Looking for a New Taxidermist

[halfnelson]

I've had Brian from "Wildlife Creations" in Millbrook( Dutchess County) do heads for me.

Great guy to deal with.  I too like that he is a Vet.

 

[G-Man]

Depends on what you want done,some do fish extremely well,or specialize in deer,or African game,or bear. No taxidermist is the best at anything. I use one for deer one for bear,another for turkey,one for small game. Price isn't everything, some do great work reasonable,some charge a fortune and do mediocre work. A more specific question should be asked.like I need a good deer taxidermist. .

[phade]

Matt Cantrell has done a good job. Yes a member here too.

[Pygmy]

Strouse Taxidermy, on Route 49 west of Lawrenceville, PA.

I have had Al do whitetails, mule deer, pronghorns and caribou for me and his work is first rate.

570-827-2955

[covert]

http://randystaxidermy.vpweb.com/

 

Randy Thieme is working on one for me right now.  I haven't gotten it back yet so I can't speak for the finished product but he seems real good to deal with and looking at the stuff he has done for others made me confident it'll be nice.

Got my Muzzleloader buck back from Randy.

 

 

 

 

[ny hunter]

Mount came out great.......Looks awesome....

[jjb4900]

I now this topic is a little dated, but let me tell you this, steer clear of Fish & Wildlife Unlimited in Oakdale, NY...............I just took my European mount home the other day and it is an absolute disaster and embarrassment for this operation. I dropped it off in November, was called in March to pick it up and I refused to take it because it was so bad, missing teeth, antlers had fallen off somehow and were poorly put back on, splits and cracks everywhere........The woman working said "Danny" was away and would call me asap........no such luck, I called him back two weeks later and was told "we hire kids to help out during the off season and that's what happened to my mount", "they over boiled it"......what??? but he promised he would make it right in about a week or so, fast forward 2 months without any response from him, so I called a few days ago and he gave a story about an illness/death in the family...while this is understandable, who can shut a business down for two months?? he also said it was on the bench right in front of him and he was gonna get it done right away.....I had a bad feeling and decided to stop on my way to work. because I wanted the natural skull and knew there was no way I could get that...it had to either be patched up and painted or the antlers put on a fake skull, not what I wanted..........anyway, the sh*t attitude I got from this clown was unbelievable and quite frankly worse than then the ruined mount, and to top it off he couldn't even find it, so his "I have it right here in front of me" story was a bunch of BS..........his response? "take a look around this shop, do you think I can do all this myself?" and then went back to the story of how he hires kids to help him out and that it's their fault.........anyway, I requested my deposit back and mount as is and walked out, I honestly can't believe that this clown didn't bend over backwards to fix this and prevent this disaster from leaving his shop...........I would rather have the mount in this horrendous condition to show others then to have him patch it up............I'll post pictures within the next day or two. 

[ny hunter]

That really sucks in so many ways..Sounds like a real D>>>>>Bag

[pistolp71]

Yup, there are a lot of unhappy customers on Long Island that have made the mistake in using fat boy as a taxidermist. Wish I could have warned you.

 

BTW, it's so easy to do yourself.

[BizCT]

I now this topic is a little dated, but let me tell you this, steer clear of Fish & Wildlife Unlimited in Oakdale, NY...............I just took my European mount home the other day and it is an absolute disaster and embarrassment for this operation. I dropped it off in November, was called in March to pick it up and I refused to take it because it was so bad, missing teeth, antlers had fallen off somehow and were poorly put back on, splits and cracks everywhere........The woman working said "Danny" was away and would call me asap........no such luck, I called him back two weeks later and was told "we hire kids to help out during the off season and that's what happened to my mount", "they over boiled it"......what??? but he promised he would make it right in about a week or so, fast forward 2 months without any response from him, so I called a few days ago and he gave a story about an illness/death in the family...while this is understandable, who can shut a business down for two months?? he also said it was on the bench right in front of him and he was gonna get it done right away.....I had a bad feeling and decided to stop on my way to work. because I wanted the natural skull and knew there was no way I could get that...it had to either be patched up and painted or the antlers put on a fake skull, not what I wanted..........anyway, the sh*t attitude I got from this clown was unbelievable and quite frankly worse than then the ruined mount, and to top it off he couldn't even find it, so his "I have it right here in front of me" story was a bunch of BS..........his response? "take a look around this shop, do you think I can do all this myself?" and then went back to the story of how he hires kids to help him out and that it's their fault.........anyway, I requested my deposit back and mount as is and walked out, I honestly can't believe that this clown didn't bend over backwards to fix this and prevent this disaster from leaving his shop...........I would rather have the mount in this horrendous condition to show others then to have him patch it up............I'll post pictures within the next day or two.

