Thank you all. Lots of good suggestions.
To clarify, I DO have a contract and the contract does say "6 months." The contract also indicates payment of deposit, amount due at delivery, etc.
I have no evidence that he has transferred any of my property across state lines.
I have also only found one negative review online -- someone who's been waiting for over two years for a fish. A string of similar complaints might show a pattern of fraud but that doesn't appear to be the case here.
I did call and leave one last very polite voice mail last evening telling him that I would be by Fri eve or Saturday morning for my property and deposit. If he has a preference on a time he can call me.
If I do not have my money and property in hand by Saturday I will be going down to the courthouse Monday morning to file a small claims suit over his breach of our written contract. I will pay the additional fee to have a uniformed sheriff's deputy serve the summons upon him. Roughly 30 days later he will have to come before a judge. If he fails to appear the judge will automatically grant a judgement in my favor.
If he does show up in court, I will have the contract as well my cell phone records documenting my attempts to contact him, photos of my elk, etc. I have no idea what defense or lies he could possibly try to feed the judge. He's in breach of a written contract.
Once I secure the judgement my plan is to post his name, the name of his company, and a copy of the judgement on every hunting and taxidermist board I can find. Generally a judgement is a public document, and the fact that it was granted is just that ... a fact. Thus I face no risk of libel or slander. I will do everything I can to make sure that any internet search of his name or business by a would-be customer turns up that judgement.
If he fails to return my deposit, I will assign my claim to a collection agency and let them hassle him. I'm not pursuing this for the money.
If he fails to return my property, I will file complaints supported by the small claim judgement with the sheriff's office, the DA, the DOW, the FWS, the State Dept of Revenue, the Co Secretary of State, Consumer Protection, the BBB and any other agency that might possibly want to ruin his day and remind him of what a low-life he is. Then I will consider hiring an attorney to sue him again -- but not in small claims court. Big league where he has to shell out for an attorney.
I learned a simple lesson from a retired USMC JAG a few years back that seems to apply here: If you take someone to court, think "SCORCHED EARTH."
Thank you again everyone. This has helped me clear my head and set a plan. I will report back.
Last edited by jcbcolo; 02/14/13.
