missing trophy. need help

[shortfatguy]

this is a picture of a deer i shot near virginia minnesota in 2001. I brought the deer to a taxidermist named Rob Douglas to have it mounted. I have not seen or heard from him since.(he moved) any info on his location or the rack would be appreciated.

------------------
a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[morpho]

you waited 3 years to start looking ?

[shortfatguy]

no i have been looking the whole time. i just thought of putting the word out on here when i posted the picture of the deer in the photo forum. i know i could take him to small claims court but i think if i did that there would be no chance of getting it back and any monetary compensation would not replace my trophy.

------------------
a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[Mark Christianson]

Ya lost me Fatdude,
You stated "i know i could take him to small claims court but i think if i did that there would be no chance of getting it back" in your last post.

In your first post you stated "I have not seen or heard from him since.(he moved) any info on his location or the rack would be appreciated."

I am very confused. You say you cant find him, and yet you talk about taking him to small claims court......

[This message has been edited by biglakeba$$ (edited 08-24-2004).]

[BD110]

Short,
I'm not sure if I can help you find your trophy, I was wondering where Rob was from when you dropped the deer off? Do you still Hunt around Virginia? We have a shack just south of Cook on cty. hwy. 22. Godd luck in your hunt I hope someone can help you out.
Tske care, Thomas (BD110)

[shortfatguy]

bigglakeba$$
i could (as far as i know) contact the sherriff and have him served with papers for court. i am afraid if i did that he would get rid of the rack. i have tracked him down once by finding his father and getting his cell phone number. when i called him and told him who i was he gave me a story about the rack being in storage and to call him back. all of my further calls went un answered. i called him atleast once a day until his phone was disconnected (**** caller ID!) so i started the search over and was able to determine that he had moved again and i wasnt the only one who he had ripped off.

BD110 yes i still do hunt in the area where i shot the deer. it was actually shot near buhl. i put virginia because i didnt know if people from out of the area would know where buhl was. when i gave him the rack he was located in keewatin. he was working with another taxidermist named chris kunze. im not sure of the spelling but i think thats how it is spelled.

thanks for your replies!!

------------------
a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[This message has been edited by shortfatguy (edited 08-24-2004).]

[GRAND DAD]

This Rob guy must be one of the biggest losers I have heard of in a long time how could someone do somthing like that and be able to sleep at night and for what it's not like you can make alot of money selling it, what a couple hundred buck.Some people wait there hole lives hunting hoping to get a deer like that and some piece of sh$$ dose that I hope he getts his A$$ kicked,Very sorry Shorty I fell you Pain!!

[abens1078]

I'd put his head on my wall or at least under a baseball bat. If you have any receits or anything in writing at all and you have the money and time, I'd sue him and then I would post his name on every outdoor website. This wasn't a mistake or an accident it was done on purpose. There was no intention of ever doing the job. From one of the posts above you are not the only one.
In the future, get a time frame. Nothing takes more than 6 months. I don't care how backed up the guy says he is. On the seventh month if it isn't out of his freezer, take it back. Its your property and you have to hold him accountable until it's on your wall. You are the customer, how long do you wait for a cheeseburger before you go down the street?
I had a taxidermist who had the same thing happen to him before he got into the business. This guy called me with updates and invited me to stop in anytime.
I'm sorry for the loss and best wishes on getting another one. you are a better man than me if you haven't tried to wring his neck yet.

[Pig Pen]

Shortguy
That name sounds familiar but then again it sounds like a common name. Do you know how old he is, what he looks like? Is he even in this state?

There must be a data base of taxidermists in the state because the COs have to keep track of them and inspect all their fish/game. Just a thought.

[Diezel350]

Rob Douglas..... Hmmmm....
Wasn't that the name of one of the boys on the TV show "My Three Sons"
Does he have a brother named Chip?
Maybe that is why it sounds familiar.

[shortfatguy]

trust me the thought of punching him in the head has definitly crossed my mind. but that wont get my rack back and i dont know where he is. i have tried posting on the taxidermy forum. he never replied and everyone told me to take him to court. he sold the cape off of the deer on ebay but i dont know about the rack. i can tell you this.... if i find him i will be going home with my antlers or the money he has in his pocket and a sore fist

------------------
a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[jlm]

Well don't do anything stupid or he will counter your court claim and probably get more in return. Get his address and have hime served for small claims court. This is your only recourse. If he no longer has the antlers, at least you can be compensated and get a good taxidermist to create a replica for you. Good luck and I am very sorry for the loss of your trophy!

[upnorth]

Don't do anything that will land you in jail over someone like that. Using him for a punching bag can do just that. Fools like that just ain't worth it.

[smokercraft]

In my opinion small claims court would be a waste of time. You'll get a judgement but the lowlife won't pay. Then you have to spend more money to try and get it out of him. Good luck! Was a nice buck, at least you still have the picture.

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

I wonder if you could add your total dollars vested in your deer hunting trip (ie.food,gas,lodging) you know ,get it up to about $1500.00 + mounting fees(already paid I assume).Total all this up and it might be worth fighting him in court.

To any earlier post,yes it does take a long time for some mounts.With my taxidermist it's usually the following deer season or right before it opens I get my mount back,not always but it does happen with some of the better guys.

------------------
Greg

[MuleSkinner]

Shorty, sorry for your loss of this nice rack.

