taxidermy question

[Topgun 30-06]

Have you gone back and discussed the situation with your taxi and, if so, what was the outcome?

 

[jlvandersnick]

Have you gone back and discussed the situation with your taxi and, if so, what was the outcome?

Yes, took them back a week ago and told him that I wanted them both redone. He got all ****y at first and of course blamed everybody else (the tannery, the person who skin the cape, etc.) for the work not being right and said he would just give me my money back and I could go somewhere else...because he would never be abole to please me. When I told him that he also needed to provide me with two suitable (right size, quality and color) capes....he got even more belligerent. Because he knew it is going to be difficult to find a cape that is large enough for the largest one

I told him that I wanted him to do the work. When the owner does the work himself (not one of his 3-4 helpers).....he does good work. He agreed to find suitable capes and redo them

I do believe he will do a good job. as I have a full size mtn goat, a mule deer and a whitetail that he has did for me in the past and they were all top quality.

I thank you all for you input as it was very use full when he was acting like I was out of line and asking why I was not happy with the toe mounts.

Thanks Again Jerry

 

[Riflehunter1776]

I waited a year and a half to get back the biggest buck I ever shot, from an "award winning taxidermist". I drove 3 hrs each way for it, as well.

When I saw it, it looked like a mule with antlers glued to its head.

I dont even know what kind of mount was underneath the cape, but it looked awful. So rather than convince myself it was okay, which it wasnt, I paid to buy another cape, and have a local guy I trust remount the antlers. It looks great now.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Will cross my fingers that the redo will be top quality like it should have been in the first place!

 

[Barrelnut]

IMO lots of the bigger name and recognized taxidermist turn out amazing mounts for their hunting buddies and competitions. Then hire apprentices to do your mount with subpar results at a premium price. Best mounts I ever had came from a small shop where the taxidermist did ALL of the work themselves.

 

[26Reload]

Gotta agree...the right hand pronghorn has several flaws...the exterior of the mount is the visual flaws....
Start at the top....cant quite be positive but it looks as if the bases were over packed with critter clay to make them more full..the middle of the skull looks like they forgot to replace the "meat muscle" on the boney area which relates to the flattened area between the horns.....
the eye orbits have an extreme amount of critter clay built up around them and the result is the bulging of the cape from the actual life size of the critter...the nose looks flared..but that comes down to the taxidermist being artistic..cant blame them for trying for a slightly different look to a person's mount....looks like the colors of the nose were faded up the face and given an exaggerated line...another artistic choice...
now to the cape...when you got the critter..did you split the back of the neck or tube it.....splitting allows the cape to be "tanned far better" than tubing it...
It also allows the taxidermist to work the cape back into position better on the form.....athe right pronghorn has what i believe to be rolls of cape that didn't get press fit to the form and inherently pucker up badly when drying...
Sometimes a cape can be regenerated...it takes time but it can be done...the cape is dried on the form so rehydrating could save the cape...not always...
It would have to be put into a humidifier for a couple days just to try and rehydrate....
Obviously the finished result isn't pretty...maybe the actual taxidermist did the work maybe another did....but the owner taxidermist should have been overseeing the results as an underling was doing the work..and watching it as it dries over a 30 day process....of course drying periods vary as to humidity in the shop....some shops have dedicated drying rooms...others shove them in the limited space of the work room......
Believe it or not.....I HAVE SEEN WORSE....and when it's a neighbor's..just better to keep it polite.....and i mean if it really looks like crap.....lol

 

[Varmint Hunter]

My buddy found an old taxidermist, that he didn't know, who gave him a low price to mount a once-in-a-lifetime trophy stag. A year later when he picked it up he was shocked at how badly it looked. Shock was followed by anger, disappointment and embarrassment. The animal looked like it had been hanging in the Teddy Roosevelt museum for the last 100yrs. It was ruined!
All that my friends and I could do was reassure him that it was still a great trophy and that it didn't look bad. Eventually, he put it up. Five years later and it's a non-issue but it still looks like sh__!

 

[Riflehunter1776]

I would never have the same guy remount something after he screwed it up the first time.

 

[26Reload]

Overall time into a pronghorn or deer shoulder mount.....
Total time....fleshing, turning ears lips and nose, salting, tanning, and mounting(depending upon form changes)....maybe 8-10 hours....
Form, eyes and shipping cost all vary greatly.....
So figure you budget wisely.....

 

[skull]

Pronghorn are the hardest animal to do
I think they should look like this
I definitely go back discuss the problem with your taxidermist

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Really nice buck and good mount you got of him skull!

 

[26Reload]

Have worked at a taxidermy shop and watched while the owner wormed o Dr all kinds of critters from Alaska to south Africa....the toughest critters with hair to get things to work and look correct....a cougar....
Something about the eyes and the mouth.....cats squint a lot...so making the eyes look correct is way different than a deer family critter...and then since they have short fine hair around the lips..if they are stretched too much while mounting your cat will have a SMILE when it dries....
Several African animals don't have enough hair to hide imperfections..scars, bullet holes, rat chew spots from the trip back....
I did fish....i could hide some open wounds if the skin was still there(see it back together)...i couldn't hide my painting...if it looked like crap i stripped it all off and started again.....simple little job...could turn into 60 hours of work..........but I enjoyed it....

 

[LRHog hunter]

for those of you who speak "taxidermy" what is wrong with these mounts. I picked them up a few days ago and in my opinion.....they look like "----".

I have taxidermy from eight different guys and have only used someone a second time twice. This guy is one of the two. He has historically done good work but recently lost his best guy so it seems he had one of his new guys with less experience and expertise do these mounts. I am particularly disappointed in the one on the right...the bigger one. He ranks 33rd all time (92 0/8) according to SCI and looks like someone out of their garage did the mount. There is no excuse as these are original capes, horns and skull plates.

I'm only interested in informed opinions about these two mounts please.
I can send more pics to anyone who has expertise and training and desires them.

Thanks Jerry

View attachment 110330 View attachment 110331 View attachment 110332 View attachment 110332 View attachment 110334

I can tell you right off first photo looks like the eyes are all wrong the eyes will make or break a good mount from what little I can see looks like they are set center of eye socket they should sit more rotated words the nose remember they have binocular vision they don see as well behind or off to the back if that makes since to you
Look up Wasco taxidermy supply and look at mounts on there forms or reference photo books they carry and you will see what I'm talking about

 

[Buckshotaz]

Don't compare to other mounts. use a picture of a live pronghorn. The mount on the right has the animals right eye sticking further out than the left. It looks like a bad form. measurements should have been taken for neck size, eye to nose, etc.

Like has been mentioned, you may be able to save the cape.