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big28hunter
Guest
Unreal! Sorry about that. He should be held accountable. Small claims court. Best of luck and not to add salt to the wound but what a STUD.
A REALLY bad day !!!
- Thread starter Trigger50
- Start date
BuzzH
Well-known member
Trigger50,
I'm going to offer you up some different advice from what most have posted.
I had nearly the exact thing happen on my best mule deer, over 180 gross, shot on a general tag in Wyoming, after a lot of effort.
I shot it right at dark, and I got pictures, but not the best.
My taxidermist, which I found out later, was a complete crook. I'm sure my buck was sold to someone to pay off his debts...he claimed someone else took it while he wasnt there. The guy was also a chronic poacher and finally got caught, prosecuted, and last I heard was in jail for violating his probation.
Anyway, when it happened, I felt sort of the same way...at first I just wanted to drag the guy out of his shop and beat him with a metal pipe, tire iron, or 2x4.
After giving some really honest thought to situation I soon realized there just werent any options that would work out in my favor.
Yeah, I could have taken him to court, I undoubtedly would have won. The problem becomes one of applying value to a "trophy". To the guy that shot the buck/bull whatever, its darn near priceless. But, the court has to assign value to make you "whole"...and frankly, your antelope cape, horns, and mount arent going to be worth much. I doubt any court is going to replace the value of your tag, cost of your fuel, any of that. In the end, you'll still not have your pronghorn.
What I ended up doing, was absolutely nothing. Largely, unless he turns up your buck, there just isnt going to be anything done about it to make it "right".
I also soon realized, it really doesnt matter that I dont have my best mule deer buck hanging on the wall. I KNOW that I shot that buck, I KNOW the amount of effort it took, and I KNOW that nobody can take that experience away.
To me, it should be good enough just knowing what you accomplished, without having the mount.
I also see that you have some great pictures, you obviously had a great time, and the hunt was special to you.
Thats the best part of that trophy...and better than any mounted head you'll have on the wall...and by a landslide, at a minimum.
Oh, and if you want something for the wall...I have 30+ pronghorn Euro's including several that are in the size range of the one you shot. One sort of close to what you have there...you're welcome to it.
I'm going to offer you up some different advice from what most have posted.
I had nearly the exact thing happen on my best mule deer, over 180 gross, shot on a general tag in Wyoming, after a lot of effort.
I shot it right at dark, and I got pictures, but not the best.
My taxidermist, which I found out later, was a complete crook. I'm sure my buck was sold to someone to pay off his debts...he claimed someone else took it while he wasnt there. The guy was also a chronic poacher and finally got caught, prosecuted, and last I heard was in jail for violating his probation.
Anyway, when it happened, I felt sort of the same way...at first I just wanted to drag the guy out of his shop and beat him with a metal pipe, tire iron, or 2x4.
After giving some really honest thought to situation I soon realized there just werent any options that would work out in my favor.
Yeah, I could have taken him to court, I undoubtedly would have won. The problem becomes one of applying value to a "trophy". To the guy that shot the buck/bull whatever, its darn near priceless. But, the court has to assign value to make you "whole"...and frankly, your antelope cape, horns, and mount arent going to be worth much. I doubt any court is going to replace the value of your tag, cost of your fuel, any of that. In the end, you'll still not have your pronghorn.
What I ended up doing, was absolutely nothing. Largely, unless he turns up your buck, there just isnt going to be anything done about it to make it "right".
I also soon realized, it really doesnt matter that I dont have my best mule deer buck hanging on the wall. I KNOW that I shot that buck, I KNOW the amount of effort it took, and I KNOW that nobody can take that experience away.
To me, it should be good enough just knowing what you accomplished, without having the mount.
I also see that you have some great pictures, you obviously had a great time, and the hunt was special to you.
Thats the best part of that trophy...and better than any mounted head you'll have on the wall...and by a landslide, at a minimum.
Oh, and if you want something for the wall...I have 30+ pronghorn Euro's including several that are in the size range of the one you shot. One sort of close to what you have there...you're welcome to it.
