Clay Goldman, Mogollon Taxidermy

[bowsniper]

A few weeks ago in Tim’s crazy lion taxidermy thread, I posted that I have a coues mount that I wasn’t happy with. I did not post the name of the taxidermist, but I will now: Clay Goldman at Mogollon Taxidermy.

 

Someone pointed out my post to Clay, and he knew it was a mount that he did for me four years ago. Clay wrote me a letter, said that he was sorry that I was not happy with his mount, and enclosed a check for a $600 refund! He had worked on my mount a second time, and he said that he would have completely remounted it, but four years was too long ago.

 

So what’s going on here? First off, I feel like a jerk. Secondly, I am the only guy I ever met who did not like Clay’s work. Hundreds of guys like Clay’s work, so obviously the problem is with me, not Clay.

 

So what’s my problem? I dunno, maybe I’m turning into a grouchy old fart like .270. I think that I looked at my first coues mount for so many years, that when Clay’s mount looked different, I couldn’t get used to it. They weren’t that different, just a slightly different look. Clay’s mount has spectacular details. Like I said, hundreds of satisfied customers can’t be wrong.

 

Clay showed his true colors by sending me that refund check, so maybe I can feel a little less jerk like if I let everyone know about Clay’s business practices.

 

Clay is an official sponsor of CWT, so I can post his website! www.mogollontaxidermy.com

 

Here is a picture of the check. I have been looking at the mount for 4 years now, and I'm liking it better and better. There is no way I could ever cash the check, so I voided it. I’m not going to send it back to Clay, because I want to keep it around as a humbling reminder.

 

Thanks Clay! You are a great Taxidermist, and an extraordinary business man.

 

Mark

 

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks Mark for letting us know about this...sorry you didn't like your mount, but at least Clay helped to ease your pain. We all know a taxidermist can't please everyone. Your check says VOID, does that mean you didn't cash it?

[SpotNStalk]

Simply AWESOME!!! Ive never used Clay but plan to in Nov-Dec with my first coues!!

[Chef]

That just might be, the best check Clay has ever written.

That is a man with integrity.

 

[DUG]

Clay is a great guy. I found out after bringing him my son's head for mounting (which turned out great by the way) that our family used to go to church with some of his family way back in the 1970's. You can tell he was raised right. He will keep getting our business.

[palivs2hnt]

I don't know Clay, but that right there says a ton. Maybe I should get to know him by sending him some mounts? Too cool! Great character after so many years!

[tomgobbler]

i have never met clay, or had any dealings w/ him, but as a taxidermist these kinds of situations are tuff, As well, or as hard as you try to please every customer that comes through your door, you never will. A mount may of been mounted great, but if something isn't just as a customer "remembers" it, or something in there ( the customers) eye just does'nt look quite right there isnt much you can do. That will happen from time to time, So now you have a tuff situation, on clay's side, he spent all that time and effort ( and money) trying to make it look perfect, you pick it up and don't say anything ( although you dont think it looks just quite right) and then after all this time it gets brought to clays attention.... thats a long time to of had a mount and of not said anything. BUt there times that a mount wont look right to you, i did an antelope for a guy and about 6 months latter he brought it back and said the angle of these horns dont look right to me.... according to the picture i have.... well anyone knows that your camera angle can do way funny things to antlers and horns..... and everyone knows that quite a few measurements are taken off of the head before it was skinned so that antler/horn positioning can get as close to the original as posible, so i pulled out my old notes and showed him my measurements and we measured the mount together, every measurement was less then an 1/8 off origanl measurement. , and most under a 1/6 difference..... he said well it just doenst look right to me, and i said ok what would make ya happy, and he said they should tilt forward just a little more, so i rehydrated, took out the stiches and tilted the horns a 1/2" forward, and he was happy as a lark.... Point is, not everyone will be happy all the time, even though it may of been correct in the first place.....

 

1- 4 years is a long time to bring it to his attention.....

2- CLay, Way to try and make ammends and step up, even though i dont feel you needed too ( althought i probably would of done the same thing)

3- Mark, very nice "voiding" the check, i hope the more you look at the mount the better you will like it, and come to apreciate the work clay put into it.

4- kudos to you both for being professional.

good luck

tommy

[ehunt]

Top notch!!!

[matthewp45]

First off all of my 10 mounts, all of my families mounts and everone that asks me who to take there animal to gets suggested to go to Clay. I have never been anything but 100% satisfied and amazed at every single mount I have gotten or seen come from Clay. I do know how people can be unsatisfied with 100% perfect work. I have the perfect example that actually happened this week. A friend of mine has had a coues deer mounted from a guy in San Diego for about 4 years on his wall. He has looked at that one deer for 4 years and being the only mounted coues deer he has been looking at for 4 years every day he got use to it and to him that is the perfect mount and thats what they should look like. To me I have 3 mounted coues deer from Clay on one wall that I look at every day and I always pay attention to all the mounts I see and I thought that my friends coues deer was average at best. It looks more like a mule deer and just doesn't look like a live coues deer with to big of a nose and to big of a neck and the forehead and eyes don't look like a coues. Well, he shot another coues deer and sent it to Weller's and when he got it back I went over and walked in and said man that thing turned out awesome. I said now that is how a coues deer should look like mounted and he looked at me and said I think the one from San Diego looks better and I was considering taking it there to have it remounted. I almost fell over. Then I thought about it and came to the conclusion that he got use to his deer on the wall and became use to it and in his mind that was what a mounted coues looked like and when something different came back it had to be wrong because it didn't look like the mount that he grew to love. In my opinion people that don't really pay attention to the details on mounts and think that their mounts are a true reprensentation no matter what because it is their deer can developed a skewed sense of how a good mount should look. My $.02.

[CouesWhitetail]

I guess I didn't read your post well enough the first time...I see now where you said you voided the check and had no intention of cashing it. Very gracious of you Mark!

[youngbuck]

Clay is top notch. Your stuff is done when he says it will be, no excuses. His work is top notch. I had him do my dec at from 08 and is my favorite mount. He does wt ears different than anyone else and makes the deer look real sharp.

[Couzer]

Wow thats class act right there on Clay!!!

[Jay Scott]

This is a perfect example of why I take all of my animals to Clay Goldman of Mogollon Taxidermy. He is a first class guy, a family man, great husband and dad, and one heck of a guy! I would never and have never considered taking my animals to anyone else. He does outstanding work! I get comments all of the time from hunters that know good mounts when they come in my house and compliment Clay's work. Bottom line with me is high quality work......It just so happens Clay does such work and has the highest level of integrity while doing great work.

 

Thanks for posting Bowsniper!

[izquik72]

wow that is outstanding customer service.

 

Kudos to "Mogollon Taxidermy"

[Gr8 White Jr]

4- kudos to you both for being professional.

 

 

+1

 

 

Very stand up thing to do on both parts, Clay for writting the check and Mark for voiding it. Says alot about both men.

 

 

-Tracy