Who is your preferred taxidermist?

[slam8031]

Like many of you here, I have seen unbelievable work come from Dennis’ shop. And many members here have had great experiences with their taxidermy from Dennis. Like many of you (apparently from the PM’s and posts), I have experienced a lack of communication, lack of response, etc., concerning my current taxidermy with AOW. I appreciate or at least understand the impact of family issues and health concerns. Like Bivy has stated, that doesn’t answer or excuse all the issues that apparently many have had or currently are having. When we have invested time, made memories with family and friends for significant financial involvement, we come to believe that the taxidermy reflect those considerations as well.
I greatly appreciate, however, the candor with which Dwayne has communicated with me over the past two weeks. As an employee, he didn’t have to do anything. In my book he gets an A. And I also appreciate the kind words of wisdom from Royal and TedThorn and others. Hopefully Dennis gets healthy and can return to work as an artist. My hope is for a good resolution for us all.

 

[tedthorn]

I have taxidermy there as well but I can practice a little patience and a little perspective. It seems you can as well. The OP, well...

"practice a little patience"
"The OP, well..."
The OP decided to pay his bill and pull his capes and horns after 4.5 years of the worst communication possible.
Get back with us with a report when TAOW finishes up your stuff.

 

[tedthorn]

I have learned some shocking things this week....admonishing

Sadly......I talked with an anonymous member who is trying to recover his stuff only to find out most of it is missing or lost

 

[Ty Howard]

Myself

 

[tedthorn]

Myself

You have stuff lost or missing?

 

[BRICKBURN]

...........
The moderators on AH have been aware of issues for years and have made excuses time and time again. .................

Now mate you have pissed in the wrong guys Cheerios.

I take great exception to your accusation that I have made an excuse for anyone and further intimating that I have been dishonest or disingenuous now or at any point in time.


Here are the 3 PM replies to you on October 23, 2017.

1:

"Sorry to hear about the issues.
It is pretty obvious that Dennis is so busy he is not keeping up.

The sad thing is trust gets eroded without communication.

What did you agree on for pricing? Do you have an agreement?
Did you pay a deposit?" ​

2:

"Dennis has never given me any indication of dishonesty in his dealings.
He obviously sucks at the communications but never anything other than that.

If you have those numbers in an email I'd say you can count on them.

Send him a confirmation email with your understanding of your account.

If you are willing to wait for unfinished work, then I'd suggest you make that assumption to cut down on your stress.

Hope that helps"​

3:

"I have asked Dennis to contact some members, including you.
Here's hoping.

Wayne"​

@Bivy you entered into an arrangement with @The Artistry of Wildlife and did not create or sign a contract. I made a suggestion on the manner in which you might try to resolve YOUR ISSUE.

I shared my experience and understanding and made a suggestion about a possible avenue toward a resolution. As you noted, you contacted me and I then asked Dennis to contact you. That's it.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Fair warning from here on in I am going to beat a dead horse.



I don't ban members for posting an opinion or something I disagree with necessarily, unless you are breaking the rules and are just rude, ignorant, and disrespectful to others, etc. Personal attacks are typically not within the realm of respectful behaviour.

I encourage members to perform their own due diligence and protect themselves constantly. As I did with you @Bivy

I got really tired of reading the "I got ripped off" stories and that provided the motivation for me to volunteer my time as a Moderator.
The power of members sharing true, factual stories so others might learn.

Sponsors have been Banned from AH. I don't and won't hesitate to do so. I have been granted incredible latitude and have the unwavering support of the owner and I try and support a positive environment that is the basis for a great community. If there is an issue spit it out!


A great example of being blamed happened recently when a member posted their personal email address on the forum, AGAINST THE RULES. (Have you read the posting rules?)
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/remington-700-custom-shop-left-hand-458-win-mag.26178/

We did not catch it right away.
Some crook took the email address and proceeded to SCAM them by pretending to have the rifle for sale.
That member did not bother to read the entire thread and note that the RIFLE WAS SOLD 3 years before. They just expressed interest and posted their email address!

Then the member came back onto AH searching for the individual after it appeared that their money had disappeared. Which soon turned, in their confusion, to accusations about AH being hacked. AH has never been hacked, EVER. That does not stop people from making baseless accusations though.

The following thread follows that little debacle. You'll note the pictures form Google Streetview of the address provided for the recipient of the funds. Have a look at the house in the address. See if you can imagine somebody living in that low income housing project sending you an expensive rifle.
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/does-anyone-know-hntr58.53302/

LESSON: Don't post your damned email on AH. It's against the posting rules.

PRIVACY LESSON:
I also try and catch members who post photos of their shipping crates that have all kinds of personal details in the photo. Name, address phone number, etc. I make them aware I have changed their images and try and educate them. I don't catch everything.

I also have attempted to assist members in tracking down scammers or in other instances I sometimes help members to attempt to resolve conflicts. Just like I did with you @Bivy.

