call up a customer and tell him his bird won't work cause it's to shot up. I had to today for my first time. He seemed rather bummed but I don't know what I could have done differently. The bird didn't look very shot up till I skinned it. It was a hen wooduck that he was going to have mounted with a drake that he brought me as well. I told him hen wooducks aren't that hard to come by that he should have no problem getting one here in a few months and he said ya I guess they'll always be more. It was a pair he shot together, the hen probably took a dozen #2's to the ace and my flesher didn't like a few of them holes either. Just feel kinda funny, but I know it would have turned out half ass or worse, had I attempted it. Atleast the drake turned out beautiful.
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You should have been able to sew up the holes with no problems what so ever. You said it didn't look too shot up, so that would lead me to believe that it most probalby could have been salvaged.
But to answer your question.. Yes I have had to make that phone call before.. but usually I can tell by looking at the bird before they leave whether or not it will work.
I think you may have jumped the gun a little here.. I would normally get the bird washed and dried before I make the call if I had too.. chances are it might not have been as bad as ya thought..
Jon
Calling the customer because he shot a Woody in september. The worst bird to flesh is a poorly plummed Woody. Skin as thin as wet toilet paper!
is the answer to your question. I get 95% of my birds frozen with no way to know their condition. I thaw and skin 'em ASAP, mostly so I can see what I've got to work with and to save freezer space. If they are a go, I'll wheel and wash if time permits. The real benefit is if the bird is iffy, the client has a lot better chance to recall any damage and perhaps replace the bird. None of this is possible if you chuck it in the freezer and find out what you have in 6 months.
This guy brought three pheasants froze. After thawing all three looked terrible. They were missing flight feathers, secondaries, neck feathers you name it. I have mounted some pretty poor birds and made them look great, but these were beyond that. One was very poorly plumed and was roughed up by a dog to the point that it had no skin on either leg. I called him and he was really upset. He told me that he was just going to take them to another taxidermist who would mount them. I told him to come and get them and do whatever he wants. I will not mount a bird that looks that bad and have the customers friends go to his house and ask who did such a crappy job on them. I may have lost a customer, but didnt put bad birds out there to advertise how poor of a bird I would mount.
You are exactly right! Some birds are in the worst condition, and no matter how hard you try, you will cannot make them look nice. It is so much better to turn down a bird, then to mount up a piece of junk!