I shot my first Buck (8 pointer) 2 1/2 years ago. My cousin was with and saw the whole thing unfold. After the shot my dad and brother came by and watched me do the dirty work. It was the best memories of my hunting times with my family, my first buck! I wanted the rack mounted to a plaque and feet mounted for a bow rack. When I dropped them off at the taxidermist he threw them on his bench and never recorded my tag numbers into his log book. After I waited for almost a year and called many times the taxidermist said that they were completed. I went to pick them up and it was not my rack. I knew this because mine had a perfectly flat left brow tine and this rack did not. I searched the shop and never found my rack.
He still had my feet which had nice white tips on them and I figured he could complete them. After another year of calling and being told that they were at the tanners I had had enough. I asked for them back in there current condition and I would take them somewhere else. I went to get them and what were given to me were pure brown feet that were only salted, not tanned.
I would like to see if anyone has ever run into a situation like this and what the outcome was. Or just to give your opinion on what I should do. We only had a verbal agreement in which my wife was witness. I feel like the symbol of a great hunting experience has been lost forever.
Thanks for your time
Todd
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IS this guy STILL in business!? Call the Better Business Bureau and make a complaint. Call your local Wildlife Officers and let them know about the credibility of this so-called-Taxidermist, in case anyone asks them for a reference to a Taxidermist. This really gets me going guys & gals! If you took ANY pictures of this rack or deer when you harvested it(BEFORE you took it to him) -FIND 'EM! You can take them to show him(take one of your family members that can verify the pics & be a witness to the meeting)& if he STILL insists these are your "parts", see a lawyer. Yeah I've said I can't stand the varmints, but they do come in handy at times in a dispute. Find out about the local laws concerning this type of thing, and fight for your rights and trophys.
After all is said and done, if you find out there's no way to get your"parts" back-you still have one option that I can think of...take your pictures to a reputable Taxidermist (one that has done this before) and get a replica made of your antlers. YES it can be done.
You have my sympathy and support in this matter.
I've had a friend in a similar situation before, and countless disallusioned customers over the years to tell me of similar problems with a certain local Taxidermist. It seems to take him so long to do their mounts that they figure that's why he "loses" things. I don't feel that this is a plausible excuse for shoddy catalogueing of his customers' tropheys. There is NO excuse! NO reason! If man lost 'em- he can find 'em! A fire, flood, or some other catastrophy would be a REASON.
I tell them that if they're waiting longer than the taxidermists' projected time for production of their trophey, call him...I know things happen that can put him/her behind in production and this is the easiest way to find out. IF they feel "put off" time and time again(or it can't be pinned down to a time frame) go check on their progress. If you're STILL not satisfied that you still hold your original "place in line" you have every right to ask for your"parts" back unmounted. IF he/she has done anything to prep the parts you may be charged a fee for that prep.
I hope my venting hasn't offended anyone-if it has, I apologize. It hurts my feelings when a so-called-taxidermist taints the reputation of this Industry by practicing slack business methods, simply because it tends to color the perspective customers'outlook on how they will be treated by all Taxidermists. This affects all of us in a way that- even when the customer has a "good" experience with another Taxidermist- the "bad" experience will be remembered over the satisfactory one.-Susan
Before you send out the dogs, make sure you never have anything taken or misplaced from YOUR shop. The one thing worse than a so-called taxidermist tainting the industry might well be the accusatory finger of...another taxidermist.
Todd, unless the guy is completely unreasonable, try to work with him as best as you can. Its a shame to find out this way that not all shops are run in a tidy and organized manner. A studio like most of us would run, like Susan's, require documentation on every piece that is left there. Antlers are stored, things are inventoried, etc. The customer can do himself well to also document what he leaves there through photos, too, again, like Susan said.
My husband is meticulous about his recording, indexing, and filing of ALL items to come into our shop. All information on items is double-checked before it's put in the freezer (or where ever else it needs to be stored).
Every 2-3 months it's my responsibility to double check everything in stock and inventory; including re-checking all items stored in the freezers(capes, animals not yet skinned out, inventory of skulls, etc.), re-checking tags on antlers put up to dry, all the products stored for use in mounting, and preserving, and plaques. I also re-check the inventory for the products I use in my natural habitat construction.
We take pains to make SURE there is no confusion/question about our customer getting back "his/her own" trophies. THIS is how WE would want to be treated, so it is only right & fair to treat our customers accordingly. Their trophys are special to us, but they mean SOOO much more to them.-Susan
P.S.
I don't mean to sound as if I'm up on a soapbox or preaching, it's just that these items are irreplaceable. That hunter can't go back in time and experience his/her special hunt again.
* As with Todd, it may have been the first buck that he harvested.
* It may have been the last hunt they were able to go on with a beloved friend before the friend unexpectedly passed on.
* By the same token, their huntin' buddy may have been in an accident and could no longer hunt with them.
We never know what may happen tomorrow or even before the next hunting season. Treat these items as precious cargo, and just maybe someone else will be as considerate of your special items.
--Susan
As a taxidermist, it could happen to you as well. First buck, last buck, whatever, the point I was making is not to finger the other guy...you may be that 'other guy' someday because of one mishap.
Todd, I'm sorry for your problem. It sounds like you are deffinitly certain these are not your antlers but quite often my customers come to pick up a finished mount and after several months they can't even pick theirs out from several on the wall. Sometimes the memory of a certain feature is not exactly the way it really is. Other than the flat tine not being like you recall is the rack about like yours? Please understand, I'm not saying you are wrong. Mistakes do happen but sometimes it's just a matter of time/memory distortion. One suggestion is you might go back to him and in a calm way discuss the possibility of having him check with his other customers of that time period who had similar sized 8 point bucks. Now, if he does a large volumn of deer this isn't likly to happen but if he doesn't do too many he might be able to find your rack. Photographs are your best bet in convincing him of an error. There is no business anywhere that won't eventually make a mistake of some kind. Most of us try very hard to keep everything straight and when someone loses something it is very unfortunate. I hope you will come to a place with this where your good memory of the hunt can overshadow the loss of the antlers. After more than 30 years of whitetail hunting I have come to value the memories far more than the antlers. -Aaron H.