How long is to long

[KMurph332]

Ok so i droped my bear off 11/30/17 i was told 9months i dont want to push the issue and get a bad mount back that i will have the rest of my life its just getting frustrating how much longer should i wait 

Edited February 13, 2019 by KMurph332

[BizCT]

Ok so i droped my bear off 11/30/17 i was told 9months i dont want to push the issue and get a bad mount back that i will have the rest of my life its just getting frustrating how much longer should i wait 

It’s already been too long. Kindly ask for an update or show up to check in on the progress.


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[Robhuntandfish]

Never hurts to follow up with a phone call.  

[Water Rat]

I'm thinking this isn't gonna end happily......I hope I'm wrong.

[KMurph332]

Thanks for the replies guys i appreciate it the taxi is travis boyd if anyone has heard of him hes supposed to be really good

[Dinsdale]

Not unusual for taxidermists to run poorly for time. Many are one man bands who can get  over committed.

Not an excuse, just nature of business it seems.

 

However that shouldn't stop honest communications, and honest estimates for what is happening with a mount.

 

For example my taxidermist had some health issues, and then I had a few changes in my life; but we are still communicating about some mounts he has had properly tanned and stored since early 2017 (that I hunted in 2016). Then I shipped him some 2017 trophies in 2018 when they came in the spring (can take a spell to get salted hides from out of country hunts).

I know they are safe, he knows I want to get back to them at some point this year when my cash flow is better; but I have no down payment invested and he has outlayed tanning bill. 

Now prior to that, the local guy I used lost a hide and I had no idea WTF was going on and thats why he doesn't do my mounts anymore. (I've had quite a few mounts done)

Original taxidermist 10 miles from home and the new guy in Flint, Michigan and he treats me better.

 

[KMurph332]

52 minutes ago, Water Rat said:

I'm thinking this isn't gonna end happily......I hope I'm wrong.

I hope not this is the first bear i have seen its natural habitat i know some guys that have hunted their whole lives and never seen 1 i would be devastated if something happens to this mount 

[Daveboone]

Give him a call. Good work takes time, and good taxidermists are usually backed up. I have about the worst case wait....I initially dropped off a bear hide for a rug to be made, anticipated about a year. the following year I dropped off another. I wasn't concerned at that time the other wasn't done yet. End story....it ultimately took four ...4 ….four years to get my first rug. When I picked it up, I also picked up my other hide (of course they are sent out almost immed. for tanning). When I got it home, my wife and I loved his work so much (he really did do a outstanding job) we decided to take the 2nd rug back for him to do. FOUR more years later, I got it back. Absolutely outstanding work, but I wont take anything more to him. I was aware he had a lot of heavy family matters that were greatly pressing, and had absolute confidence in the work getting done, and my work was some of the last he took in before this set in. 

 

[Lawdwaz]

LOL, taxidermists and estimated times of returns can sure be a sore subject!

I'd be stopping by if he's close enough geographically, just to say hello and check progress. 

I'm sure it'll all turn out great........

[G-Man]

A bear is a year easy.. I'd just call and check up on it 1.5 years is not unheard of if the guy is truly busy..

[avg. joe]

It won't hurt to check in. A year is a short time for some work, but he should have an answer as to where things stand by now. If you ever worked in the taxidermy business you would have a better understanding of how things go. Some folks used to call asking how much longer their mounts were going take after just a month or two. As was said earlier, good work takes time. That is usually because good work is in high demand and lots of people will be using that taxidermist.

[WNY Bowhunter]

 There is SO much more to mounting a deer or bear than people realize. You certainly don't just glue a hide to a foam manniken and give it back. There's a whole bunch of steps necessary to just get a cape and form ready to be mounted! Until one step is completed you can't move on to the next. In fact, it's such a huge commitment to get your customer's prized trophy back in a reason time frame that I'm thinking about cutting back the number of heads that I take in next season to a very select few. The truth of the matter is that there's much easier ways to make money then taxidermy.

[moog5050]

59 minutes ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

 There is SO much more to mounting a deer or bear than people realize. You certainly don't just glue a hide to a foam manniken and give it back. There's a whole bunch of steps necessary to just get a cape and form ready to be mounted! Until one step is completed you can't move on to the next. In fact, it's such a huge commitment to get your customer's prized trophy back in a reason time frame that I'm thinking about cutting back the number of heads that I take in next season to a very select few. The truth of the matter is that there's much easier ways to make money then taxidermy.

Noooooooooooooo!   Unless I can be on the select few list.  Lol

[Nytracker]

Waiting sucks . I'm still waiting on my European   mount from my gun buck .  Was suppose to be done  end of December.  Still no call. I would just call and check in . I'm giving my guy until March 1.

