# Taxidermist lost my cape - little help??



## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

I have been a frequenter of 2cool for several years now but finally joined up today. This is my first post or thread, looking for the opinion of the 2coolfishing community.[/FONT][/COLOR]

This past October I harvested my best ever trophy whitetail with a bow. A beautiful typical 11 point scoring 161". A buck we had watched grow over 3 years and monitored every chance we could. This buck had very distinct horns as well as markings on his cape that we looked for each year on scout cameras and when hunting. After I harvested him this year I excitedly dropped off the horns and hide with the taxidermist on November 1st here in Houston. Well months go by and other members of my lease start to receive the phone call that their trophy whitetails are mounted and ready to be picked up. These guys dropped their deer off weeks and some even months after mine. So I call him up and see if there was an issue, and this is and this is where the fun begins...

Taxidermist (back in April), "Well, as of right now the tanner has not been able to produce your cape. I am doing what I can to work it out. I've put pressure on the tanner but they cannot come up with it. I am missing your cape and a couple of others. I'll keep you posted". So I let it pass and a couple weeks go by. I call in a few times only to receive the same report consisting of finger pointing and blaming the tanner (whatever, still his responsibility). I am very disappointed with the situation to say the least but I remain patience because I truly hope the issue works itself out.

Well now 2 or 3 months go by of the same update and finally I receive new information of what the taxidermist *"thinks"* may have happened. I call up the taxidermist and he says, "I received a cape in the other day and it had the name "_____" on it. I immediately realize that something is up here because I already mounted "_____'s" deer a couple of months ago. When I was mounting it I thought it was odd that "_____'s"skull plate looked so small on the 22" mold and that it didn't match up with the hide, but I made it work and mounted the buck. Now since a second cape came in with "_____'s" name on it, I think your cape is now mounted on his hill country buck. We can work it out; I have a replacement cape that we'll be just as good as your other and *obviously won't charge you anything for(I am thinking GEE thanks). Come on by and check it out today or tomorrow".

"Hold on", I say, "you sent off my cape with my last name on a wooden tag connected to it, and it comes back with "____" on it? Something doesn't seem right, either you marked it wrong to begin with or you mis-read the name when it came back".

To which he replied back, "no, what that means is the tanner removed the tag in the tanning process and wrote "____" on another tag and put it on your cape." Total finger pointing&#8230;. And it really annoys me because the whole process is his responsibility. I keep my patience and agree to stop by the next day.

So the next day at lunch, I stop by and check out the replacement cape. Sure enough it has a double white patch on the neck similar to mine, but it's obvious that the markings are not 100% consistent and not to mention the right ear is lacking a split. After I look it over, I go back and forth with the Taxidermist asking "why can't we call "_____" up to return the mount. You can strip my cape off his mold and redo their mount?? "____" obviously cannot tell the difference between his buck's cape and another so I would think he wouldn't have an issue with whatever you can provide him. "&#8230; The taxidermist refuses to do that, and says " the customer was too excited about the deer and he cannot request it back". WELL DANG right he was excited!!! You just used the cape off of a 7 year old south Texas buck with a 22" neck to mount their 3 year old buck that had an 18" neck. With a beefed up mount and the bright double patch of white on the neck I'm sure the guy was ecstatic!"

I could tell that the business I brought to the taxidermist wasn't enough to affect his decision making, and my arguments were achieving minimal results. I agreed for him to use the replacement cape which he provided and have requested that he try replicating the split ear. If somehow he fails at the split, then he could tuck that ear back to hide it. And I left to let him start the mount with a replacement cape.

At that time, I think it was in my best interest not to discuss price. I still want the mount to be quality and no bitter feelings while the taxidermist completes the work. This is where I would like the opinion of the 2cool community. The taxidermist currently has a $200.00 deposit that I paid November 1st. Would I be out of line to request that my deposit be all I pay for the mount? Do I request it to be at his cost (any idea of what cost is)? Do I meet in the middle between his full asking price and his cost? Or do I pay him his full asking price?*


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## coogerpop (Sep 3, 2009)

After.....he finishes the mount is the time to negotiate....put it in your truck and then open the talks....at that point you can always drive away..with the mount....


