Sub Par taxidermy question.

[TimeOnTarget]

Hey fellas,

I just got my 2015 archery whitetail back today, I thought it looked really good at 1st but now that i have it on the wall it looks like he got booted in the face. His nostrils are flared so big that it just looks goofy to me.

How have any of you handle sub par taxidermy work in the past? Did you confront the taxidermist? what was the outcome? It doesn't seem like it is something that can be fixed after everything has dried. True?

I'll try and get a couple pictures attached here as well.

Thanks for the input fellas.

 

[LopeHunter]

Have an elk from years ago that looked okay until I moved states then started using a very good taxidermist in my new location. As have added more mounts by the new taxidermist the results is the elk is more obvious as only a so-so mount.

I am having the elk mount re-done even if have to get a new cape. The cape might be saved for the new mount. Needs stretched though since the horn reticles are 3 inches above the hide and have a scrap of hide disguising that issue.

 

[maxx]

Honestly if you get it back and it is sub par you are to late. Be picky up front, check out their work prior to choosing a taxi. If something is wrong don't pay for it and take it. I have used my guy enough that if something was wrong (I don't think it would happen) I would be upfront about it when I went to pick it up.

I have one bad mount, it is probably the deer itself as much as it is the mount. I just don't like it.

I am not sure what you can do on the back end. I would think you would need a new cape.

 

[TRS_Montana]

This happened to a friend of mine. He brought in a nice redhead drake and asked for a certain pose, but got something completely different. Never really got resolved. I've learned that the best approach is to find someone you trust and stick with them. I know that doesn't help you in your situation. Maybe you can find another taxi who can fix it for you. Sorry you're not happy with it!

 

[James Riley]

My wife bought me the book for Christmas. Who knew they had a web site too: http://crappytaxidermy.com/

 

[genesis273]

Not saying that this is the case here, but I constantly hear hunters asking about taxidermist and the first question is, how much do they charge. I assisted a very talented taxidermist 25 years ago and learned then that you get what you pay for and how much goes into this form of art. I don't have tons of money laying around, but I will spare no expense when it comes to someone taking my hard earned trophy and turning it into art.
Find a top knock taxi well in advance of hunting season, don't worry about the cost, and you'll never have to deal with this problem.

 

[marksjeep]

A few thoughts having been in a very similar situation with a taxidermist I had used several times prior, and had been 100% happy with.

I contacted my taxidermist, explained what I did not like, and asked him if there was any way to fix it. I'm sure he was not "happy" about it, but he was genuinely willing to work with me to make it right. He clearly told me that he'd much rather spend the time and make it right, than to have bad reviews or an unhappy customer talking badly about his work without even giving him the chance to discuss it.

I know, if I had left it hanging on the wall, it would have drove me nuts. The taxidermist was able to fix the problem, and the mount turned out fantastic. He commented that there is darn little they can't "fix" if something isn't right.

1st - I would have someone else look at it to determine if they see the same issue. Don't tell them what the issue it, just ask a friend for an honest assessment.

2nd - If you still feel there is an issue, take a picture and go talk to the taxidermist. Show him what you see as the issue and ask if he can fix it. If he's good and runs a good business, he'll at least want to talk to you about it. If not, you know where not to take stuff in the future.

 

[glass eye]

SUBPAR.........that is the key word here. If your mount isn't up to par with the quality of work that this taxidermist produces and has on display in his shop, then you have a legitimate gripe. But if you are comparing his work to other taxidermist, then you have nobody to blame but yourself.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

Thanks Guys,

I did have my wife come look at it. She spends lots of time watching deer out of our porch with me. She doesn't care much for my mounts and couldn't tell one from the next in my game room.

I just simply asked her to tell me which mount she thought looked the most realistic to the deer she watches with me on the hoof.

She picked the new one, the one I think looks like it got kicked in the face.

I looked at it again this morning. It didn't look as bad as I had thought initially. I dunno, in my defense I hadn't slept in 30+ hrs when I wrote my post. Maybe I was the one who was off yesterday..

I'll certainly have a friend or 2 who are hunters check it out though.

 

[teej89]

Not necessarily subpar but I got back my bull from 2015 and asked for sneak w/ a left turn and got sneak straight ahead... I was fairly displeased at first and almost contacted him but, the mount is gorgeous and I'm not going to complain about the wrong turn.

 

[AZBridger]

lets see some pics of the mount. i am always very upfront with my taxidermists that i use about my expectations. i never hire a cut rate taxidermists nor will i take a discount for being a friend or referring work. do your research, use the best, most reputable taxidermist in your area and you should always be happy with the results

 

[TimeOnTarget]

The mount in question is on the right in all the pictures. Be honest with me.



The mount in question is on the right in all the pictures.

 

[Jamen]

I think for the look of the deer the nose works. When I first looked at the buck he has that pissed look about him. Maybe he is seeing another buck in his area and he is ready to fight. The way his eyes look really match that pissed look. For me I can really see the different expression when next to that other deer. It looks fine in my eyes but I am no expert on taxidermy.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

Thanks Jamen, My wife always say the one next to it looks sad and stoned. The guy that did it is beyond anal about everything he does in life. Which is why I chose him for this deer. He had done one other deer for me with no gripes from me.

 

[ERSS]

Honestly, based on the picture, I like the workmanship and look of the one on the right

 

[James Riley]

A taxidermist friend of mine told me, and I agree, that in judging one should always start with the eyes. Also, animals, like people, are ALL different. Anyone who says "they all (animal or human) look alike to me" has not spent enough time with them. The more time you spend with them, the more they *don't* all look alike. From color to confirmation (body or face), they are all different. Even twins, if only from different life experience (mud, dirt, seeds, scars, etc.). Bucks change from rut to off rut, and does, in season and out. So there is that. On the other hand, if you want a taxidermist to replicate conformational nuance, you have to mold the face, in the field. Some taxidermists don't use forms and will do their best to show your animal. Many just stick by the forms and use very little clay, etc. so you get cookie cutter approach that looks really good, but standard.

 

[Bambistew]

I don't think its terrible... IMO it has a couple things going against it, he naturally has small ears and highly contrasting colors so it will make subtle differences much easier to see. It looks like the form may have too short of a nose, but more likely the buck had a short face. The black around the nose is much darker than usual, so the contrast will accentuate the nose more. It does look like its nostrils are flared a bit, but it may just be the black, hard to tell from the picture. The profile however, looks pretty good.

The ears look smaller than normal, so the the ear butts will also be smaller, so the face may look funny.

The lips look like they could have been tucked a little more, would reduce some of the lipstick look.

Both are really nice bucks!

 

[TimeOnTarget]

A taxidermist friend of mine told me, and I agree, that in judging one should always start with the eyes. Also, animals, like people, are ALL different. Anyone who says "they all (animal or human) look alike to me" has not spent enough time with them. The more time you spend with them, the more they *don't* all look alike. From color to confirmation (body or face), they are all different. Even twins, if only from different life experience (mud, dirt, seeds, scars, etc.). Bucks change from rut to off rut, and does, in season and out. So there is that. On the other hand, if you want a taxidermist to replicate conformational nuance, you have to mold the face, in the field. Some taxidermists don't use forms and will do their best to show your animal. Many just stick by the forms and use very little clay, etc. so you get cookie cutter approach that looks really good, but standard.

Interesting you mention the use of clay, He said he did use a lot of clay around the eyes to get that older, sunken eye look.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

Speaking of character, I really like his 2nd white throat/neck patch...

 

[James Riley]

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