Damn that really stinks. This guy deserves to put be on blast! Hope he loses more business

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ATbuckhunter]

I now this topic is a little dated, but let me tell you this, steer clear of Fish & Wildlife Unlimited in Oakdale, NY...............I just took my European mount home the other day and it is an absolute disaster and embarrassment for this operation. I dropped it off in November, was called in March to pick it up and I refused to take it because it was so bad, missing teeth, antlers had fallen off somehow and were poorly put back on, splits and cracks everywhere........The woman working said "Danny" was away and would call me asap........no such luck, I called him back two weeks later and was told "we hire kids to help out during the off season and that's what happened to my mount", "they over boiled it"......what??? but he promised he would make it right in about a week or so, fast forward 2 months without any response from him, so I called a few days ago and he gave a story about an illness/death in the family...while this is understandable, who can shut a business down for two months?? he also said it was on the bench right in front of him and he was gonna get it done right away.....I had a bad feeling and decided to stop on my way to work. because I wanted the natural skull and knew there was no way I could get that...it had to either be patched up and painted or the antlers put on a fake skull, not what I wanted..........anyway, the sh*t attitude I got from this clown was unbelievable and quite frankly worse than then the ruined mount, and to top it off he couldn't even find it, so his "I have it right here in front of me" story was a bunch of BS..........his response? "take a look around this shop, do you think I can do all this myself?" and then went back to the story of how he hires kids to help him out and that it's their fault.........anyway, I requested my deposit back and mount as is and walked out, I honestly can't believe that this clown didn't bend over backwards to fix this and prevent this disaster from leaving his shop...........I would rather have the mount in this horrendous condition to show others then to have him patch it up............I'll post pictures within the next day or two.

Wow that really sucks! I used that same taxidermist and have nothing but good things to say! He was a great guy, shook my hand and congratulated me on killing my personal best buck. This was my first year that I was allowed to shoot a deer, so i thought it was nice of him to do that. My mount also came back looking awesome. Sorry to hear about the experience you had. Not the guy i remember but I people change.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jjb4900]

here's some pictures.....note the huge split down the front, the missing teeth and hopefully you can see how poorly the antlers were reattached, and not to mention that it had to be painted in an effort to hide everything.....a look I absolutely do not like even on a well done mount.

Edited June 7, 2015 by jjb4900

[letinmfly]

The sad reality is that a lot of people don't know the difference between a good and bad mount.  That allows for some less then talented taxidermists to stay in business.  I have no idea how much this particular taxidermists charges for his work, but a cheaper price shouldn't be the determining factor in choosing a taxidermist. 

 

Sorry that you got ripped off!!

[jjb4900]

Wow that really sucks! I used that same taxidermist and have nothing but good things to say! He was a great guy, shook my hand and congratulated me on killing my personal best buck. This was my first year that I was allowed to shoot a deer, so i thought it was nice of him to do that. My mount also came back looking awesome. Sorry to hear about the experience you had. Not the guy i remember but I people change.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have no doubt that many happy customers walked out his doors, I've also used him in the past without a problem.....and it wasn't even the ruined mount that really pissed me off, it was the attitude he gave me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing and couldn't believe that he would have no problem letting that garbage leave his shop......maybe he just doesn't know how to deal with unhappy customers so he gets defensive or just flat out tries to avoid them.

[jjb4900]

The sad reality is that a lot of people don't know the difference between a good and bad mount.  That allows for some less then talented taxidermists to stay in business.  I have no idea how much this particular taxidermists charges for his work, but a cheaper price shouldn't be the determining factor in choosing a taxidermist. 

 

Sorry that you got ripped off!!

yeah, I normally do them myself but just didn't feel like dealing with it this time...........I think it would have been $160.00 with a plaque, certainly not cheap, but I got all my cash back from him and thankfully it wasn't the trophy of a lifetime.....and I agree, I think that truly talented Taxidermists are few and far between.

Edited June 7, 2015 by jjb4900

[NFA-ADK]

I would stay away from this guy!!!  I have a good friend who has the inside scoop and this guy is horrible!  Stay away he is a criminal!  I do not normally post about someone's business but this guy is a dirt bag scum of the earth according to my buddy and I trust his judgment.

 

If he is willing to come on here to defend himself I can bring up several issues he has with selling deer meat, giving people the wrong mount, or improperly set mount.  Stay away!!! 

 

PS: You are lucky you got your money back!  STAY AWAY for your own good and peace of mind. 