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Since you agreed to have the mount done with the replacement cape, I don't see that you have a lot of footing for an argument. That being said, EVERYTHING is negotiable. After the mount is done I would start talking about price. If you really don't want bitter feelings, then a friendly conversation about the price would be the best approach, IMO. I guess the outcome of that will lead to where this finally ends up. Sorry to hear about this mishap and if it was me, I would have just done a Euro cause I would never have been able to look at that cape and be happy. But that's just me.


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## Little-bit (Oct 19, 2005)

I had a deer mounted about 15 years ago. At that time it was the best buck I had taken. The taxidermist had a freezer go out and my original cape was ruined. I was upset about the situation but understood how it could happen. The taxidermist still had to deal with the head and horns and I bet that wasn't a very unpleasant thing to do. In the end I paid full price and the taxidermist replaced my cape with another. The mount still looks good today but I have never been happy about the mount. I always look at it and the first thing that I think about is


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Back during the 80's there was a big sting in northern New Mexico regarding "taxidermists" taking in hides and horns, and then magically disappearing with them. There was a big federal sting associated with it, resutling in a large bust. Some of you may remember it. Well I was right in the middle of it. Lost a bear hide that I shot-spot and stalk with my flintlock, and a really nice mule deer shot- spot and stalk with my percussion hawken. I just left them with the "local taxidermist" without checking him out. You can bet I check em out these days.

I think we might need to know who that guy was. Don't know what the forum rules are, but it would be nice to protect the rest of us. Maybe you do that* AFTER* you get your mount back.


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## TooShallow (May 21, 2004)

Seems to me that if he is a stand up guy and appreciates your and your buddies business then he will do the right thing and at least offer a serious discount. If not I would take my business elsewhere. I don't know what type of discount is fair but if I was the one making the screw up you would get the mount for free along with deposit refund.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

1) do NOT discuss price until your mount is done.... A discounted priced mount gets discounted level of detail and quality. Or, he could just give you your horns back and say "Sorry, heres your horns back. Have a nice day."

2) I feel for the taxi, because honestly, he is probably not to blame. Sending off hides to a tannery always takes on a slight amount of risk of an issue like yours, but it sounds like you wouldnt feel like waiting 2-3 years for a mount to be finished, so you are kind of getting what you pay for. 

3) Pulling the cape off of a mold is not some simple afternoon task. Chances are, the cape will be ruined in the process. He already is going to keep the other guys business if he doesnt call him... If he does call him, he will prolly lose both of you guys's business in the future AND will eat TWICE as much cost as with just one angry customer... Remember, that other guy is not angry...

4) I know its a sentimental cape, and your situtation really sucks.... but things happen. Even though he may not be approaching it the right way, taxidermists arent necessarily professional customer service folks like the manager at the local Walgreens. Im sure its not an easy situation for him either... And sounds like he is trying to make things right. Give him the chance to offer you a discounted rate before any negotiating. You might be suprised.

5) When it comes down to negotiating, dont give some outlandish number, like you want it for 100 bucks. The costs of his materials are going to be even more with the new cape (since he is tanning two of them now). That cost he should definetely eat as he should ask the tannery for a refund to him after you get yours. Dependent on how much the mount is (and you may want to let us know that) should determine what discount you think is fair. On average, a whitetail shoulder mount should take about 7-10 hours of total labor. You can play with the numbers and come up with something you think is fair. Remember, he is not some big corporation that a refund will just slightly effect his quarterly earnings.... this is coming right out of his pocket, so he prolly wont be all that excited about it.

I know you are frustrated, and man, you have every right to be... And Im sure the taxi knows that.... try giving him the benefit of the doubt... 

If you dont like what you hear, pull your leg as far back as you can and give him a swift kick in the nuts and scurry off with your mount. 

That should cover all the bases.... haha... I have 6 birds at the taxidermist right now and the way my guy acted on the phone the other day has me a little worried.


ASIDE : I am not a taxidermist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

I appreciate the feedback. I am a few weeks out from the mount being ready so if anyone else has some input keep it coming. I do like the idea of throwing the mount in the truck and negotiating after. Nice thinking!