I would make a visit to him, accompanied with a friend as a witness and calmly, politely but firmly tell him you want some answers in 3-4 days and I would make it very plain you want your skull/horns back and will settle for nothing less - and mean it. What he can't do in 4 days he can't get done in 2 weeks and then I would turn the dogs loose. He should have had an answer to you within days but knowing those kind of people - out of site out of mind, hope you go away. Two bits he tries turning this around and making it your fault?.
I wouldn't back off one step. He needs to be the one feeling the pressure.
Go to the game warden with your witness.
Good luck - you didn't cause this problem and you need to keep reminding yourself of that.
idnative1948
Well-known member
Buzz made some very valid points. It made me take a deep breath and re-think what I wanted to post in defense of the OP.
nmtaxi
Active member
That sucks. What the heck kind of taxidermist has to send out the horns to be boiled?
bigskyblueman
Member
Sad outcome to your hunt. My first thoughts were , either someone wandered in his shop, saw the mount, and offered him a sizeable sum of money for it, or, he had a buyer already lined up beforehand . I would insist that the game warden follow up and put some heat on this guy. Start at the top with the chief law enforcement official of your fish and game agency. Anyone can make a mistake, but his reaction to the situation looks suspicious.
Buzz is nuts on and I couldn't agree with him more but if this wasn't an honest mistake and this guy did something with your head then he needs to face the music. Buzz is right in that there is not much you can do for yourself or your head - but you may be able to help the next guy is all that I am saying.
The problem with the taxi business is when you have a lazy one is that they live/operate off the deposits and don't complete some work. It snowballs from there. If this guy isn't operating on the up and up he probably is COD with his material suppliers, if they will sell to him at all, and things just get worse fast.
I was involved with a similar situation many years ago with a taxi. In all out word appearance this taxi was as good as they come - Involved with SCI, RMEF etc., etc.. Come to find out, all that also involved a gambling and drug habit. Not insinuating anything like this is the case in your situation but there may be more to this story than ONE misplaced head. I sure hope that is not the case in your situation.
Buzz makes a lot of valid points - but after what I went through, I just wouldn't want this senerio to repeat for someone else.
genesis273
Well-known member
The wrong persons finger was in wrong persons face! Should have been the other way around!
I can't think of anything much you could do except to put the heat on this guy by reporting to the Fish and Game, and other potential customers. In the end, your most likely going to loose, but you can put him through some misery. Just be careful that he doesn't turn the table on you for "defamation of character" if you do.
Now as a learning tool for me who is planning a hunt in Oct. Is there anything you can do to mark the horns in an unseen part to help identify? I don't care if I killed a 50" buck and ended up with a 72" from the taxi. I want my buck! I even process my own meat for this reason, and it's just meat.
Good luck in sorting this out. I hope it turns out we""
I can't think of anything much you could do except to put the heat on this guy by reporting to the Fish and Game, and other potential customers. In the end, your most likely going to loose, but you can put him through some misery. Just be careful that he doesn't turn the table on you for "defamation of character" if you do.
Now as a learning tool for me who is planning a hunt in Oct. Is there anything you can do to mark the horns in an unseen part to help identify? I don't care if I killed a 50" buck and ended up with a 72" from the taxi. I want my buck! I even process my own meat for this reason, and it's just meat.
Good luck in sorting this out. I hope it turns out we""
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Topgun 30-06
Active member
IMHO BuzzH has the best post regarding this mess! I'd still go to the guy and sit down with him when other customers aren't around to see if something can be worked out to find the horns if he sent them somewhere to be boiled out or in the big freezer at his place that you mentioned. I also don't know why he would need to send them out to be boiled because it's a simple hour process, unless the place he sends them to does a complete cleanup of the skull and sends it back all set to be put on the plaque when the customer is buying a Euromount. Other than that BuzzH has pretty well hit on it because you won't recover enough money, if any, to recoup your losses and I don't know how a Game Warden could do anything in a situation like we're talking about. It's not like the guy is trafficking in illegal animals, hides, etc. that they would want to investigate. Good luck and let us know the final outcome and let's pray that the horns miraculously turn up out of the blue!
