Almost turned a customer away today.

[dbl.throat_patch]

A guy calls me last night and says he has a buck he wants me to mount.  I say ok,  bring it in,  in the morning when I get off work.  He shows up this morning with a real nice heavy 150 class whitetail.  I grab it out of the back of his van and can smell it immediately.  I ask him when he shot it?  He said he shot it on saturday (11-15) and it's been laying in the garage since.  I get it in the shop and get right to skinning it.  All hair seems to be holding and not slipping.  I tell him he might have gotten lucky,  and it will still be good.  Remember this is the first buck this guy has ever gotten mounted.  I get it skinned off the skull and pull the rest of the hide out of the bag it was in,  and low and behold it's cut to short.   I say " Oh No",  I told him he doesn't have enough cape for the form he picked out.  He said,  no problem just go ahead and do a neck mount.  I said "sir,  I appreciate your buisness but I will not do a neck mount,  if you want a neck mount done you are welcome to take it somewhere else."  "  I won't even charge you for what I have done so far."   I told him the reason I wouldn't do a neck mount was because I'm new in the buisness and I don't want to put half assed work out their with my name on it.   He said,  "you know what,  I respect that,  you go ahead and do whatever it takes to make this a good looking mount even if you have to use a replacement cape."  he said to just let him know what he owed me.

So now I'm wondering if there is a form out there that doesn't require as much cape as most.  Or should I just try to alter a form to make his cape work?  The last option is obviously a replacement cape. 

Any thoughts?  the cape has about 3" of brisket and basically no shoulder.

[jasonb]

replace to make look right.

[Waterdude Rick]

Replace the cape...They are readily available right now...

[RDA]

x3     take a pic of the face   it may help in getting a closely matching cape....

[coonhollow]

like they said get measurements, take a picture and try to match color. what size cape is it someone here might be able to get you one?

[hank]

Why would you start caping out the deer without pulling the whole thing out of the bag and checking it out first ?

[John C]

Pias are we? look there are a ton of forms with brisket that will work for short capes... Dont want to do a neck mount as its half assed? wrong a neck mount may not be what you want to do but its the customers choice.  Do you turn down europeon mounts do you

I would first look for a form that would work and make that recommendation, then offer a replacement cape, then offer the neck mount.. This is like the two eye debate on fish or do you finish the back.

By the ideal you state not totally finishing the back of a fish would be half assed.

Think about it.

[bear_country01]

I don't understand the fuss about turning away neck mounts ? as long as i have a paying customer i will take it no matter what. I figure if you do a great job mounting it, whats the point. I don't think the taxidermist will be judged by that style of mount because its the customer who picked it.

[coonhollow]

I would not do a neck mount either, never have never will.

[Redwolf]

I don't understand the fuss about turning away neck mounts ? as long as i have a paying customer i will take it no matter what. I figure if you do a great job mounting it, whats the point. I don't think the taxidermist will be judged by that style of mount because its the customer who picked it.

X2. It's not hanging on my wall so I don't have to like it. Money is money and if that's what the customer wants, that is what he/she will get.

[AFWS]

X2. It's not hanging on my wall so I don't have to like it. Money is money and if that's what the customer wants, that is what he/she will get.
[/quote] That's my "NEW" way of thinking,which started YESTERDAY 

[George Roof]

Some of you guys have never gone hungry I can see.  What's the deal about a neck mount?  With 99.9% of your work being done on the head and face, what's the big deal?  When I get a hide cut short, I tell the customer right up front that no reputable supplier carries neck forms but I WILL ALTER A SHOULDER FORM TO FIT HIS HIDE.  Price is the same SINCE 99.9% OF MY WORK IS ON THE HEAD AND FACE.  I get the shoulder form in, put it on the stand and then cut it verticle to where the available skin will fit.  Then I epoxy a piece of 1/2 plywood on the back that has been precut to the shape I traced off the cut form AND MOUNT THE DEER.

You guys are on cheap drugs making dumbass statements like that. I had a guy a few years back bring me in a 24 inch necked deer cut short.  Now someone come on here and tell me how "easy" and how "cheap" you're going to get a 24 inch whitetail.

[bill@hogheaven]

Dime a dozen George LOL.

[John C]

Joe Combs is pretty reputable. he has neck forms..

Just wait with the political front and money tight.. I see neck mounts in the future of many..

I did a head mount last year for a client.. His first deer and yea he cut it off at the ears. So I did a head mount, put it on a Europeon panel from Ozark Woods Huess what I ended up with another one over a horn mount, money is money Head mount verse a horn mount $200.00 more!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cha Ching.

[Burrhead]

Last time I got a short cape I did a pedestal mount and put artificial greenery and moss around where the skin was short...it looked great and is now on display in a sports shop..the deer looked like he was peering thru some bushes..just another idea