When it is all said and done with I'll reply back to the post regarding how it went. At this time I'd prefer to leave the taxidermist anonymous. It's a sorry deal but I know mistakes do happen. He recieved 7 whitetail shoulder mounts from me and my friends this year. Hopefully that is motivation enough to make it right.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

guyh said:


> I appreciate the feedback. I am a few weeks out from the mount being ready so if anyone else has some input keep it coming. I do like the idea of throwing the mount in the truck and negotiating after. Nice thinking!
> 
> When it is all said and done with I'll reply back to the post regarding how it went. At this time I'd prefer to leave the taxidermist anonymous. It's a sorry deal but I know mistakes do happen. *He recieved 7 whitetail shoulder mounts from me and my friends this year.* Hopefully that is motivation enough to make it right.


Make sure he remembers that yall were all together.... Numbers talk.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

Mount cost is $625 which is one of the higher around. It is pricey but his end product has been quality and quick turnaround (+/- 7 months) The problem this year is I get a quality mount that is half my buck, like Little-bit described above.


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## Spex (Aug 20, 2009)

It may be not polically correct but I my self along with I know many others here in the Houston area would like to know the name of the shop. But it probably wouldn't be wise to mention names until your deer is in your hands and your driving home. Good Luck Hope You end up atleast halfway happy and keep us updated.


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## ATracker (Aug 30, 2010)

OK, I will chime in with my opinion to try and give you some insight. I have been doing Taxidermy work for 38 years, ran my own business back in the early eighties and have worked contract work for other shops. Although I still do some work for myself and friends I now work in a completely different field. There are two types of Taxidermists; commercial and artists and the quality of work and materials will vary greatly. They all want to make money, read into that what you choose, but to stay competitive with pricing they will try to match other local shops or prove why they are superior. Prices are not based on materials as much as it is based on labor and difficulty so in my opinion a shoulder mount should not cost more because a bird or fish mount are far more time consuming/difficult for a quality mount. But more people will have a shoulder mount done therefore a taxidermist will charge more because that is where the majority of their income will be generated especially if they only specialize in shoulder mounts. All tanneries will state upfront they are not responsible for the outcome of any hides and most taxidermy shops will state that policy as well. I have never used a tannery, except for flat hides, but even under a strict routine that I followed for tanning results would vary. So that is why I always tested each animal for slippage of hair or feathers in front of the customer before I accepted it to be mounted or explained the possible outcome. If I sent a hide into the tannery I would punch the customer's initials into the hide with a nail and tag with a plastic ID tag. Most tanneries will remove any tags in the hides for tanning or at least during the shaving/stretching process. So, maybe the Taxidermist did not tag properly or the tannery miss-tagged after the process was completed. A tanned cape will run around $50-$100 dollars at a tannery if salted/dried or more if sent green/frozen and materials will run around $100-$200 so the rest will be labor costs. All hides are glued to the form if done properly this includes the ears which contain a liner. So stripping the hide off a form will require soaking the mount to loosen up the hide with possible hair/skin loss/slippage, hours of cleanup and repair to the form before a remount. That could easily add up to several hundred dollars in materials and labor. The split ear will be no problem to do because it is harder to repair a split ear hiding the repair and make it look natural. I understand your frustration and if you are happy with his work and you accepted the replacement cape forget about the rest. He is trying his best to make you a satisfied customer and I promise you if you do not take proper care of your mount you could be asking for a remount later down the road which would mean a new cape anyway. I have mounts I did that I know every little flaw and it drives me crazy "if I only had done this" but no one knows but me. Either way it will still take him the same amount of time and materials to complete your mount and maybe he will give you a little bit of a break for the inconvenience. So to look at this another way, I seriously think you will not walk out with your mount and hold it hostage during negotiations without paying in full first. Second how would you feel if you worked you hours and someone refused to pay you in full because of a mistake (yours or someone else yet you tried to make it right) and they gave you a third of your expected pay. As my last note on this, Taxidermy has come a long way in the last thirty years and should be considered a work of art, taking a fragile skin, preserving/transferring it into a realistic, anatomically correct impression of knowledge and imagination should be applauded and not treated as production line man made product.