 

[BRICKBURN]

 

[Jeffrey Masters]

This is a hurricane that has been building for YEARS, not months. I apologize for not being more vocal on this page, and educating prospective clients about my own Artistry of Wildlife woes. My work was severely delayed several years ago; during a time of perceived good health. These struggles are not an anomaly due to the current circumstances, but sadly bad business practices. It is true that Dennis' work is exceptional; however, mistakes in the agreed upon pose, lack of communication, terrible record keeping, and blunt dishonesty persuaded me to distribute work to a few other studios in react years (namely Dewey Wildlife Studio and Huffaker Taxidermy).

During that time I had to contact Brickburn on AH to receive an answer from Dennis why my trophies completed in February 2017 had not shipped yet in October 2017. The moderators on AH have been aware of issues for years and have made excuses time and time again. That has been a great disappointment. My hopefully incorrect assumption is that with sponsorship comes grace. I have learned and taken so much from this site, and at times attempted to return dialogue to assist others based on my own experiences. Perhaps this post will ban me from future active participation on this forum. My hope is that it promotes a stronger vetting and evaluation process when accepting sponsorship from outfitters and industry professionals. Currently I place zero value on the sponsor badge when shopping for a safari.

For those of you with work currently at the Artistry of Wildlife studio, hopefully Duane will be willing to offer assistance retrieving your animals. I would be heading to Michigan as I type this if he would agree on an immediate retrieval date.

Thank you Bivy for your perspective. After reading this forum for a couple of years, I believe that no one here is more concerned about their mounts than about a mans health. Even so, no one can be blamed for their concern, especially after being told that our mounts were almost finished , and would be on my doorstep before Christmas. Latest from Duane, as of yesterday, was that the only clients that were being assisted were those with written evidence in Dennis's files, that could be verified. I understand that. We were instructed to wait two weeks and continue to call and see if we could reach Dennis at that time. Moving forward, much patience and understanding will be required. I don't think there are any other options.

 

[tedthorn]

I recieved a detailed invoice and inventory from Dewayne.

He said it was damn tough finding all of my stuff as it was scattered throughout the shop building and in numerous freezers and even including a personal freezer at Dennis Harris's residence. Only one piece couldn't be retrieved but it was not horns or a cape but rather a very very nice articulating "Africa" wall bracket I had provided to be used with all of my stuff....I have ten total in my possession so I'm fine as long as all the capes, horns and my elk shows up on Wednesday like Dewayne said it would.
Fingers crossed

 

[Buckdog]

I have read all of these posts with interest and I truly am sad for all of you including DENNIS. I know the frustration of waiting for your mounts, the constant excuses, etc, etc. I hope all of those involved can work things out. Dennis has never treated me wrong and his work is flawless But he is a horrible communicator and his turn around time is SLOW. Dennis I wish you a speedy recovery my friend BUT maybe this was a wake up call and here is some unsolicited advice my friend please re-evaluate your business model when you get better. Stop taking on more work than you can handle it isn't good for your health or the reputation of your business!!!

 

[Firebird]

So back to the topic-To be fair I am a taxidermist but I get to hide behind the fact that I only do birds and I do not accept "internet" work. Not a world champion but I have worked with my share and helped a number of them judge at those high level shows-in birds only. I've been in lots of studios\shops or whatever and competed in a number of western states. End of disclaimer. So recently my wooden crate showed up and I began disseminating my own personal trophies to those I deemed "Preferred."
I began by using four different tanneries. I can tell you who was good, bad and ugly not that you care, most were local anyway. Then three different taxidermists. To be fair my father in law is a big game taxidermist-thats how I met and eventually married his daughter, which is why my taxidermy is kind of free. (I pay all materials and tanning, shipping etc but so far he has not charged me a dime for labor.)
But I had some other guys do some of my african work for me based on what I have seen from them before. The vast majority of you don't need a world champion to do your work. For example-Do you really care if your impala's eyelashes are the right angle? Do you really know or care how many muscles are in a bushbucks ear? Hell no you dont and neither do 99% of the people who see your trophy room. BUT you do need a guy who has worked on african game before. My father in law had not done several species before so I had another guy do them. Maybe you have a croc or lion or leopard. Then by all means you should seek out a guy who has done a pile of them-and shows you pix of his work and gives you numbers to call for references. Just like before you booked that safari! Maybe you have ceiling height problems like I do so your animals eyes and nostrils will be closely scrutinized-they won't, people look at horns and teeth and claws and move on. But since other taxidermists hang out in my basement and my own clients hang out in my basement, I require a bit more detail and level of quality than MOST of you really need, especially if you have the luxury of hanging it high.
I visited a guy before my safari, doing due diligence and he showed me a bushbuck at eye level. It had been done in S. Africa. I thought it was awful-nostrils filled with clay and painted with a brush, no detail in the ear butts and overglossed eyes. BUT he thought it was awesome and encouraged me to save a couple bucks and have it done over there. . . Eye of the beholder I guess.
So my number one pick so far-preferred over even my own family-Easily Merlin Anderson in Sandy, Utah. He tans his own, makes most his own forms and has done african work for decades. He's a bit older and he struggles with arthritis. He will print you an invoice with a quote and you will sign it before the work is begun and when it is finished. He did my blue wildebeest, red hartebeest and sable. In under six months. I couldn't pay him that fast! My brother was so pleased that he took all his animals there. We marveled at the cape buffalo he had just finished and enjoyed pix of the limpopo bushbuck he had killed recently. He answered texts and was true to his word. He told us he is bored by mule deer and elk and only would do african animals if he could. He has a nice shop, clean and is available during normal business hours. When I arranged a trophy importer, Hunter International Brokerage Services, they said they had worked with Merlin before and he could accept my shipment at his house. (I had it shipped to my house after it was cleared in Cal.) But that reference was reassuring. So Merlin is my number one preferred.
Father in Law is number two but I go "hands on" on that stuff and get to put in lots of my own 2cents on my own projects. Price is right (Duuhhhh) but his work is excellent so no complaints there.
My mis step came from using another young up and coming local guy. We have hunted together many times and I've done work for him, and him for me. He handled some out of state tanning for me that turned into a debacle. This is a friend of mine and he was non communicado for two months! Having my 6'2" 230 pound angriness show up on his doorstep solved most of that. He is still trying to find a couple things for me. I took everything else that day and he will not be doing anymore work for me, nor I for him. Thats a friend of mine and he still pulled that crap on me. It happens, to me and sometimes to other good folks.
So my opinion is do your diligence, use someone that stands up to the references and good luck. Sorry for the long post, and in closing, don't mess with "the Brickburn" wink wink

