#865365 - 08/12/08 04:49 PM
Thurman's Taxidermy
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The Ol'Professor
6 Point
Registered: 04/16/08
Posts: 876
Loc: Mid TN
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Living in Knoxville about 8 or 9 years ago, my son caught a dandy bass. Took it to Thurman's and he did an excellent job mounting it (it looks just as good as the day we picked it up from him). Wife and I were in Knoxville yesterday and I was nosing around Gander Mountain and saw several mounts with "in memory of Thurman's Taxidermy." Asked one of the guys there and he said he'd passed. Too bad, he was a real artist. Any of you E TN folks know any details of his death?
_________________________
The wealthy man can get hunting anyhow, but the man of small means is dependent solely upon wise and well-executed game laws for his enjoyment of the sturdy pleasure of the chase. Theodore Roosevelt
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#865655 - 08/12/08 07:29 PM
Re: Thurman's Taxidermy
[Re: stik]
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Sidewinder
4 Point
Registered: 06/26/06
Posts: 174
Loc: East Tenn
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He was doing a coyote mount for me when he passed. Not knowing I called his house two days after his passing and ask to speak to him.  God did I feel bad. Heck I still feel bad about it.
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#867611 - 08/13/08 09:02 PM
Re: Thurman's Taxidermy
[Re: spitndrum]
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Nhill
8 Point
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 1399
Loc: Maryville, TN
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I heard a couple of months ago that Thurman's son is taking over the business. I don't know anything about his work though.
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#874084 - 08/18/08 04:12 PM
Re: Thurman's Taxidermy
[Re: Nhill]
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Crow Terminator
TnDeer Old Timer
14 Point
Registered: 10/23/99
Posts: 7923
Loc: McMinn County
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He done two of my deer and both of them came back very very nice. When I killed my 10 pointer last year there was no doubt who I was going to take it to...and that's when I found out about him passing. I heard he died of a heart attack. I hated to hear that; he was a very good taxidermist. I think he done better on deer and turkeys than he did fish. We took him a 6 pound Smallmouth to have mounted for my dad. When we got it back, it looks like a 2 1/2 pounder.
I had heard though from several people that knew him that he would do that with mounts that people did not come and pick up. Say for example someone brought a fish in to have mounted and he done it and called the person and they never came to claim it. Well he had a fish mount with no home which meant no money for him, so instead of doing another fish he would just call the next person on the list that had one about that size and say their fish was done and toss the one in the freezer.
I always paid him up front with my deer when I'd drop them off. He might have had a whole freezer full of heads ahead of mine but he always said "you have priority over those" because I would pay in full up front. Back in '03 I killed a nice 9 point and took it to him in early December. Paid him in full when I dropped it off and he showed me his freezer. The whole walk in freezer was full and he said "you just got priority over all those in there". I had my finished mount by February and was able to take it to the TnDeer Vous to have it scored. I had to take my 10 pointer to another guy. That was back in January of this year. I ain't heard anything back from him yet.
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