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

I have a couple of South Texas capes that would fit a 161 just fine, shoot me a pm if interested. rs


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

I understand ATracker and i appreciate the insider insight. obviously I do not plan to hold the mount hostage or kick the taxi. in the junk and run off with my mount like someone else recommended. Sarcasm isn't always caught in a website post.
I haven't seen anything that waives the taxidermist from being responsible for the cape so I don't 100% agree with you there. I look at it as if the taxidermist is a contractor and the tanner his sub. Whatever happens along the way is still the taxi.s responsibility. If they do not want liability of the hide, then maybe they should require a tanned hide be provided to them, which I don't think is feasible for their business. I feel that from drop off until pick up the mount is their responsibility. Then once I pick it up it's on me. If I have to get it remounted later because I hung it on a garage wall with no A/C, the wife decides to clean dust off with windex or clorox rag, or a herd of ravid squirrels infest the house and chew it up, that's all on me and its a different story. But in this situation, having a mount with a replacement cape is solely on the taxi. and tanner. I dont feel I should take the guy for a loss but at the same timtout doesn't seem fair for him to make money off me. I guess when I pick up the mount, if I don't leave feeling warm and fuzzy I don't have to bring my business back in the future and I don't have to recommend his business to my friends and colleagues. I wouldnt want to add up how much $$ actually gets spent before one of our trophies hits the ground but it is worth every penny! What's another $100 in fuel to drive to around town or to another city and give the next reputable taxidermist my business. I do applaud him for spending time and putting induvidual touches on each animal and thats why we pay top dollar. I have been patient with the outcome, and never once given a timeframe to meet. He was never pushed to use a replacement cape to get the mount done. I would wait another year if i could have the correct cape but fact is my cape is hanging up on someone else's wall that can't even recognize it. Hopefully he understands all of this and will work with me in the end.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

ask for a quality replacement cape and a discount if poss.


truth of the matter is , rest of the world will look at the horns and care less about the split ear , etc. , and just that it is quality work performed.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

once you gte over the sentimental part of that deer, it'll be just fine with another cape on it hanging on the wall... I have some horns I need to mount but didn't like the cape.. looking for a double throat patch cape to go with the others I have.. got a theme going on my mounts.


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## fabian31268 (Jul 31, 2005)

we have several sheds that are hanging in our shop that you would never know they didnt come with the cape there on . we also have one hanging that the horns are not even real can not tell . this taxi used to be realy good at his work havent seen him in yrs since he moved off 45 in huntsville . we used to give him capes all the time . there are kill shots that will just destroy a cape an you have to get a replacement . ill bet not every set of horns you see go with the capes


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## El Cazador (Mar 4, 2005)

If he does a good quality job, pay him the $625 and ask him if he'll throw in a horn mount or euro mount on top of the other work. You probably have a set of antlers laying around that you felt was not quite worthy of a shoulder mount.

Since you and your friend have seven other deer he's mounting, I don't know that it'd be wise to put the mount in your truck and head on down the road...

Good luck


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

Let me throw in a few things here. I am a taxidermist and have been dong it for over 30 years. One thing that bother me is the statement that the tanner switched the tags around. That doesn't sound kosher to me. I send all my shoulder mounts to the tannery and they all get a punch code to identify them not tags cuz tags get lost and most tanneries don't allow them - the tannery then punch codes them with my business code and records them to identify them throughout the process.

Now that being said the tannery doesn't guarantee the outcome of the tanning process and neither do I. If the hair falls off the skin,etc you buy or provide me with another cape. It's on my contract that all my customers sign along with fire, theft, flood etc.

What I'm reading into this is the taxi screwed up on the id of the capes, I've done it before also

If it was me when you picked up your mount you would be seeing a discount. At $625 for the mount I'm pretty sure I know who it is and I hope they take care of you.

Good Luck
WildThings


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## SSFIREMAN (Mar 16, 2005)

No money. His mistake his lost.


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## fabian31268 (Jul 31, 2005)

i bet your mount will still look great if hes any good. if the mount is crappy an not qaulity work them thats a differant story.ssfiremen if he does the work hes still entitled to be paid maybe a little discount even if you sued the courts would make you pay something if the work was qaulity .


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## hillbilly deluxe (Jun 7, 2007)

Here's what i would do If the cape is the same size and looks good after its mounted then i would try and work out a reasonable price. It's not your fault that he sent the tanning out to someone that doesn't keep up with there business and doesn't look like he does either. I dam sure would not pay full price its not what you took to have mounted you had to settle for something else that wasn't yours. But as long as it looks good then not to big of a deal. But i would be looking for a new Taxidermists!!!!!!

I have went through lot of them that start off good but go to hell fast. I think a lot Taxidermists maybe good at there job but bad business men they can't manage paper work or money well.