I now this topic is a little dated, but let me tell you this, steer clear of Fish & Wildlife Unlimited in Oakdale, NY...............I just took my European mount home the other day and it is an absolute disaster and embarrassment for this operation. I dropped it off in November, was called in March to pick it up and I refused to take it because it was so bad, missing teeth, antlers had fallen off somehow and were poorly put back on, splits and cracks everywhere........The woman working said "Danny" was away and would call me asap........no such luck, I called him back two weeks later and was told "we hire kids to help out during the off season and that's what happened to my mount", "they over boiled it"......what??? but he promised he would make it right in about a week or so, fast forward 2 months without any response from him, so I called a few days ago and he gave a story about an illness/death in the family...while this is understandable, who can shut a business down for two months?? he also said it was on the bench right in front of him and he was gonna get it done right away.....I had a bad feeling and decided to stop on my way to work. because I wanted the natural skull and knew there was no way I could get that...it had to either be patched up and painted or the antlers put on a fake skull, not what I wanted..........anyway, the sh*t attitude I got from this clown was unbelievable and quite frankly worse than then the ruined mount, and to top it off he couldn't even find it, so his "I have it right here in front of me" story was a bunch of BS..........his response? "take a look around this shop, do you think I can do all this myself?" and then went back to the story of how he hires kids to help him out and that it's their fault.........anyway, I requested my deposit back and mount as is and walked out, I honestly can't believe that this clown didn't bend over backwards to fix this and prevent this disaster from leaving his shop...........I would rather have the mount in this horrendous condition to show others then to have him patch it up............I'll post pictures within the next day or two. 

 

[mbucks27]

Tried using them for butchering it was a disaster. Never gave me what I asked for and then when I complained he gave me meat from somebody else's deer to make up for it. This was on more than me occasion. Also almost lost my brothers head which he asked for back when he dropped off the deer to be butchered. Will never go there again

John

Edited June 7, 2015 by mbucks27

[ATbuckhunter]

I have no doubt that many happy customers walked out his doors, I've also used him in the past without a problem.....and it wasn't even the ruined mount that really pissed me off, it was the attitude he gave me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing and couldn't believe that he would have no problem letting that garbage leave his shop......maybe he just doesn't know how to deal with unhappy customers so he gets defensive or just flat out tries to avoid them.

I guess it's a good thing that I didn't have any problems with my mount. I asked for my deer to be scored but that didn't happen, which I didn't care too much about. The one thing I would never do is send a deer to be butchered there. When I dropped my buck off, I saw the piles of deer being dropped off for butchering and I know people aren't getting their meat back. I also wouldn't bring anything other then deer heads to him. I saw his other mounts and wasn't impressed. All in all I have no complaints but then again, I've only had one thing mounted by him.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jjb4900]

I guess it's a good thing that I didn't have any problems with my mount. I asked for my deer to be scored but that didn't happen, which I didn't care too much about. The one thing I would never do is send a deer to be butchered there. When I dropped my buck off, I saw the piles of deer being dropped off for butchering and I know people aren't getting their meat back. I also wouldn't bring anything other then deer heads to him. I saw his other mounts and wasn't impressed. All in all I have no complaints but then again, I've only had one thing mounted by him.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

luckily this was a small buck that I didn't want to deal with at the time and being this clown was right around the corner I just dropped it off to him because it was convenient.....lesson learned. I've had all my previous mounts done at Eastern Taxidermy in Farmingville and those guys are absolute gentleman and I'm sorry I didn't take the time to bring this one to them, but who would think a taxidermist could screw up a European mount?............and decent deer butchers are hard to find as well, that's why I started doing my own butchering again, the guy I had moved out of State.

[chiefbkt]

Here are some more pieces from Bushallows Taxidermy in Auburn.

[Ford]

luckily this was a small buck that I didn't want to deal with at the time and being this clown was right around the corner I just dropped it off to him because it was convenient.....lesson learned. I've had all my previous mounts done at Eastern Taxidermy in Farmingville and those guys are absolute gentleman and I'm sorry I didn't take the time to bring this one to them, but who would think a taxidermist could screw up a European mount?............and decent deer butchers are hard to find as well, that's why I started doing my own butchering again, the guy I had moved out of State.

Yeah, around the corner from me as well. Mine came out good though. That is interesting because he came highly recommended to me.

If you need a good butcher and don't feel like doing it yourself, let me know. I have a pretty good guy.

[papabear]

jjb4900 sorry to hear about your mount   I bin using FINS TO FEATHERS  now for 25 plus years and never had any problems with Richie he is the owner and dose all the work him self he dose not hire kids to do the work his price are good and work is excellent  

he is located at 131 conklin street Farmingdale   516-847-0087 put it in your phone for this up coming season and guys he is grate on the fish too 

[sssurfertim]

Fins to Feathers for me as well, very nice work. He butchers a lot of my deer that I don't do myself.

[covert]

End of July I got my 11pt bow buck from 2014 back from Randy Thieme @ Randy's Taxidermy.  http://randystaxidermy.vpweb.com/

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2015 by covert

[ny hunter]

Awesome deer .......mount came out nice...