That turkey is not really what I wanted. I just realized- 1) you can't see the spurs and the 2) beard doesn't appear 12" as measured after I killed him. I told him I wanted "half strut gobbling on a limb"
I told him I wanted that because I wanted to show off the beard and spurs which this bird had a long beard and dangerously sharp, long curved spurs.
As you can see in my mount the spurs are not properly displayed and the beard is showing looking like 10" or less in length. I think I may need to talk to him about that.
I want to see the spurs. I'm a spur guy.
What would you do? I haven't paid on full yet. An to be honest, at this point I want the beard spurs and fan and a refund.
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg254/archer1983/AD22A5CA-13EA-47ED-B81E-B8FE94474C67-13835-00000C03F06DE8F9.jpg)
If it wasn't what you agreed on, I'd talk to him about it. Hope you get it fixed.
The sooner you talk the better. Beard looks good to me but I agree on seeing the spurs.
I can't see the beard in the photo but he appears to be in half stut. He should have exposed the spurs. Talk to him, if he wants anymore work, he'll fix it.
Be nice.
Quote from: CT Spur Collector on December 26, 2012, 01:32:10 PM
I can't see the beard in the photo but he appears to be in half stut. He should have exposed the spurs. Talk to him, if he wants anymore work, he'll fix it.
Be nice.
I have left him a message, he has always been very prompt at calling me back.
As far as being nice, that part may be difficult.
Bottom line is; if I can't see the spurs, I'm not paying.
I usually don't comment on turkey mounts because if you don't have a turkey taxidermist mount your bird it usually doesn't look good. I personally don't think the bird will turn out very good even if the spurs are showing. Take a look at a good turkey taxidermists mounts and compare. Here is a link to birdsonly. That mount wouldn't even go in my garage. JMO
TRKYHTR
http://birdsonly1.shutterfly.com/2011pictures/156#54
Hopefully it hasn't dried too much and he can make the changes as I would not be happy with it either for your reasons and more. As TRKYHTR mentioned, I would find a taxidermist that is known for his turkey mounts or specially mounts birds and nothing else. I send all my waterfowl to another state to have mounted to a taxidermist that only mounts birds and nothing else. They all look like they could fly away at any moment. Good luck getting it corrected, I hope you get it worked out.
TRKYHTR, is that your bird? That is truly a FINE looking mount!!
I'm not highjacking this thread, but that mount with the peeps and mushrooms in it is amazing!
Birds Only explains why James Beard is so good. He only does turkeys. He has several good examples of what you want with spurs visible.
I think it's reasonable not to pay if you don't get what you asked for. Good luck
Quote from: Turkey Beard on December 26, 2012, 06:47:57 PM
TRKYHTR, is that your bird? That is truly a FINE looking mount!!
If you are talking about the gobbler on birdsonly's page, no that is not my mount, but I do know what a good mount looks like. I have mounted a few turkeys and am nowhere near Mr Beard and several others. I do know that turkeys are totally different than any other taxidermy mount. Some guys are good with deer and mammals some are not. Some are good with birds and some are not. Then there is the turkey guys. Here is my last gobbler that I mounted. Like I said I am not a taxidermist just a jack of all trades master of none. LoL
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff214/trkyhtr/011-17.jpg)
Dang those are some nice mounts. I don't really have thousands of dollars to send birds off like that but I can def see the difference. I guess ya get what ya pay for!
I spoke with him tonight and he's willing to fix it to make me happy he said. He never gave me a worse case scenario though? I'd imagine if I'm not happy we can go down that road when the time comes.
My very first question about your mount would be "is it finished yet"? Obviously, without the head, it appears to me that he was still in the process of mounting the bird when you stopped in and took the picture. If the taxidermist was still working on the bird, which he obviously was, there is no reason to get concerned about it just yet. The entire process of mounting turkeys requires patience and a number of steps to produce the desired product.
I looks to me like he had not done the final body, wing, tail, or feather placement on the bird yet,...which is all part of the mounting process. If it looks like that after the head is attached and he says "it's done", then you got a really poor mount from a taxidermist that does not know how to do turkeys. However, it looks to me like you stopped in on the day he was mounting the bird and it is nowhere near complete. Of course, if that is the case, he should have pointed that out to you at the time.
Assuming the bird is still at the taxidermist shop, go back and look at the bird again to see if it still looks that way before panicking about it. I could be wrong, but you may find something completely different than you expect now,...of course, I could well be wrong about that.