Stuff happens but when it come to a man hunt and his animals they better have there heads out there butts and know what they are doing because they can get there but sued big time. What if that was a 5000.00 animal what then. I THINK I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR A NEW TAXIDERMIST!!!!!! I just found a new one and he runs it like a business he does his own tanning. My last one in Refugio did the same kind of thing he had my Buck and lope for two years keep blaming it on the tanneries. I called the tannery they said they had never even had my animals in there shop. So when i got them back they hadn't even been skinned off the head.

GET YOUR BUCK AND FIND A NEW TAXI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

I picked up my mount today and it didn't go as planned. There was no discount offered and no remorse for the situation. Apparently the taxidermist isn't worried about losing my business and the +/- 10 mounts a year that me and my friends bring him. After 10 minutes of back and forth I laid the cash on the table and said "here's the balance, i am not leaving here happy with the situation, if your ok with that, then so be it.". And he let me walk out the door without any attempt to make it right. So now I don't feel in the wrong to tell you that I have been dealing with Ben Cromeens at Tri-State taxidermy. I will not be returning with mounts, nor will he get the business of my fellow lease members anymore. There wasn't much he could do to make the situation 100% right again, but he didn't even attempt to... I have a pet rock in my flower beds that has a better personality and business skills than Ben at Tri State taxidermy. If you like paying top dollar for someone who doesn't value your business at all then this is your place.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Well worded and you have every right to say what you said.

I was just talking about your situation on Saturday at a round table actually.

Sucks that you went through it. 

At a minimum, he should have at least made an attempt at an apology and an explanation.... 

You would be suprised at the attention that this board recieves and how word travels....


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

While on my soap box, it's a small world so if any of you 2coolers know Bill Heard (yes with Bill Heard Cheverolet) you can pass on that his son's deer was mounted with my buck's cape this year.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

Thanks Justin for the replies. This had been a very frustrating expirience to say the least. 

On another note, any good news on your duck mounts?


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Texas Saltwater Cowboy said:


> While on my soap box, it's a small world so if any of you 2coolers know Bill Heard (yes with Bill Heard Cheverolet) you can pass on that his son's deer was mounted with my buck's cape this year.


Ah, so that answers the question as to why he didnt want to approach the other customer about it.... Bill Heard = Prolly Big Money Customer

I wouldnt pass any blame on to Bill Heard or his dealership though. Without talking to him, they may be just as upset about the cape used.


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## TexasTshirt (Jun 29, 2008)

I'll make it a double patch and a split ear cape for a cold Billy! Should take bout five, ten minutes.


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## limpline (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks for posting his name. I want to be sure I don't send any of my mounts or the mounts of any of my friends to him. I would rather take a chance with someone unknown than to use someone that will do a customer that way.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

TexasTshirt said:


> I'll make it a double patch and a split ear cape for a cold Billy! Should take bout five, ten minutes.


That's what friends are for... I was wondering how long it would take before you started harassing me on here! Just one cold Billy and 10 minutes?? Doubtful. More like a fifth of JD and 4 hours..then at 2:00 a.m. You'll bust out a saws all and some white spray paint. Job done!


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

Sorry to hear it didn't turn out well. Email sent as requested


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Texas Saltwater Cowboy said:


> Thanks Justin for the replies. This had been a very frustrating expirience to say the least.
> 
> On another note, any good news on your duck mounts?


Not yet... I am getting a little nervous... I went over there the other day because I had this strange feeling that the idea of my poses were somewhat lost in the converstation, so I brought some pictures.... I really didnt get that warm cozy feeling that we were on the same page though. My deposit was pushing the 4 digit mark and was cashed within 2 days... and he wasnt sure if he could work his magic on them or not. So needless to say, I have a little knot in my stomach (it may just be gas... or maybe a ticket to the circus if its a fetus.... haha)

Needless to say, if mine doesnt work out... i am going to take into account your outcome and go with the "Kick in the Nuts and Run" approach....


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## Bluewaterbound (Aug 3, 2006)

When I googled Tri-State Taxidermy it shows to be located on Campbell in Houston.

www.*tristatetaxidermy*.com

Is that the shop ?