 

[tedthorn]

^^^^^^^^^
Great Post

 

[Rickmt]

I am very sad for Dennis. There is nothing more important than a persons health.
The work overload I am reading about concerns me as I have 16 heads/ skins with either the tanner or Dennis right now.
I would appreciate any perspective any of you can share with me. PM only please.
Also , I sent my heads to Dennis because of the positive reviews in this forum and I would urge everyone at all times to be respectful of one another and honest at the same time.
I had a post deleted by the moderators when I made a negative comment about a sponsor but it was the truth . I understand the moderators business interests and respect their decision to remove my post at the time.

 

[Henrique Maia]

Do not use the one I had to go, after all says and done, he send me a zebra skin full of holes, beware with this guys

 

[ShortMag]

"practice a little patience"
"The OP, well..."
The OP decided to pay his bill and pull his capes and horns after 4.5 years of the worst communication possible.
Get back with us with a report when TAOW finishes up your stuff.

From reading this thread and both sides of the story it sounds like Dennis accommodated your wish to spread the work and payments out over time and then you became unhappy with the exact length of that time and the poor communication. I don't know if that is true or not but if it is, I can't imagine many taxidermists being quite so willing to accommodate such an extended payment/work schedule for the very reason that it will likely lead to impatience when the customer is able to pay and the work is not done. Not to mention the delays such an accommodation is likely to introduce into other projects.

While I appreciate your concern for my taxidermy, I have to say that Dennis' communication with me has been better than I've come to expect from reading most of the comments on this forum. I haven't felt the need to contact him constantly for updates thus far but when I have contacted him he has always responded in short order. I will reevaluate the situation once Dennis is back on his feet but unless something changes for the negative in the communication or quality or work I'm prepared to be patient for now. If things do change, then I'm perfectly willing to pay my bill for the work done, retrieve my hides/horns and move on to another taxidermist. I'll be happy to post photos of my work when it is finished... whether or not Dennis does the work. Be sure to post yours as well.

 

[tedthorn]

From reading this thread and both sides of the story it sounds like Dennis accommodated your wish to spread the work and payments out over time and then you became unhappy with the exact length of that time and the poor communication. I don't know if that is true or not but if it is, I can't imagine many taxidermists being quite so willing to accommodate such an extended payment/work schedule for the very reason that it will likely lead to impatience when the customer is able to pay and the work is not done. Not to mention the delays such an accommodation is likely to introduce into other projects.

While I appreciate your concern for my taxidermy, I have to say that Dennis' communication with me has been better than I've come to expect from reading most of the comments on this forum. I haven't felt the need to contact him constantly for updates thus far but when I have contacted him he has always responded in short order. I will reevaluate the situation once Dennis is back on his feet but unless something changes for the negative in the communication or quality or work I'm prepared to be patient for now. If things do change, then I'm perfectly willing to pay my bill for the work done, retrieve my hides/horns and move on to another taxidermist. I'll be happy to post photos of my work when it is finished... whether or not Dennis does the work. Be sure to post yours as well.

The pictures of the mounts TAOW has done for me (3) total out of (10) in 4.5 years have and are posted.

 

[ShortMag]

The pictures of the mounts TAOW has done for me (3) total out of (10) in 4.5 years have and are posted.

I meant when you find a new taxidermist you are happy with to finish the remainder.

 

[tedthorn]

I meant when you find a new taxidermist you are happy with to finish the remainder.

Have you talked with Dewayne?

 

[tedthorn]

Dwayne delivered!!!!!!

Outstanding!!!!!!