Genesis273---The horns could have a metal tag wrapped around them up above where they would be boiled to indicate who owns them, but they really should have had something like that attached to the horns or skull by the taxidermist himself to do that if he's sending stuff off the premises. In fact, unless he is only doing one mount he should be marking them for positive identification even if they aren't going to leave his shop. He either screwed up and didn't do that when he sent them out or the company that boiled them out and sent them back lost the ID tag or whatever that caused the wrong horns coming back to the taxi. How the taxi could accuse the OP of scamming him is beyond me!
Genesis273---The horns could have a metal tag wrapped around them up above where they would be boiled to indicate who owns them, but they really should have had something like that attached to the horns or skull by the taxidermist himself to do that if he's sending stuff off the premises. In fact, unless he is only doing one mount he should be marking them for positive identification even if they aren't going to leave his shop. He either screwed up and didn't do that when he sent them out or the company that boiled them out and sent them back lost the ID tag or whatever that caused the wrong horns coming back to the taxi. How the taxi could accuse the OP of scamming him is beyond me!
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Let a couple days go by and talk to him. First of all you should get something from him in compensation and at the minimum your next lope mount for free. Take those photos you have and get them made into 8X10's and frame them and put them in area you were going to hang the mount.
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Elkmagnet
Well-known member
I don't think taking him to court has anything to do with you getting compensation. You will not be compensated short of you getting your horns back.
Do everything you can to get your horns back and when all else fails take his butt to court to hold him somewhat accountable. Its a principle thing show him that people are serious about getting their animals back so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
The reason I think Buzz is wrong is because by not doing anything you're basically giving him the green light to do it to the next guy.
I look at it this way- if the last guy had taken him to court over it you might be staring at your horns on the wall right now! Never knowing the bullet dodged!
Do everything you can to get your horns back and when all else fails take his butt to court to hold him somewhat accountable. Its a principle thing show him that people are serious about getting their animals back so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
The reason I think Buzz is wrong is because by not doing anything you're basically giving him the green light to do it to the next guy.
I look at it this way- if the last guy had taken him to court over it you might be staring at your horns on the wall right now! Never knowing the bullet dodged!
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big28hunter
Guest
Totally agree!
Steelhead
Active member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
- Messages
- 701
Did anyone else catch BUZZ's truly selfless act of generosity??!!
This is what I was thinking.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Yep..the advice is sound and the offer generous.
MinnesotaHunter
Well-known member
Aweful nice offer, Buzz.
Tim- If nothing else, PM me who did this. I am from the area, and if he is not able to try and do right by you, we can ensure a bunch of other people don't support his business and potentially get screwed.
Someone beat me to it, but what a generours offer from Buzz. Very impressive.
I do think you need to follow up to some degree. This could have happened from 1 of 2 different angles. He could be a totally honest person that made a mistake, or the same for the guy who boiled it. In either case, if the taxi did nothing on purpose, I think you do your best to find the horns, ask him to help you and if nothing turns up, then you follow Buzz's advice.
However, if you truly believe that this was done on purpose (ie selling them), then I think you need to take appropriate legal action. As was stated, this will hopefully stop this from happening to the next guy.
Could you at least post the town this took place in as I have some things with taxis in MN that I trust, but you are giving me the willies!
I do think you need to follow up to some degree. This could have happened from 1 of 2 different angles. He could be a totally honest person that made a mistake, or the same for the guy who boiled it. In either case, if the taxi did nothing on purpose, I think you do your best to find the horns, ask him to help you and if nothing turns up, then you follow Buzz's advice.
However, if you truly believe that this was done on purpose (ie selling them), then I think you need to take appropriate legal action. As was stated, this will hopefully stop this from happening to the next guy.
Could you at least post the town this took place in as I have some things with taxis in MN that I trust, but you are giving me the willies!
DreaminofMT6X6s
Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2010
- Messages
- 800
Small claims for sure!
