To the Customers with ducks & turkey brought in from Jan - Aug of 2003
     First off, I thank you for being patient.  I had an unsually large amount of work come in after the 2002 deer season and I am just about finished with it all.  Many of the pieces were multiple animals or involved complex scenery.
     Your birds have all been skinned and all the supplies are in stock.  However, I am using a new technique on the legs of the birds and it is resulting in a slight delay for the completion of them.   Basically, the legs are removed from the body skin and injected with a polymer, then allowed to dry and are repainted before re-attachment to the rest of the skin.  This technique will result in a much better looking leg with less shrinkage, but it adds some additional drying time of about 2 weeks and effects my immediate scheduling.  So while the legs of the ducks are drying, I will do the same thing to the turkeys, then go back and assemble the birds.  Once mounted, it should take about 2 weeks to dry and they will be ready to go.  
    As with all the refinements to my work over the years,  this technique will deliver a better looking mount to you. I know you will be pleased with the result.  Now I just have to re-jigger my scheduling methods.  Again, thank you for your patience.

It seems my local suppliers of driftwood have all but disappeared and my current supply on hand has dwindled to almost nothing.  I can still purchase driftwood from my taxidermy supply dealers, but at a greatly increased cost. Unfortunately, this cost will have to be passed on to you and will make driftwood a seperately priced option for all mounts.  So, if any of you know someone in the wholesale driftwood business, have them give me a call.  

An all to short and cool summer is about over and another hunting season will be here before you know it.  This year will be my 17th year here in Winneconne and again,  I want to thank all of you that have placed your trust in my ability to turn your trophies into lasting outdoor memories.  I am currently working on the deer head mounts from the 2002 archery season followed by the birds that were brought in before the gun season deer.   Follow the Completion Schedule  web page to track the progress on your mount.

     One new change for this year - the minimum deposit has been increased to 50 %.  There are multiple reasons for this increase and they are all hanging in my showroom.  Previously good clients with overdue balances now total more than $3000 in unpaid bills.  I understand that  recent economic conditions have not been the best, but I have bills to pay as well.  In order to prevent this from continueing - I decided to raise the deposit amount for all customers on all work. And I will no longer start work on any mount unless the full deposit is paid.  I will accept monthly payments until the 50% mark is reached.  But I can no longer afford to invest my time & money into mounts that are not picked up promptly.

     Once again, the amount of work that has come in exceeds the amount of time it takes to do it, so regretably, I am restricting the number of new customers again. Thru December 31, 2004 -  I will no longer accept fish, birds or any full body, rug or 1/2 mount mammal from new clients.   I will take orders from new clients for fish replicas and deer or other gameheads only.  Please note -  I continue to take in work from previous customers and anyone they refer providing they are willing to wait.  It is impossible to control the volume of work that comes in, but I am doing my best to manage it.  Many taxidermists raise their prices in an attempt to turn customers away, but I have never felt that was fair to customers that have been bringing their work to me for many years.  I feel I charge a reasonable price for the time and effort I put into each mount.  I want quality work to be affordable for all my customers and I built my business on repeat clients.  

       As with the last few years, I will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays only until after Labor Day weekend.  Tuesdays thru Fri. are by appointment.  This allows me to get more work done without interruption from January thru August. It also allows me to take some well earned vacation time during the summer.  Please remember to call ahead or check the web site for details.  There is plenty of information on the web site to allow you to properly freeze your trophy until I get back.    After Labor Day weekend, I'll go back to being open 5 days a week - Noon to 8 p.m. Mondays, 9 am to 4 p.m. Tues. thru Fri. 

 Have a great year, a safe hunting season and I hope to see each of you soon.   Again, thank you for your patronage & patience.    The 2005 calendars come in about Sept., so stop in & get one.  There are plenty of Wildlife & swimsuit calendars for next year.  

Sincerely,
Red Simpson