So, you class yourself as a professional taxidermist.

Six months after your promised delivery date, after regular contact, you say that the piece has been shipped.

You post a completed mount to Spain, but don't insure it or keep postal receipts/tracking number. Then you magically find the receipt and can send all details of the 'lost' package to the Post Office, but don't have any record of the address or details of the claim/tracking number etc. You also have no pictures of the completed mount - all things that could make your client think you were lying, every time you opened your mouth.

Then, the lost package is 'found' in UK customs & requires a letter confirming that the beast was legally taken & not subject to CITES - however, you have no record of which address you sent this information to... & thus STILL nothing to prove you have ever dispatched the mount.

A year after agreed delivery & at this point I lost my cool and paid the gentleman a visit - set out the situation and my expectations for the future. A day later, confirmation by Email that he had 'found' the receipt and tracking number - but this was never provided.

Five weeks later, the Spanish shooter who asked that his first Munti be mounted (not a trophy beast - but his first) sends an Email to let me know the mount had arrived & expressing his complete horror at quality of the work.









Folks, I am quite happy to back up all I have written with appropriate Emails, but am really posting this to try and ensure that others do not make the mistake of paying in advance for this quality of work. This is the work of the professional taxidermist 'Tom Elliot', a man who is not worried about bad press ' because he already has work for the next two years in his freezer'!

Do not waste your money - it is fools like this that give taxidermy a bad name!

Rgds

Ian Farrington

Shocking!

Thanks for the warning Ian.

I have been curious about the background and training of so call "professionals" within the shooting industry in the UK

I have come across "professional" gunsmith who were

Game keepers
Machinist contractors
Forestry rangers
Telecom engineers
Gunshot managers
Advertising executives
Retired account managers
Ex-territorial army who spent 8 weeks with a gunsmith in the us

Etc etc.

Gunship owners who were

Office workers
Air freight forwarder
Taxi driver
Pub owner

Those in the know will spot whom I am talking about

I think there are at most 2 may be 3 real gunsmiths in the UK

Such a sad state of play and all profess to be professional with years of experience

I have been trying to find a taxidermist in the uk for full body mounts of dangerous game to no avail

Thanks Ian for the warning

Must get together some time

It is long overdue......

Looks shocking Ian! Sorry to say there is one bad taxidermist in my opinion!

The best ive found are Paul Taylor, Claire Fowler and Colin Dunton.

Wow, that looks like it has been ragged by a pair of lurchers! I can only imagine the poor hunter's dissapointment upon opening the long awaited box. What a shame.

I wouldnt be happy if inhad paid forvthat. my
one experience is Bill Bartlett who mounted a very nice Roe Buck for me. He was happy to show me his work before he undertook my mount, and I recall paying a deposit, but not paying the balance until I took delivery.

"paid the gentleman a visit - set out the situation and my expectations for the future."

You're such a Gent Ian!
Thanks for posting it up. If I ever want a mount of a Munty chewing a mouthfull of Wasps, I'll know where to go.

The muntjac even looks pissed off about the whole situation.

Good lord, that is horrible!

Make the bad man stop... please burn that thing!

quote:

Originally posted by Orvar:
Good lord, that is horrible!

Make the bad man stop... please burn that thing!

+1!

I have seen total amateurs making a much better first time mount than that.
And they did that without any guidance than just a taxidermy book.

To charge for that sort of "job" is just plain scamming.

quote:

Originally posted by SDR:
The muntjac even looks pissed off about the whole situation.

That's what I was thinking too.

That's an angry looking little deer. I've seen plenty of DG mounted as though they were Pre Charge. I've never seen a Pre Drunken Bar Fight mount before though.

sad to see this type of taxidermy work!! what a crock!hope you will get your money back !

Ian,
I have to disagree with your comments!Anyone who can make a Munty look like that has to have some sort of skill,lets face it,if you asked some of the proffesional stuffers to make a munty look angry/pissed off/and flea ridden they would struggle.
So my hat goes off to this individual who has created such a beast,well done!

regards
Griff