Having said that, if the mount ends up not being satisfactory, you can always get a replacement cape from your next bird and use the spurs and beard from this bird with the new cape and repeat the mounting process with someone that knows what they are doing. All is not lost if this mount does not meet your expectations.
As others have mentioned, turkey taxidermy is a art and skill that many taxidermists don't have the patience to acquire, and some will never get it down. The real masters at turkey taxidermy are just as gifted as skilled artists.
I would respectfully offer an opinion that differs from Gobblenut. This bird appears to be in the drying phase and whether it is completely cured or not, the posture is set and the posture is bad. Really bad. Once things start drying, it is too late to make any major adjustments. The legs are way too short and the wings are all wrong. I would not pay at all for this bird. The spurs cannot be used on a future mount, only the entire legs, so if he mounted the feet wrong, (angle, painting, curing, etc. ) they are unusable for a future mount. I really feel bad for you Spring Woods, because that was an impressive bird!
I go to Cally Morris at Hazel Creek in Missouri. I had a lot of my friends laugh at me when I told them what I was paying but you look at this thing every day of your life, and trophies like this only come by so often. If money was an issue, I would rather not get a bird mounted as this would be a source of anger for me every time I looked at it. This is a very unfortrunate situation. Sorry this happened to such an awesome bird!
My son-in-law is a taxidermist, too, and he is just flat scared to work on turkeys. He'll do them and do a nice job, too, but he sure doesn't go out LOOKING for more!
When I talked to him he acted like it was no big deal to fix.
I really hope he can or I'll get my money back along with the legs, beard and fan.
Once again, just to try to ease your mind a bit, I haven't kept track but have mounted probably in the neighborhood of 75 turkeys, perhaps more. I can assure you without reservation that even if this guy ends of making a complete mess of your bird, you can take the legs/spurs and beard from the mount and use them with another cape and end up with a mount that you would never know was not from the original bird. I have done so a number of times, and there is nothing to it.
When mounting a turkey, the bird can be manipulated in terms of posture and feather placement for at least a few days after the mount is started, and probably more like a week or more. I have changed postures on birds that had been dried for months before to improve their appearance.
In the case of your mount, since the taxidermist had not even attached the head yet,...which is generally done on the first day of the mounting process, and is definitely done while the birds cape is still pliable, I am still assuming that he had not started the final posturing or feather placement on your bird.
In looking at the positioning of the mount in the picture you took, it appears your taxidermist is giving you a "gobbling on the roost" mount. Of course, the head has to be attached and either glued or pinned in place and in the correct posture in relation to the body. The posturing of the bird is not bad at this point, but the legs need to be straightened a bit to raise the body and expose the spurs. The wings will likely need to be raised, as well. Then the cape will need to be adjusted and filled out to raise the feathers in the proper locations. And finally, the feathers on the entire cape have to be tediously placed and straightened in relation to each other. I am going to guess that your taxidermist, if he knows what he is doing, has been doing all of these things since you took the picture.
At any rate, post some pictures of the final product for us so we can see it. But do not fret, my friend, you can salvage your trophy regardless of whether or not this mount turns out the way you want it.
This any better?
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg254/archer1983/5D9CB7AD-0DC5-4AF4-BBA7-7A296BDF4E2B-16698-00000DC8F49F89DA.jpg)
Looks the same but from a different angle. Where is the head? ...And how long has the mount been like it is in the picture?
He moved the wings up and back a little, so you can see the spurs. In the first pic the wing tips were below the log. The feathers look like they are dry. The back feathers are standing up but the transition between the neck feathers and the back feathers are horrible. This is a picture of a gobbling turkey. You can see how the neck feathers transition together with the back feathers. Plus when a turkey gobbles his tail dips downward like the pic. Not up like your turkey. You can also see how high the wings are so that you can see the spurs. Your mount don't look anything like this turkey. Plus the grooming is horrible. Also notice how the beard sticks out, while your gobblers beard is against the breast feathers. JMO
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff214/trkyhtr/Gobblin.jpg)
Quote from: GobbleNut on December 27, 2012, 09:42:49 PM
Looks the same but from a different angle. Where is the head? ...And how long has the mount been like it is in the picture?
I'm not sure? I went in Friday before Christmas and snapped the first pic and he just sent me the revised pic tonight?
What should I tell him to do?
I see what your saying but I'm positive it's probably too dry to do any drastic changes like you've proposed.
In the pic you have the turkey is gobbling on the ground. I asked for half strut gobbling on a limb. The bird in your pic is dropping strut to gobble. Or in the process of gobbling. A different pose, at least in my mind. Lol
I told myself as long as it's fixed without damaging it I would probably accept it and keep it as a lesson learned. The only stipulation was if I absolutely cannot live with it. I'd go down the path as listed above in a new mount but same features.