Just want to be clear so I know who *NOT* to take any of my work to.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

YES, That is the address but I don't believe he has a website. The website you have mentioned above is a taxidermist out of Pensilvania, which I don't brelieve has any affiliation.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

*Pictures of the Buck*

I just figured out how to attach pictures to the thread so below are a few shots of the buck we have been discussing (atleast i think they will be attached). Thanks for all the views and responses. It helped me have a better idea of what should have been the correct compensation. I'll try and quit beating a dead horse, or in this case a dead deer... The season is only a couple short months away so I hope to share some more up beat threads in the near future.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

*It happened again!!!*

I hate to be a downer but I have another story that needs to be shared. Despite my story and bad expirience, a friend of mine chose the convenient location of Tri State Taxidermy to his house in Memorial and dropped off a couple of older horn mounts to have Ben "professionally" re-do them (his first and second bucks he ever harvested). Simple and quick mount to do. Well, the other day he recieved the call that they were ready but he arrived only to find one set of horns were his and the other set was someone elses (Ben had no clue). Turns out that his set of horns were misplaced for another and that customer had already picked them up not knowing the difference.... Last update I heard is that Ben had to call the other client and have them return the set of horns and pick up the correct ones. I sure hope other clients of Tri State are recieving better service than this, becuase what my circle of friends have recieved has been poor to say the least.

Just keep this in mind when selecting a taxidermist. I am sure there are many other qualified taxidermist in close proximity to Houston that would appreciate your business and actually return to you the trophy which you dropped off.

On a brigther note, this year I made the decision to drive and drop off my trophy with Allen Palermo Taxidermy in Bryan/College Station. After picking it up last month, it was well worth the trip. He does take a little longer turning around the mounts but the quality is by far better than any of my other mounts (see pic below).


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## Tri-State (May 6, 2012)

*Is anybody ready for the facts of this situation?*

Howdy,
I am Ben Cromeens and I own and operate Tri-State Taxidermy. It is true that Texas Saltwater CowBOY brought a beautiful deer in October 2010 to us for a mount. It is also true that he did not receive the cape on his mount that belonged to his deer. However, I think there are many unreported details here that should be brought to the surface. 
First, within a six month period when CowBOY's deer came in we experienced an unpredictable experience with two tanners that do work for us. One company handled their situation very professionally and although they had to close their doors forever we were able to work out all issues with them. They were called Advantage Fur dressing if you want to research and confirm any of this. The second company is called Brazos Bend Tannery and they were forced into an unexpected move and did not handle all of their affairs during this time period as well as I had hoped. Communication was poor and it took and extended amount of time getting clients skins from them. When it was all said and done we still tracked down over 500 skins for clients with only 2 discrepancies, one of which was the deer for CowBOY. Many other very reputable taxidermists were pulled into this perfect storm of events in 2011 besides me and anyone is welcome to investigate this and see I am telling the truth. None the less whenever I knew anything for sure regarding the status of CowBOY's deer I notified him immediately. I never once dodged him or ignored his important situation. As for his accusation of "finger pointing" I wasn't doing any finger pointing. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS CAPE NOR WILL I PROBABLY EVER KNOW. How can you finger point when you don't have any answers at all? Regardless of these situations we still completed this job well within our normal turnaround time which is better than most of our competition. Just because we are doing an ongoing investigation in an attempt to return his cape to him we will not stop all other work on CowBoy's friends trophies.
Second, once I had exhausted all efforts and had determined that the cape would likely never be recovered I contacted CowBOY and explained our options. I had CowBOY come to the shop where I had laid out six of my very best skins so he could take his pick of which one he wanted his deer on. He wisely picked the same deer I would have in his shoes. It was a very large 21 inch with a beautiful double white throat patch. He then told me his only problem was that it did not have a torn ear like his deer had. I informed him that we would re-create the torn ear using pictures provided to us.
Third, the idea that I told him I had given his deer to someone else was just a speculation about a hypothetical scenario. It was strictly thinking out loud. I had no proof nor anyway to gain proof that his deer cape had been given to anyone else. Somehow from that Mr. Humphrey has decided that this other individual has his skin. The two deer talked about in the scenario were not widely different in size; they were widely different in color. That along with a tagging discrepancy is what had stirred my speculation and since I believed CowBOY deserved full disclosure of anything I was thinking I made the mistake of telling him. Which by the way this is the only fault I have with CowBOY at this time. I find it horribly unprofessional that he would include the name of this third party individual who at best might unwillingly be involved in this by a long shot. The person named in CowBOY's accusation of where his cape went does not deserve to be dragged through the mud of an internet lynching, period.
Fourth, I did not co-ordinate a meeting with CowBOY and my customer whom he believed to have his cape, because the deer was now in possession of a young boy. I am not going to subject children to a potential argument over possession with a grown man. No way, no how.
Last, I lost no money on this job and I made no money. The cape I replaced CowBOY's cape with was worth a minimum of $125. The loss I took from that more than ate up any profit I would have made from mounting his deer. If you don't believe me do some research on Taxidermy.net for 21 inch Texas, tanned double white patch capes. If making the taxidermist loose more money is what makes someone happy then there is more problems there than just a deer cape. When CowBOY picked up his deer he told me he didn't feel good in this situation. I looked him right in the eye and told him I felt awful about the situation, and I still do. No one was rude to Texas Saltwater CowBOY that day, and we at Tri-State always use situations like this to strengthen our service and our product. We will be here next season doing great mounts for clients just like we did this year.

