I have found myself in a situation and I was curious as what others would do put in similar circumstances.
At the end of last season I finally killed a bird I wanted to mount. Last day in Ohio, 1.5" spurs and small secondary spurs of about 1/8" or so. . . beard almost 11" etc etc. My brother mentioned a taxidermist near him and spoke of his work, he's ability to paint a realistic head in particular. Spoke w the guy and stated I was on my way in and would have him the bird the following day which I did. Several months later he calls to say when be went to cape the bird it had gone bad, something he hadn't seen before (he's done taxidermy for a LONG time) and assured me it was nothing on his end. All his freezers were good etc. . . No big deal. I took him another bird I had in the freezer and told him to put the beard and spurs on this new bird, stuff happens and it's nothing I was gonna get riled up about.
Fast forward to last week. He calls and says my bird is ready. (btw, he's already gotten a $200 deposit) My brother is close by and stops by to see the work today. Calls with the news that the bird looks fantastic, but it's not my bird. The 1.5" spurs w the secondaries are not there. At this point, the taxidermist begins with an array of back pedaling excuses while being somewhat apologetic. His wife gets extremely ugly, exclaiming I can come pay the rest of the balance or forget it, that we would never be welcome for business again and that my bird has been a nightmare among other things. Now, after she is asked to leave the room, the taxidermist asks what he could do to 'make it right' which is when my brother stated the only way was to find the spurs obviously.
So this is my pickle. LoL What would you do? what should I ask for? He did have the spurs and beard from the 2nd bird I brought him so I'm going to retrieve them for sure. Should I just ask for my deposit back and leave with nothing from my Ohio trophy? I'm honestly at a loss and trying to keep a level head.
You didn't tell us what he claims he did with your first bird.......... The one with the 1.5in spurs. What was the excuse? Those things just don't disappear never to be seen again. Makes me wonder if he didn't take your bird and sell it.
No matter what, you get your beard and spurs back from the 2nd bird and the 1st if possible. Then you demand your $200 deposit back because you didn't get the item you paid for. He should pay you more in restitution for the "lost" spurs and beard.
And if you aren't satisfied, then you tell him one of two things.......... You'll take him to small claims court OR and this is worse if you ask me, you'll go onto every hunting forum you possibly can and tell everyone to stay away for his shop because he lied and cheated you outta your trophy gobbler. I know that sounds harsh, but he should have the original set of spurs and the beard at the very least and you should get your money back. Anything less is BS.
Get the original spurs and beard back. No excuse what so ever . His nightmare is just beginning .
Original spurs, beard, and money back or lawsuits and bad publicity.
I wouldn't have some other damn bird with different features on my bird! I'd flipped out and got in that woman's face for one. Second, you shouldn't have to pay a dime. Get your stuff back and your $200 deposit and never talk to him again.
Shame, sounds like a booner of a bird
Yeah, I wish getting the spurs and beard along with the deposit back were an option. He cant produce the spurs or come up with an explanation as to where they are . . . .
It's just the beginning of this thing b/t us I'm afraid. But if that's what it has to be then so be it. . . .
Sounds like your bird just might be on display in some fatcat's living room.
Yep, sounds like someone else paid a good price for a trophy mount at your expense. This guy owes you big time.
That's a shame that it worked out the way it did for you. I'm not sure what happened on the taxidermist's end, but it sounds to me like the cape spoiled somehow and he just threw it away without thinking about the unique spurs. He probably didn't even remember that the bird had the double spurs on it. It is odd that he did not have the presence of mind to keep the beard and spurs, but that it sounds like he probably just tossed the entire cape.
At this point, if it makes any difference to you, you should know that it would quite easy to replicate the original bird's spurs and beard in another mount. Except for color-phase birds and hybrid mixes, most gobblers of different subspecies pretty much look the same. Another cape, a similar beard, a new pair of legs,...and a good memory of what the spurs looked like,...and a taxidermist should be able to reproduce what the gobbler looked like without much trouble.
Because of that, I doubt that your bird ended up with someone else. It someone really wanted to have a mount of a unique gobbler, it would be too easy to produce a really spectacular bird for display.
I would ask for the beard, spurs, $200 back from the 2nd tom as well as the cost of the nonresident tag. Then I would part company and never look back.
wouldn't settle for anything less than your money beards and spurs
Where are the double spurs and beard of of the original bird?? There is no way to make this right until they are back in your possession and your deposit is refunded.... It would get ugly if those two contingencies weren't handled...
First off it was very fishy to me that a turkey would spoil in a freezer. That just doesn't happen. It might get freezer burned but not spoil without all the other animals in there getting spoiled. Second did you see your spurs and beard when you took him the other cape? I have my doubts that these spurs and beard of the original turkey were lost or thrown away. NOBODY throws away a double spurred 1 1/2" turkey especially a taxidermist. He did something with it. I would never take another turkey. It's not yours, and would wonder where he got those beard and spurs. How could he even try to fake you into believing that this turkey is yours when yours was a double spurred 1 1/2" turkey. He must be some kinda stupid. I would for sure get your deposit back, get your other beard and spurs and get restitution for the turkey he "lost". I would not ever do business with him or take some kind of trade like, he would mount another turkey for free for you etc... This really sucks Dave and I hope it works out for you but I have my doubts you will ever see that double spurred turkey again. Dang this makes me mad.
