mauser06

ok guys how many remember my squirrel mount questions...you know..the one that been at the taxidermist since Feb 2003!!...he called yesterday while i was at work and left me a voicemail saying it was done. my question now is.....it was frozen for 2 and a half YEARS. when i took it to him it was already frozen for a few months. i bagged it a couple time good and took it to him. he took it out WHILE i was there and said it looked to be in good condition. (and to expect it in about a YEAR)

now im worried that it wont be quality work..him rushing it to finally get it out worries me. as well as freezing problems. heck i wouldnt be surprised to have him try to pawn off a diffrent squirrel to me. mom and dad seen it when i killed it so they know what it looked like. it was a grey squirrel but everywhere thats normally white on a grey squirrel was dark choclate brown. all my pics got eaten on my roll of film that year so i dont have pics. just looking for opinions on what i should do if im not satisfied with it. he took my 50$ deposit..i think i owe him like 80$ or so...if im not happy what should i do?? i want the squirrel but waited wayyyyy long enough so i dont want to wait longer for him to redo it if thats possible(probably not if its already runined)..just looking for opinions. i cant pick it up for 3 weeks or so but on the message he said its done and to call him so ill call him today..maybe he will tell me i get it no more charge after this wait! lol......i can dream cant i?!?....but what do you guys think i should do if i dont like it?......do you think itll be ok after almost 3 years of being frozen?? thanx guys

nctaxi

Well, if it were me and I didn't like it I wouldn't pay for it. 3 years is a long time, but it may have been done for 2 years and on display. You never know. IF it isn't the same squirrel then don't pay for it. But let's look at this, you take it to him 3years ago and are now worried about the quality because "him finally rushing it". Then you admitted rushing him and then don't have the money for 3 weeks? If he only charged you $130, if it even resembles a squirrel you should be happy. I won't do one for less than $225, they are a pain having to skin it down to the second knuckle joint and all. I hope it looks good and am not trying to bash you although it may read that way. I just happen to wear the other shoes.

mauser06

i did not rush him. i just know he rather work on deer and bear and exotics then small game becuase he makes more on them. i KNOW he turns them around well within a YEAR. i know thats pretty cheap for a squirrel, but i looked at one of his customer mounts and it was a dang great looking mount.....come to think of it he waited about as long as I...he just didnt pick it up. i had his money saved for a whole year. try doing that when your 16 lol. 80$ was a good bit of change to me then! after his year was up i called him and he kept saying ahhhh a couple months. so every new deadline he gave himself i would call a few weeks AFTER that deadline. ill be danged, may when i called he FINALLY appologized and sounded like he cared(other times he was rude and could care less) but he did indeed say august. if it wasnt done by sept i was picking it up frozen! we will see how it goes. i didnt rush him. you tell someone around a year...you dont call within 15 months i dont see calling him and asking RUSHING....though some of you taxis consider that rushing..then every new deadline id call a month or so AFTER what he told me...if thats rushing him in anyones eyes then im sorry i rushed him....but i dont see it that way. i dont care how busy he is....if he takes on too much work he needs to turn people away or hire help or start working quicker and meeting his deadlines! if calling him to check on all his "deadlines" is rushing him thats nuts....im just worried that he may slopped it out just so i wouldnt have to call in sept. i dont know....we shall see. i cant help i dont have his money after 3yrs....i had it....till i bought my bow...now its time to go back to college...i got alot of things i need to pay for before then. so he can wait till i come home my first weekend....i waited 3 years!

nctaxi

Rushin himwas by your words in your original post. I am not trying to sound insensative, cause trust me, that's how I got into taxidermy. I got tired of all the excuses. I am sure everything will be fine. Hell $80 is a lot for me now, so I know where you're coming from there too. The problem is writing something without trying to sound like a d#ck but it still comes off that way. Are you anywhere near Waynesburg? Or even Washington? I have a few friends that are taxidermists there. Maybe he is one of the guys I know. I grew up in Washington.

mauser06

sorry nctaxi..i know words are diffrent then talking. if i came off harse in the reply i did not mean it at all. i was trying to clarify myself. sorry for the misunderstanding.

im actually in Beaver County. even if the squirrel looks top notch i dont think ill go back..i just dont like the way he does business. hes the guy that is an excellent taxidermist...but getting old....and he will pop out 1000 deer heads and such..but wont touch small game. all he had to do was tell me he wasnt accepting small game and i would understood. i know hes a BUSY guy..and does it singlehandedly. i just like guys that can run their business a little better. my new taxidermist mounted a 13inch wild trout for me. he is new to professional taxidermy but was always an artist and can paint. i met him on another board..he only charged me 7.50 an inch (normally 10$ an inch) and turned it around in right under a year..and it was top notch for a customer piece. i dont expect favors and wouldnt minded paying much much more for the fish. i like how he works on work as it comes in regaurdless of size, price, income etc..i wish him the best and hope for him to beable to quit his day job and take on taxidermy full time. he loves to do it and it shows. he had many deer waiting to be done while he worked on my fish. hes still working on deer. i bet this guy i goto get the squirrel from has all his deer returned by now!

i did talk to him today. he said 3 weeks is fine he just wanted to let me know it was done and thanked me for being patient so i guess i didnt rush him. i explained i was getting ready to leave for college again and he said he understands and the squirrel is ready when i am....cant wait to see it...i hope it looks awesome....it was an awesome looking squirrel

nctaxi

Beaver county. Got lost there once, figured out why they call it beaver county, every town had a name with beaver in it, Big BEaver, Little Beaver, New Beaver, etc. The business end of taxidemry is what kills most of them, it's great to love to do it, but if you can't make any money, you'll burn out. There aren't any hard feelings on my part, as I read over my posts it just seemed that I was soundin like a turd and didn't want it to come off like that. Congrats on the squirrel and I hope it turned out great.

mauser06

ahah you forgot beaver creek, little beaver creek,beaver river, beaver valley mall, south beaver, western beaver(towns!) the list goes on! the sad thing is there aint THAT many BEAVERS here!!!

nctaxi

Don't I know it. I looked for beaver the whole time I was lost and couldn't find any