[KMurph332]

Well i called him today said a couple more months 

[Dinsdale]

1 hour ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

 There is SO much more to mounting a deer or bear than people realize. You certainly don't just glue a hide to a foam manniken and give it back. There's a whole bunch of steps necessary to just get a cape and form ready to be mounted! Until one step is completed you can't move on to the next. In fact, it's such a huge commitment to get your customer's prized trophy back in a reason time frame that I'm thinking about cutting back the number of heads that I take in next season to a very select few. The truth of the matter is that there's much easier ways to make money then taxidermy.

Interesting enough many of the big players in the game doing international trophies (and domestic) are going to guaranteed short delivery times......some 6 mos....others 90 days (!). You'd be surprised that that doesn't come with ridiculous pricing either, well within the pricing structure for most areas. I received a very competitive quote out of curiosity. 

One example;

http://www.animalartistry.com/

But they run their shops like real businesses and many find the artistic end doesn't always gel well with running a fiscally responsible enterprise. LOL 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Dinsdale

[TreeGuy]

I know this year a bunch of the tannery's are behind schedule and most push bears to the back of the pile. I guess that's standard procedure and a reason why bears take twice as long as whitetails at any taxidermist. This is verbatim out of my taxidermist mouth.

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[Arcade Hunter]

I took my bear in about the same time to a taxi in Alden... he told me May at the earliest.  He is very busy..... TreeGuy... what taxi do you use?

[landtracdeerhunter]

It's nice t know your taxidermist.

'

[G-Man]

On 2/14/2019 at 6:08 PM, Dinsdale said:

Interesting enough many of the big players in the game doing international trophies (and domestic) are going to guaranteed short delivery times......some 6 mos....others 90 days (!). You'd be surprised that that doesn't come with ridiculous pricing either, well within the pricing structure for most areas. I received a very competitive quote out of curiosity. 

One example;

http://www.animalartistry.com/

But they run their shops like real businesses and many find the artistic end doesn't always gel well with running a fiscally responsible enterprise. LOL 

While this is true you also have a bunch of taxidermist working and some are more skilled than others. Most customers will not pick up ears that aren't set quite properly,or eyes ,or nostrils cut to short and plugged poorly with clay, stitching behind the head , hide stretched ,form not quite the right size ( to big hide is stretched ,to small and its gathered and looks not quite right) 

If you start with a decent taxidermist and then win a mount from a great taxidermist. Nothing hits home like putting them both on the wall and realizing you can never hang them together as the 1st one will look awful in a side by side but looks fine alone...

I good taxidermist will limit what they take in as they do not want quality to suffer , same as a butcher who shuts down because they are full and can handle no more efficiently 

[Robhuntandfish]

On 2/14/2019 at 4:16 PM, WNY Bowhunter said:

 There is SO much more to mounting a deer or bear than people realize. You certainly don't just glue a hide to a foam manniken and give it back. There's a whole bunch of steps necessary to just get a cape and form ready to be mounted! Until one step is completed you can't move on to the next. In fact, it's such a huge commitment to get your customer's prized trophy back in a reason time frame that I'm thinking about cutting back the number of heads that I take in next season to a very select few. The truth of the matter is that there's much easier ways to make money then taxidermy.

guy i took my buck to has been doing taxidermy for 40 years.  He no longer does fish and only takes about 10-12 deer now as he is semi retired and goes south for a couple of months.  He said i would be getting buck back in June.  I have had several fish done there and he was a great painter - those took about 10-12 months usually.  This is my first buck to be mounted but hes been doing them forever so feel pretty confident the mount will be a good one. 

Edited March 7, 2019 by Robhuntandfish

[Hunter007]

On 2/14/2019 at 6:08 PM, Dinsdale said:

Interesting enough many of the big players in the game doing international trophies (and domestic) are going to guaranteed short delivery times......some 6 mos....others 90 days (!). You'd be surprised that that doesn't come with ridiculous pricing either, well within the pricing structure for most areas. I received a very competitive quote out of curiosity. 

One example;

http://www.animalartistry.com/

But they run their shops like real businesses and many find the artistic end doesn't always gel well with running a fiscally responsible enterprise. LOL 

How much do they make approximately I would be interested to know  the well-known ones .

[Five Seasons]

for me, it's less an issue about a realistic time frame and just hoping/desiring better communication. We're all busy, I get it. I'd rather my guy be in the shop than typing emails, however maybe every 6 months or so or at least annually you shoot out some status update notes to ease the anxiety? idk...

[The_Real_TCIII]

Side note: I dont like this new trend where the taxi texts you pics of the progress. You wait patiently for 6-9 months until you get that magical call and then you go see the finished product in person!

[BizCT]

I’ve never been texted progress pics but I like when the taxi calls me to come in when still wet to finalize any final features.

 

 

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