get my money back. he was short ten bucks said he would mail it. Ya you guessed it, I never saw that either. I took my next one to SD who gave me a time quote, came close to meeting it and gave me back an awesome bird. He will get more of mine in the future. 

My .02

BugBuilder


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## Donttreadonme (Sep 11, 2007)

You can't re-mount the animal a second time so I say find someone who will do a good job (Longgun, Stuffinducks, Tex,...) and let them work their magic. Longgun has a ringneck of mine that I would love to have yesterday BUT I know it will be worth the wait so I don't complain. I want quality not speedy.


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Joel, i TRUELY APPRECIATE your patience.

you will not be dissappointed :wink:


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## Surfer Coyote (Jan 14, 2008)

My bro just got a jackalope back that the guy's been sitting on for over 3 years. We supplied him with a very nice winter phase white-tailed jack that I cleanly killed in Wyoming, and gave him a variety of two-point antlers from small deer we've harvested. He didn't use any of the antlers we gave him, and instead used a set that had bases that were ridiculously over-sized. The guy let it go for next to nothing, but my brother was so disappointed that he called me immediately. You see, I left a bear with this yahoo the following spring and he hadn't even touched it yet, just kept it frozen. I've got it with a guy in Heber that a friend of mine has used several times, but he's not too optimistic. We'll see how it turns out. I don't mind waiting for quality, I do want it done right, but I don't want a hack job either. This guy got that formula all wrong. Long time+crappy job=foot in @$$!!! -oOo-


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

Anything back within a year is acceptible...rarely it should take longer. The problem isn't usually the time frame it takes to mount the animal it is usually the broken promise. The taxidermist needs to try to give accurate dates to completition, however remember that date is usually a moving target as workloads fluctuate. They should be accurate within a month or two. Never compromise quality for time or $$...within reason.

I highly recommend Tex for any birdwork.


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

Check out Drop Tine Taxedermy. He's in the yellow pages. I just got a duck back that I'm very happy with, and within about a month of when he said it would be finished. I've also seen some of his other stuff, lots of African, etc. He's got a really nice looking Mt. Lion in there right now. Also, Campbell's Taxedermy. He's pricey, but I think he does good work. But who am I to know? My favorite was T's Taxedermy up by Preston but he moved to Texas. He did a couple of really nice pronghorn mounts for me and my son.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

bwhntr said:


> Anything back within a year is acceptible...rarely it should take longer. The problem isn't usually the time frame it takes to mount the animal it is usually the broken promise. The taxidermist needs to try to give accurate dates to completition, however remember that date is usually a moving target as workloads fluctuate. They should be accurate within a month or two. Never compromise quality for time or $$...within reason.


A friend's experience recently was 18 months, so I don't think a year is reasonable for all folks, I find it hard to believe, that just seems crazy to me. The friend is happy with the work and to the taxidermist's credit he simply said don't call me I will call you, went for about $200 on a duck for whoever had insinuated as to what the cost was, for what it is worth, that is not as bad as I had expected when told "if you have to ask it is too much." Is that not the most ridiculous statement that you have ever heard? If that were true the wealthiest people in the world who are generally some of the best negotiators would not even ask for an estimate *\-\* that is totally illogical. Any one want a turn on the soap box?


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

The way I look at it let them take there time and have a great mount or hurry them and get a not so good mount. I had a european deer skull take 7 months to finish a wood duck 6 months, pheasant 1 month(a different taxidermist than the one who did the deer skull and wood duck), it all depends on how busy they are and how good they want to do on the mount or job, now my wood duck and skull are fine but the pheasant is falling apart a little, I guess its all in the way you want it.


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