Instant Taxidermist!!!

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Recently I posted a reply to MP thread concerning the number of people who go to quick schools, call themselves a trained taxidermist, and open a shop right away. Well, here is a reality check that it is happening more and more all over the country. This is a remount that I will be doing for a customer that was not satisfied with the mount they received from this so called trained individual. This individual has been confronted about joining the association by another member but elects not to. I will not mention the name of the taxidermist or the school they attended. I just wanted to vent because this kind of stuff is so uncalled for.

Obvious things wrong with the mount:

The mount was just picked up recently (within the past week) and it already stinks.
To top this mount off, it was not the original cape that was dropped off. I compaired the mount to pics the customer had and it was DEFINATLY not the same cape!
The lips weren't tucked and the form was showing on the lipline.
Front lower lip was pulled way out.
Nose was not dremmeled out properly and the inner skin was all curled inside.
Ducts were not tucked whatsoever and the eyes had no shape to them.
Ears were all deformed and not placed right at all.
Brisket was way out of place and the pits were stretched outside the pit area.
The form was not roughed up at all and there was not a drop of glue used on this mount at all!!!
The worst thing of all is the SKULL CAP, THE SO CALLED TAXIDERMIST DID NOT EVEN CLEAN THE MEAT OFF!!! iT WAS ALL GREASY AND SLIMY AND WAS CALLING BUGS FROM 3 DIFFERENT COUNTIES!!

This type of work is what gives all of us that bad taste with people looking to get a mount done. I wish there were some sort of criteria an individual must pass before getting a taxidermist license and practicing the art as a profession! All the people this individual done mounts for are going to have a house full of bugs and they will be wondering where they are all coming from, I feel bad for them.

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[Arduckaholic]

I really don't see what there is to be mad about. Everybody starts somewhere and puts their pants on one leg at a time. Yes that's rough but the customer learned a lesson and it looks like you got the job in the end with a free form. And probably a repeat customer. Eventually people will learn and not use the guy. You send out a mount the guys happy with and he tells all his friends. I fail to see where this is bad?

[Brandon M.]

I agree that is a terrible mount but did the customer not look at his previous work?

If I'm hiring someone to do something you can bet I have a pretty good idea what to expect before hand.  

[J Brown II]

Think about it, if the other guy did a good job you wouldn't have a remount. ;-)

[antlerman]

It's not the bad competition I fear. It's the good ones that keep me striving.

[Monty Artrip]

I agree that is a terrible mount but did the customer not look at his previous work?

If I'm hiring someone to do something you can bet I have a pretty good idea what to expect before hand.  

Exactly. I research pretty much everything I buy of any significant value. The old buyer beware thing applies to taxidermy as well.

[Nav]

My point is that I have a passion for the art and a concern for other peoples property. This person does not.
The hunter was referred to this individual through a coworker. Hearing that he just got out of taxidermy school they figured he must know what he was doing. The taxidermist didn't have much of anything in his shop because he just got out of school and opened a shop. You can't educate some people until something bad happens, things this bad shouldn't happen.
Have some respect for peoples trophies/property.

[Ted Befus]

My point is that I have a passion for the art and a concern for other peoples property. This person does not.
The hunter was referred to this individual through a coworker. Hearing that he just got out of taxidermy school they figured he must know what he was doing. The taxidermist didn't have much of anything in his shop because he just got out of school and opened a shop. You can't educate some people until something bad happens, things this bad shouldn't happen.
Have some respect for peoples trophies/property.

So true Nav!  That could be someones trophy of a lifetime, it deserves to be treated like your own.  Its sad but I have to wonder how many students really grasp what it takes to do things like this when the teacher is not there to fix their problems!

[Paul C]

I can assure you NAV that a taxidermy exam or some other licensing critieria would have done NOTHING to prevent that abortion from happening.
I was a Taxidermy Examiner for the PA Game Commission for 13 years and I saw my share of total garbage work---as well as some very good stuff.  Before we (the PTA) petitioned the State Legislature to do away with the exam I personally caught several individuals cheating on the exam by bringing pieces they had others do---one even brought a piece I had done!  I'm sure plenty slipped through the loopholes however.  My point is that no matter what "criteria" you have in place there will be a way for someone to get around it if they have a will to do so.  To further prove my point an indiviual I personally had passed returned a deer to a client with the antlers on backwards.  That's right, BACKWARDS!  The client took it home and admired it for several days before his WIFE told him the antlers were on backwards and to get it out of the house.  So....who is at fault there?  The mounts I looked at when he took the exam were VERY passable because he did them at school so I had to pass him.  However, he didn't know which way whitetail antlers went back on the head but yet he PASSED an Exam and had a permit.  He took money from a client that didn't know either so who is at fault?

[Bill Yox]

I just dont see the problem here. It gets posted time after time after time. Simply put...Crap work just helps make good work look better.

When the day comes that everyones work is equally as good, priced the same, and everyone is caught up, THEN Id start worrying. Who cares what they do, or whether they respect the art or the trophy, as long as you do, youre all set.

[bill@hogheaven]

I love those remounts!

[Arduckaholic]

Believe it or not I have seen worse. ALOT worse.

[Rhasputin]

wait a sec, I mounted that deer.