1eyefishing
...just joking, seriously.
I would like to get a list together of taxidermists and/or processors that are in close proximity to Bear territory in North Georgia.
A few years ago, I arrowed a bear on a Saturday evening hunt and it took me till nearly midnight to get home with him on my tailgate. On Sunday morning, I could find no one to deal with, and wound up dropping off my bear to a shade tree taxidermist who was the only one who could deal with it on a Sunday. Long story short, I got ripped off, as he claimed that the pelt never was returned to him from the tannery. I was out about $500 (the upfront payment of approximately half the cost of a rug).
I'm hoping for a list of possibilities that I can get a bear to quickly in order to avoid spoilage. I would like a full rug with the head and the claws intact, but I'm afraid of butchering the cape in the woods. Would like some place to be able to drop off a whole beer to get it properly caped and preferably close enough to the kill site that the meat does not spoil in the meantime.
I recently talked to John Crane with Crane's Taxidermy about this and he assured me that I had his number to drop the bear off at any time. But from the mountains to my home in Roswell and then to Acworth is still probably 3 hours travel time after whatever time it takes to get the bear on the tailgate.
I'm looking for a reputable service someplace closer to the kill. Preferably no further south than Dawson County. I hunt the regular places, occasionally around Cohutta and Blue Ridge WMA, but mostly a little more eastward.
Who can I count on?
Thanks in advance...
A few years ago, I arrowed a bear on a Saturday evening hunt and it took me till nearly midnight to get home with him on my tailgate. On Sunday morning, I could find no one to deal with, and wound up dropping off my bear to a shade tree taxidermist who was the only one who could deal with it on a Sunday. Long story short, I got ripped off, as he claimed that the pelt never was returned to him from the tannery. I was out about $500 (the upfront payment of approximately half the cost of a rug).
I'm hoping for a list of possibilities that I can get a bear to quickly in order to avoid spoilage. I would like a full rug with the head and the claws intact, but I'm afraid of butchering the cape in the woods. Would like some place to be able to drop off a whole beer to get it properly caped and preferably close enough to the kill site that the meat does not spoil in the meantime.
I recently talked to John Crane with Crane's Taxidermy about this and he assured me that I had his number to drop the bear off at any time. But from the mountains to my home in Roswell and then to Acworth is still probably 3 hours travel time after whatever time it takes to get the bear on the tailgate.
I'm looking for a reputable service someplace closer to the kill. Preferably no further south than Dawson County. I hunt the regular places, occasionally around Cohutta and Blue Ridge WMA, but mostly a little more eastward.
Who can I count on?
Thanks in advance...