alaska_bou
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If anyone is considering a taxidermist in the Casper, WY area I would avoid Kodi Dockham with Sundowner Taxidermy or any guides/outfitters referring him.
Kodi had approached me several times asking for the opportunity to do some work for me. Two and a half years ago I reluctantly agreed to give him a try with four animals; a mountain goat, sitka deer, beceite ibex and a mid-asian ibex with a completion time according to Kodi of less than one year. In July of 2018, after one year had passed I asked about the status. He said that four or five family members all had strokes that year (yawn) and he was running "a little behind." At the time I was naive and far too trusting and gave him a fifth animal, a brown bear. Fast forward to December of 2019 (30 months after he took possession of the four heads); Kodi never took my brown bear to a tannery and lied about it and he never did complete the beceite ibex (thankfully). The work he did on the other three is simply the worst I have experienced with any taxidermist. All are anatomically wrong with swollen faces, glue in the mouths, putty in the ears, sloppy "I-don't-give-a-$hit workmanship around the eyes and noses, an exposed form at the top of one of the heads and to cap it off he did not do the work according to what I had specifically asked for. Now he will not respond what-so-ever to try and make things right. I called the G&F after I heard his license may have been revoked in 2018. The G&F said I would have to come in and fill out paperwork before they could release that information but also mentioned a number of other "clients" of Kodi's have complained regarding the same issues with long completion times, impossible to get a hold of and terrible workmanship. The G&F also suggested I consider a civil suit against Kodi. Am I safe to assume that the three capes "mounted" by Kodi are now ruined and cannot be pulled off once they are glued onto a form and remounted by a professional taxidermist?
Here are just a few examples:
sitka mouth
Right goat eye (no, the goat did not take any nasty falls and was properly caped out by 40 year master guide)
Unfinished goat ear with putty inside
Inside of wall ped was supposed to be finished with goat hair (I gave him lifesize cape)
ibex mouth
Kodi had approached me several times asking for the opportunity to do some work for me. Two and a half years ago I reluctantly agreed to give him a try with four animals; a mountain goat, sitka deer, beceite ibex and a mid-asian ibex with a completion time according to Kodi of less than one year. In July of 2018, after one year had passed I asked about the status. He said that four or five family members all had strokes that year (yawn) and he was running "a little behind." At the time I was naive and far too trusting and gave him a fifth animal, a brown bear. Fast forward to December of 2019 (30 months after he took possession of the four heads); Kodi never took my brown bear to a tannery and lied about it and he never did complete the beceite ibex (thankfully). The work he did on the other three is simply the worst I have experienced with any taxidermist. All are anatomically wrong with swollen faces, glue in the mouths, putty in the ears, sloppy "I-don't-give-a-$hit workmanship around the eyes and noses, an exposed form at the top of one of the heads and to cap it off he did not do the work according to what I had specifically asked for. Now he will not respond what-so-ever to try and make things right. I called the G&F after I heard his license may have been revoked in 2018. The G&F said I would have to come in and fill out paperwork before they could release that information but also mentioned a number of other "clients" of Kodi's have complained regarding the same issues with long completion times, impossible to get a hold of and terrible workmanship. The G&F also suggested I consider a civil suit against Kodi. Am I safe to assume that the three capes "mounted" by Kodi are now ruined and cannot be pulled off once they are glued onto a form and remounted by a professional taxidermist?
Here are just a few examples:
sitka mouth
Right goat eye (no, the goat did not take any nasty falls and was properly caped out by 40 year master guide)
Unfinished goat ear with putty inside
Inside of wall ped was supposed to be finished with goat hair (I gave him lifesize cape)
ibex mouth