Please skip forward to current situation in question.

Now that Texas Saltwater CowBOY has decided to further slander my business with childish mind I thought I would inform yall of the facts related to his latest post. His latest friend who came to pick up an antler mount did arrive to find out his antlers had been picked up by someone else. Two nine points were dropped off here within 2 days od each other. Both had the same name on the tags and the ID numbers were only 3 digits apart and the projects were exactly the same. It took about 2 minutes of research to figure out what had happened. Luckily the other client was very co-operative returned the other antler mount within 24 hours and we were able to get the entire situation ironed out in one day. By the way you failed to mention that I gave your friend a free repaint job on his synthetic skull and a %15 discount on his antler mount, but those niceties would not further you childish agenda.

You also now want to bost about How much better it is taking your things to Palermo Taxidermy. I thought you would like to know that when Brazos Bend Tannery had so many taxidermists over a barrel along with me, Palermo Taxidermy got screwed by them too. Who do you think Palermo Taxidermy called to help them locate some replacement capes? His good buddy Ben Cromeens at Tri-State Taxidermy, that's who! In no way does this reflect poorly on Palermo Taxidermy. They are a great company run by a good friend but they are proof that any of these unfortunate events could have happened or could still happen if your deer would have been dropped off with them.

Grow up and move on. That's as nice as I can put it. You have tred dangerously close to slander and I will not tollerate it anymore. Consider this a warning.


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## Texas Saltwater Cowboy (Jun 21, 2011)

I gratly appreciate the response to this post. I would like to start off with an apology regarding the third party mentioned. In the heat of the moment I threw a name into the mix, which I should not have. They were not at fault for my circumstance and should not have been mentioned. 

 An accusation of slander would mean that I have made a false statement or report. The reply from Tri-State above does confirm that everything in my post occurred. Everything stated regarding our conversations were as verbatim as I could possibly put it. This post can always be removed from the message board if it is deemed slanderous ( I am open for 2coolfishing to do so if they see that decision to be necessary). But again, from my position everything mentioned was truthful and actually occurred, not slander. 

In the poll above almost 80% of the votes thought there should be some sort of compensation. The owner and business were not mentioned anywhere on this post until I was allowed to walk out of the shop, with everyone involved fully aware that I was still unsatisfied. If a business is comfortable letting a customer walk out the door like that, there should be no issue with their name being associated with the service provided. 

I was very happy to hear my friend received some compensation. At the time of the most recent post, that situation had not been resolved. I cannot make a mention of something that has not yet occurred. 

The majority of members on 2coolfishing have joined the website because they are extremely passionate about hunting/fishing, the trophies they harvest (whatever they may be) and the memory that mounts and pictures provide us all. We are placing a HUGE amount of trust on a taxidermist when we decide to invest more money into the preservation of a trophy. Mistakes do happen and I understand that. The difference is how those mistakes are handled. In my industry (and most others out there), if a mistake is made, we have to own up to it and that will cost the company. We have no luxury to simply breakeven. 

I shared both mine and my friends experience with the general public and for that I cannot apologize. I believe that the "Grow up and move on" comment shows the members more of my expirience than anything that I could have ever typed up.


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