Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Taxidermist problem, what do you guys think.

I'm going on 3 years waiting on a mount which was quoted a year.

He had a good excuse, he went through a divorce, but mounts that came
in after mine have been finished and delivered.

I've offered to come and pick up the hide and just move on but he refuses
to give it up. I put half down as required. He has answered my calls and
just said he hasn't got around to it.

Not sure what I can do.

I don't want to loose the hide, it was my first bear with hounds.

He is part time so it's not his only source of income.

What do you guys think?

Time to set a deadline and stick to it.

Your bear may still be around his shop. Maybe.

drive over and get it.

My guess is he doesn't have your hide anymore. Send him a certified letter, one he needs to sign for, stating that if the hide is not returned by a specified date you will seek legal action and will report him to the fish and game or whatever department in your state that regulates taxidermists.

In the states I've lived in, it has been fish and game. I'm not sure about Alaska because I've not dealt with any taxidermists here but when I lived in Washington and NY they had to keep logs of every animal received and received their taxidermy permits through the fish and game agencies.

If he lost your hide or refuses to return it, definitely follow through with reporting him. If his license is in jeopardy he may get off dead center.

Yep, there are laws. Taxis who do not follow these laws, especially as they relate to regulated species, can get into some serious hot water.

I had this type of thing happen with a gun once. At about the three year mark I pushed the issue and my gunsmith ordered me a new gun. He simply lost it and didn't want to face the music until forced to. I ended up sending him a fair amount of work to offset his loss. The guy is a friend and a fellow Friends of NRA committee member so I did what I could, despite being the victim in the situation. My advice is to push the issue and move on. Unfortunately, I bet your hide may be missing. I sure hope not!

Yep. Bring a letter giving him x days to produce your hide and money.

Fugg all that letter bullsheit, get in your truck and drive over there and tell him to give you your sheit or your going to beat the fugg out of him.

Hope it doesn't end up like the coyote I had tanned a few years ago. Got it back a year or more later, it miraculously had grown paws, bullet hole was in a different place, and the winner was the tail didn't require stitches to reattach where I'd screwed up trying to strip it out, a two piece became a one piece.

3 years? Times up, by a couple of years, plain and simple. Do what you have to and move on, guessing he simply doesn't have your hide anymore. Good luck.

BTDT, my taxi had diabetic coma, freezer became unplugged, and he had to do 14 months in federal prison and some other excuses. Which were all true and believable, nonetheless I didn't incur any major loss, I only lost a gray fox.

I had one screw me over one time. He was from Belgrade Montana and I was just about to get on a plane and go get my elk horns when he finally sent them to me unfinished. I never got my money back.

Works both ways I'm afraid. May leave the guys house with a whipped ass at best, be hauled off at worst.

g

As satisfying as that would be, I wouldn't consider that sound advice. Good way to go from in the right to, still in the right but in jail.

Sound like he sold or messed up your Hide!!!!!! I would go in and demand to see my hide if he doesn't have it.... Sue or whip his Ass for the value of all your time and money to take your trophy .....I gave a Buck to a guy to mount 12 years ago....Have not seen it since. Kept putting me off until one day I went by and He was gone.....

Sent a guy six heads from Africa to mount - shipping, customs, etc. was about 2,000. Then I paid about $1000 to have the hides tanned. Then I couldn't get ahold of him. A year later I finally found out he had gone bankrupt and because most of the stuff in his shop wasn't tagged with the owner's name, it got auctioned off with his stuff.

A friend was having a gunsmith mount a butt plate on an antique gun. He had spent about 2 years finding the appropriate butt plate. After six months the gunsmith owned up that he had tightened a screw too tight and split the butt plate. He had spent the intervening time trying to find a replacement. I believe the two of them are still looking for another replacement after almost three years now.

My advice is some form of legal action now.

Had a big pronghorn at my favorite local taxidermist

Heard through the grapevine he was going through a bad divorce

I ate my deposite but picked up my cape and horns then took them to a different taxidermist

No regrets

Dang, it sounds like being in the taxi business is a lot of headaches.

Extreme Taxidermy-John, formerly of Montana then Grants Pass, Oregon, then ??? Lost a bear to him. Included a $100 deposit and a pre-tanned blacktail deer cape as trade.

Would love to get my hands around his neck.