Quote from: TRKYHTR on December 27, 2012, 10:13:20 PM
He moved the wings up and back a little, so you can see the spurs. In the first pic the wing tips were below the log. The feathers look like they are dry. The back feathers are standing up but the transition between the neck feathers and the back feathers are horrible. This is a picture of a gobbling turkey. You can see how the neck feathers transition together with the back feathers. Plus when a turkey gobbles his tail dips downward like the pic. Not up like your turkey. You can also see how high the wings are so that you can see the spurs. Your mount don't look anything like this turkey. Plus the grooming is horrible. Also notice how the beard sticks out, while your gobblers beard is against the breast feathers. JMO
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff214/trkyhtr/Gobblin.jpg)
Here is another picture of gobbling turkeys.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff214/trkyhtr/Gblintrio.jpg)
If the mount has been sitting in that pose without the head attached for more than a few days, he will most likely not be able to fix it in an acceptable manner. He apparently has not mounted many turkeys, or knows something I don't, if he thinks he can make that bird look acceptable if it has been drying for long in that position.
One thing I have never tried , but have contemplated doing, is to soak the entire mount in a barrel of water to re-hydrate the cape and start over from the beginning. Might work,...might not,...I'm not sure. Really though, the best thing for you to do at this point, assuming the mount turns out like it is looking like it will,...that is, pretty bad,...would be to keep it until you get your next mature gobbler cape, and then have somebody that knows what they are doing remount it for you with the legs and/or spurs and the beard. It can be easily be done.
Besides the bad experience and lesson learned, you will never know the difference. In the meantime, if you are not satisfied, get as much of your money back as you can. Hopefully, the reason he had not attached the head is because he had sent it off to be freeze-dried (always insist on a freeze-dried head for your turkey mounts), and has not got it back yet. If you are going to end up taking a screwing in terms of getting your money refunded, at least make sure you get the bird and the head for what you have deposited. A finished, freeze-dried head alone is worth about 75 bucks., and having it should save you about that much in a future mount cost.
Yeah the head was freeze dried. He has it. Just needs to paint it and put it on.
Quote from: Spring_Woods on December 27, 2012, 12:25:18 AM
Dang those are some nice mounts. I don't really have thousands of dollars to send birds off like that but I can def see the difference. I guess ya get what ya pay for!
Here's a guy in VA that is great on turkeys plus his price way less than most others. He says he can't charge any more because he's in a remote area and it would cut his business if he raised his prices.
http://mcguiresfreezedrytaxidermy.com/
Quote from: barry on December 28, 2012, 10:46:22 AM
Quote from: Spring_Woods on December 27, 2012, 12:25:18 AM
Dang those are some nice mounts. I don't really have thousands of dollars to send birds off like that but I can def see the difference. I guess ya get what ya pay for!
Here's a guy in VA that is great on turkeys plus his price way less than most others. He says he can't charge any more because he's in a remote area and it would cut his business if he raised his prices.
http://mcguiresfreezedrytaxidermy.com/
Wow. From what I browsed through it looks like he does quality work especially for under $500.
Thanks for the link!!!!
(My bird) To the guys credit, he really does have poor lighting where this picture was taken and I'm sure it was taken with a cell phone. In better light it may appear a little better. Idk
If McGuire's does the quality of work shown in the pics on all his turkeys, that is well worth the money. Those are great looking mounts, for sure. Not too many guys that can do that quality of work, and the ones that do that I know of do not do it for that kind of price.
Quote from: GobbleNut on December 28, 2012, 03:33:17 PM
If McGuire's does the quality of work shown in the pics on all his turkeys, that is well worth the money. Those are great looking mounts, for sure. Not too many guys that can do that quality of work, and the ones that do that I know of do not do it for that kind of price.
Truthfully, I don't think the pics do justice to his work. I've seen a good number of his mounts and they are as lifelike as can be.
(http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/Gobln2/th_001-31.jpg)
Here's an Osceola that McGuire's did for me last year !
vaturkey :newmascot:
I really like that pose. Does he take birds through mail?
Quote from: Spring_Woods on December 28, 2012, 11:10:47 PM
I really like that pose. Does he take birds through mail?
Give him a call. Tell him I told you about him.
Will do. Thanks barry! :icon_thumright:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg254/archer1983/08AB3715-05B9-4EFF-9127-025A1FD9468F-36949-00001F96AD74F147.jpg)