Joe
Try contacting the DNR in that area and see if they can help. His story doesn't said right. In the words of judge Judy if it doesn't sound true it isn't.
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I agree with the guys. This is beyond fishy. I too believe the guy mounted your bird and sold it to some phony with a lot of money. I don't think threatening him or calling Game & Fish would work. I'd probably take him to court and see what I could get out of him. Then either way, I would go on every hunting and taxidermy forum I could find and destroy the guy's name, and his business's name as well. Sorry to hear that man, that was a heck of a bird.
I met a guy at a check station duck hunting one time , he said he had to kill a bunch of ducks for his uncle the taxidermist ......story goes the refrigeration went bad and all his hunters mounts went bad
Your story sounds similar , he even put his foot in his mouth my stating you had to bring a second mount ...
He owes YOU money the way I look at it
Take him to small claims and let a judge make the call
I don't think I'd settle for anything other than my beard spurs and money. At the very minimum a truthful answer and your money with a good apology. I hate everyone suing everyone these days but sometimes that's the only way to push a crook into doing what's right
That sucks big time. Post up some pictures of the bird. Sounds like whopper.
I would say someone bought your bird for a hefty price! Get you a lawyer, tell him he either gives your beard and spurs back and money.. Or your going to take legal action sue him for cost of tag, deposit, cost of trip, court cost and lawyer fees.. Bet you win!!
Who is this shady taxidermist? I live in Ohio and don't want to take any to him!
Just reading what happened makes me all kinds of mad! I know what is do but I won't recommend that to you.
called the gw and bring him with u i believe he is poaching he is taking game illegally. he has the beard and spurs somewhere. they just dont go bad.just like horns on a deer they dont throw them away when the cape goes bad. i would sue him for everything he gots.
I went for a visit today after examining the pictures I have of the bird from last year. I spent way too much time looking at these pictures but I wanted to pick out some small details I may be able to find to in fact determine whether this was my bird.
I'm almost certain this is the beard from my gobbler. All of my small characteristics matched up. The main spurs are also very close to what I remember and the pictures show. What I believe happened is the taxidermist removed only the spurs from the Ohio gobbler he was given that supposedly went rotten and put them on the replacement bird I supplied (they pop the spurs completely off the leg at the base instead of using the entire leg). During this process he overlooked the additional 1/8" spurs coming from below the main set and they were tossed as sickening as that makes me. I left the bird there today because I'm still steaming and need to figure out if I want to trust that is my bird minus the secondary spurs or just demand my money back (and the artificial limb I provided, I feel as if I was a very easy customer) and leave with nothing but pictures and a memory of my Ohio giant. I'll have a couple weeks to simmer before I return from the final hunt of the season so we'll see how time treats the situation
Dave, I know how much you love turkeys and how serious you are about them......there's only so many things I lose my took over, this is one of them.
If you believe it's your beard and main spurs, I would ask for him to somehow fabricate exact replicas of the secondary spurs and add them to the mount. At least this way you have what you originally paid for.
I know this results in this guy getting away with his screw up, but at least you will have a mount of the bird of a lifetime. I think years down the road you would be happy you made this decision. Sometimes the path isn't direct, but if you get to your destination than all ends well.
After you get it back and everything is settled I would make sure to let people know of his screw up.
I can honestly say that I really don't know what i'd do..........
....but I would have started with his wife when she got snippy............
Dave,
You messed up... :TooFunny:
1. By putting this on the internet.
2. By not calling me from a landline.
3. By telling me not to bring the blowtorch, the tin snips, the Channel locks, the plastic drop sheets, the bleach, the duct tape, the zipties, the shovel, the wood chipper...
I mean, dang I thought we had almost every possible angle worked out ahead of time......... :toothy12:
Knowing you, you will call in and kill a better one... All you gotta do is come hunt with me..
Sad Story...But let me say this. Taxidermist can't be responsible for hides and skins going bad unless a freezer goes out. A taxidermist doesn't know what the animal has been thru before arriving at the shop. Was the deer/turkey left in the sun for a day or two while being showed off or put in a plastic bag. I ran a taxidermy shop and had a big sign that said "Not Responsible for Tanning". It was also on the receipt. ...... The taxidermist should know what happened to your spurs/feet. Even if they were mistakenly thrown out he should admit it and be responsible.... He should be able to build up the other set to look like the first spurs and same for the beard. If he does this and the turkey looks good I would ask him to take less for the mount. If he is a responsible taxidermist he wants to make customers happy and should be able to just get the cost of the mount.... I know it's a bad deal but make the best of it and come away with a good mount.
u sure are a nicer guy than me if i shot one like that and that happend to me id be in jail probably. i hope u get the original secondary spurs back if not a replica and everything should be free
Quote from: turkey john on May 18, 2014, 12:20:19 PM
He should be able to build up the other set to look like the first spurs and same for the beard. If he does this and the turkey looks good I would ask him to take less for the mount. If he is a responsible taxidermist he wants to make customers happy and should be able to just get the cost of the mount....
If the taxidermist lost the beard and spurs, should he take less or should the taxidermist offer it for free? Should the customer even have to ask for such a request if the original beard and spurs cannot be found?
Being a business owner myself (optometry practice), I know what I do when something goes wrong (with glasses or contacts being ordered) and causes the customer grief.
Nobody is perfect and mistakes are made... Having to own up to those mistakes in both accountability and financially sure does cut down on them though.