Cant get ahold of taxidermist

WORM82

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Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
2,875
Location
Jonesborough TN
I'm in northeast TN and there are a bunch of people around here that haven't heard from and can't get ahold of this guy. He moved a county over and im not sure exactly where and has had our deer from November 2020. I just want my horns back and he can keep the deposit. Is there anything I can do or law enforcement do.
 

backyardtndeer

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Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
21,004
Location
West Tennessee
Good luck, I will be following this thread.

I have $100 deposit gone and my 2019 deer was supposed to be done inside 12 months, December will be 3 years. Every time I call or text him, he says he is getting close. Talked to him in February and he said he would be mounting mine next month, he had my cape back from the tannery, and that he would call me as soon as he had it mounted. I understand, that with cwd, he is traveling and caping deer for people all over West Tennessee, but he has taken way more than he can handle. I won't post his name/business, yet. If my mount doesn't turn out to be the best mount I have, I will post the info here for sure.
 

fairchaser

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Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Messages
8,851
Location
TN, USA
I had the same situation with a guy in KY. After years of trying to contact him to no avail, my buddy and I drove to his house and knocked on his door. He was there but wouldn't come out!
I left a message on his machine and just told him, we only wanted our mounts back and we weren't going to leave until we got them. He finally came out and we went through his freezers and got some of our stuff. There was so much that it was going to take hours to get everything so we were satisfied somewhat and left. He was down on his luck with his wife and health and it happens. I'm convinced it woukd have never been mounted. I had a sixth sense when I left it and should've listened to it. Glad you got your horns back at least.
 

Andy S.

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Joined
Jul 26, 1999
Messages
23,617
Location
Atoka, TN
Seems to be a lot of shady characters in that business.
Definitely been a few over the years that give others a bad wrap. Of course this group (hunters) will expose them quicker than most. They are typically cheaper with little to no referrals. Trust your instinct, go with a quality taxidermist, pay a little more and wait a little longer if you desire a quality mount that will truly last a lifetime.
 

tellico4x4

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Joined
Nov 29, 2004
Messages
3,661
Location
Killen, AL
Been burned twice by out of state taxidermist. Once in AK with a black bear my grandson killed. POW Island and there were only two on island to use. We went with a lady that was recommended and left hide & skull with her to flesh & tan. Ted Nugent & his brother were on her list ahead of us so figured it was okay. 18 months & no contact... Guy I knew there tried to get her to call me to no avail. 6-8 months letter I get a call from AK Game & Fish asking what we had left with her. They were investigating her on something & found my name on list. After I explained what happened, they found hide & skull still in freezer. Couple days later I received it from them as they had overnighted to me. Grandson was just 11 when he killed the big boar that scored 22 5/16", so it was extra special to us. Bear aged out at 11 yrs too!


Other time was a chocolate bear I shot in UT with bow. Left it with a "friend" of the outfitter who also was a cop in SLC. He told me if I paid in full that he'd get it done quickly & ship to AL for free. Stupid me bit & paid him cash. That's been over 10 years ago. Tried to find him one time when I was out there but never did.
 

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bigtex

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Joined
Jun 6, 2004
Messages
4,917
Location
Brush Creek
There are two sides to the coin. Bad taxidermists and bad clients.
I did taxidermy for many years, started as a hobby but soon turned into a second job.
I NEVER took on more than I could get back to the hunter in a years time, and I never required a deposit. Never requiring a deposit was a huge mistake, on more than one occasion after many phone calls etc they never picked up their finished mounts. Wouldn't of been so bad if their deer were quality animals but most often they were forkhorns and spikes lol. It's hard to impossible to recoup your losses by trying to sell such a mount.
 

deerhunter10

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Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
4,842
Location
maury county tn
Been very lucky had a taxidermist for years and he retired. Found a guy I used to work with and he does it now just 20 or 30 a year. I have heard and seen some horror stories. As mentioned above though some hunters are crazy to not paying the bill. I haven't ever seen it before we usually process our deer ourselves. But the processor we go to it amazed me at how many people don't gut their deer. I good taxidermist is worth a lot of money to me.
 

rem270

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Joined
Nov 15, 2002
Messages
38,492
Location
#sfmafia
Lots of shady hunters, yes. However, I still deal with Tndeer peeps like DA and the likes. Gotta hide my wife and kids when they come over.
My uncle has been a taxidermist for 20 years. It's amazing the people that get caught up in deer season and then as soon as it's over they forget all about deer hunting and anything about it. No telling how many times he'll get a mount finished and can't get ahold of the person or someone gives him the run around and never comes and picks their stuff up. He gives them a 30 day notice from the time he calls them to let them know it's ready. After that he claims he'll sell it but he's too good hearted and will do all he can to give them time to get their stuff. It's ridiculous.
 

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