I took a carcass to a local taxidermist a couple of years ago to have a mount prepared. The guy has fallen off the face of the earth. Won't return calls or texts and is never at the place of business when I have stopped by. Short of an attorney, does anyone have any suggestions? Would a game warden have any jurisdiction or desire to help in this situation? I just want my stuff back to be able to take it to someone else and completed. TIA.

if he didnt handle the hide correctly its probably freezer burnt and unusable by now. at a minimum you still should be able to get the horns back.....assuming it was an antlered animal.

please let us know what taxidermist this is so we dont use him in the future

Did you give the guy money? That is the key question.

This is the number one reason people hate taxidermists... poor communication and then the vanishing acts.

I wish I had some advice for you but this has all the signs of robbing from Peter to pay Paul and this guy is gone, along with your animal. And depending on what type of animal it is and how it was stored (was it fleshed and then put in the freezer/was it just thrown in the freezer as is) you may be out of luck. A hide can last quite a long time in the freezer and I have a few ducks on my wall now that sat in my freezer for two years waiting to mount three birds together.

Sorry to hear this but use this as a lesson to always try and use a reputable taxidermist that has been around a long time. The premium you'll pay is almost always worth it.

A couple of years? .its gone

Stuff his wife for revenge

Who is it?

Small town setting?? Not taxidermy but similar... my dad had dropped his hat off with a local hat shaper/restoration guy and same thing wouldnt answer, never there.... well time goes by and dad gets diagnosed with cancer and he really wanted his hat back.... so I dropped by local Sheriff Office talked to a deputy and explained whole situation along with the fact that there were multiple notes on business door demanding saddles and other stuff back from this guy.... I also told them I knew it wasnt really a matter for them to handle ....long story short a week or so later my dad got a call to come to SO and retrieve his hat.

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. Guy was local, been around several years and came recommended. He moved shops at one point, but we still had contact. His shopped closed up out of the blue, but we were still able to get in touch by phone. Gave the run around about coming to pick up the horns (or whatever was left). Contacted the sheriff and game warden to no avail. Looked in to civil suit, but we didn't have any address to have him served as he had left the area. I even had someone from the OB offer to try and get it back, but that fell through too.
It sucks so much when you think these people are reputable and they end up being ***** I didn't even care about getting our deposit money, just wanted the deer. It was my first one legitimately good enough to mount and it's now only memory.

This is one of the reasons I probably overpay for taxidermy with one of the established shops.

powerbelly said:

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This is one of the reasons I probably overpay for taxidermy with one of the established shops.

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This is what I do...but I suppose its not overpaying when you get good work back and can communicate with the shop.

Taxidermy & toilet paper: you get what you pay for.

You could start by posting his name and town. Someone might know him and could help you.

The best deer that came off our Mexico lease in the years I hunted down there was supposedly stolen at the Austin area taxidermy shop he was taken to. I still feel bad for the guy as he never got the mount back and just has a bunch of photos. Was a real nice main frame 12 in the upper 170s.

Would he happen to be down in Shiner?

Sorry for the silence. No. The guy is in Lubbock. I think I will have to go the attorney route. I appreciate all of the posts and suggestions.

Martinez brothers?

I don't recall the name but was a well known shop. Back in the early 2000's. The guy was a retired nfl lineman and was 6'8, 300 plus so I doubt they intentionally took his deer.

This is why I'll never use a small town guy. I need people that call themselves a "taxidermy studio" and regularly are in taxidermy competitions. Their performance and reviews matter. Plus they do business on a much larger scale so you're unlikely to get bumped back in the schedule or have the "he's not in right now he'll call you back" on repeat act

My dad has been a taxidermist for almost 30 years and has never entered any of his work in a competition.

plowboy1065 said:

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Would he happen to be down in Shiner?

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