But can someone explain exactly how this Rob guy makes more money selling this on Ebay, than he would just charging Shorty for the taxidermy work? I have a walleye mount, but am ignorant on deer mounts.(muzzleloading never got me a decent buck yet.) I thought the value was in the taxidermy work, and only other value is sentimental for the hunter. Is there actually a big market of people just paying for deer mounts and antlers that they did not shoot themselves?

[abens1078]

Crappiebait, you are right. But when do you say that's enough and take your business elsewhere? that's the point I should have made.
Muleskinner, it's the same reason why poaching big animals is so popular. People out there will pay and they don't care how it gets to their trophy room. I would be sick if I had someone's fish or deer on my wall.

[Big G]

don't break the law......it will only empower him.

Unless you have a receipt or any form of proof that can stand up in court, you are out of luck.

Honestly, that is why I do not deal with "side shows" or "shade tree" vendors...... It ain't worth it.....

Next time (hind site is always 20/20), go to a reputable taxidermist........I've been using the same guy for 18 years..........Dang, it was 18 years ago I shot my first buck!!!!!!!!! I'm getting old.........

[shortfatguy]

i know it wouldnt do any good to punch him and i wont. but it sure does push the limit of my temper to have some one steal from me. and it is even worse when it is something that cant be replaced!! thanks for the support and the tips!!!!!

------------------
a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[Big G]

Move forward on the Judgement, if the person owns a house. If he has a judgement against him, and he trys to sell his home or refiance his home, he will have to pay it off. He has no say in the matter. A judgement of money, which is applied through the courts, will be paid to you if he wants to get credit.

If the person has nothing, then you can file the judgement. He will have to pay off the judgement if he ever purchases any realestate.

As for the dollar amount? Well, there are "replica" antlers that can be manufactured at a very spendy price. You could probably file judement in the dollar amount of $2,000 for having the replica mount manufactured to perfection.......

A $2,000 judgement is no small matter.....

I lend money to home buyers, so I have some expirience with this process. I cannot give money to those who have judgements against them, or, we pay off the judgements as part of loaning the home mortgage.

The judgement is good for 7 years. Then you can file again.

The other option is to get the sherriff and go to his home to collect, if you have a receipt.

DO YOU HAVE A RECEIPT OR PROOF OF AGREEMENT? Proof of agreement could be a receipt or "ticket".

I always get a "ticket" from my taxidermist on everything. Primarily, it is a written reminder of how the mount is to be completed. I don't want to get something back that I don't want. And, my taxidermist wants it in writting, what I want, as well as proof of the animal deposit to his shop........

[wannafishto]

Maybe if we keep this post going, a reputable taxidermist will offer to make a replica mount of this great deer at a reasonable price for you......come'on everybody, let's give it a try. I checked with the one I use, and he doesn't do rep's but maybe somebody else's does?

[Muthagoose]

Well SFG
Sorry to hear of the loss it looked like a pretty good one..We were just opening up to the public that year..Were on Main St in virginia..Stop by somtime.Ive done several rep cast's I might be able to put one together pretty close to that...

------------------
Why?

[This message has been edited by Muthagoose (edited 08-26-2004).]

[Big G]

My guy that I use does replicas......Actually his son does them. I was soo impressed that I had no clue it was not real.........He showed me the buck and said, "that's my son's". Holy Balls came to mind first. His son had a monster!!!! Then he told me it was fabricated. I couldn't tell. It was PERFECT. Every detail of the rack looked as real as you could imagine.......

[30 inch eyes]

to make a replica of that rack would be very difficult because you only have the picture to go by. most replicas are done by making a mold of the oringinal then pouring a cast therfore making the replica. its not impossible just real time consuming to try to judge the correct size of everything by just one picture. check with the dnr to see if he still carries his license to do taxidermy. he is required to have one in this state if he is still doing customer work (or should I say stealing from customers) if he is not licensed he could face other charges also. Sorry for your loss hope I helped a little (I used to do taxidermy for about 7 years but it became too much with my other full time job so I had to quite)I think the dnr's contact number is minn dept of cons,centennial building, 628 cedar street,st. paul mn 55101 they may be able to help you see if he is still licensed also the minn. taxidermy guild based out of grand rapids you could give them a try. keep us posted and good luck

[Dynasty]

Sorry about the loss, but I remember hearing a story on the news not long ago about some other hunters who had a scam like this happen to them. I believe it was by one person (possibly the guy you were invovled with). I think that the police have been looking for him. I didnt pay real close attention to the story so I remember very little. But maybe you could check the internet for the story or call news stations(sorry I dont remember the station).

[This message has been edited by Dynasty (edited 08-27-2004).]

[outdoor ran]

Like 30incheyes said, getting a repo from a pic would take alot of time and money. If your ever worried about your rack that your getting mounted. Take it home with you and leave the cape. He can call you when hes got the form and is ready to mount it. Be without your rack for a week. Thats a tough loss, hope you find it.

[pikehunter]

Also sorry for your loss ...
Depending on how internet savvy you are, you could definitely track this guy down.
I would start by typing the last known phone number you had for him into Google. His home address while he had that phone will come up, although it doesn't always work with cell phones. (Scary to think that in this day of caller ID someone can google your number and find out where you live, huh?)
If that doesn't work, there are all kinds of sites that you can find on the net and, for a minimal fee, you can find that person's last several known addresses and phone numbers.
It all depends how hard you want to go at it. Personally, I'd be afraid of getting all the info and just scaring the guy off another phone number or another address. Instead, I'd pay for the background check on his name (you can narrow it down to make sure you've got the right guy) and deliver the small claims papers and the morons last known address to the sheriff at the same time.

Hope this helps!