FYI, I tried to contact Wayne a few years ago and was lead to his daughter, Kelly. I just received some mounts Kelly did for me and they are INCREDIBLE. Be patient, they both do incredible work, especially on cats. I'm glad I was patient, I didn't pester her, just kept in touch. GOOD taxidermy is well worth the wait in my opinion.
I'll add this, I've used a taxidermist to do some turkey mounts, it's 10-12 months like clockwork...…..DONE.
Another taxidermist from Kansas, still has my antelope and a swift fox...….it's been 8-9-10 years now......LOL...needless to say I've long given up on her and getting those 2 mounts.
I harvested a nice whitetail several years ago and took it to renowned taxidermist Joe Meder the day after harvest. He told me, I'll be able to get this turned around for you. 56 days.....yes 56 days later he called and was done. I couldn't even score it yet as a 60 day dry time is required. The mount is still awesome today.
A buddy harvested a nice mountain lion, its between 2-3 years now waiting for it to be completed and this is a mountain lion "specialists-taxidermist" not Wayne or Kelly.
My point is taxidermist have different timelines, again I'd encourage you to be patient.
Hats off to those taxidermists who can turn work around in 12 months and do a quality job. Anymore I've come to expect a 12-18 month wait on most mounts.
I'll leave with this, I don't know Wayne, but do know his reputation as a world class taxidermist. I searched and searched for an excellent "cat" taxidermist and the vast majority of time it lead back to Wayne. Another lady from Michigan was mentioned several times, but she wouldn't return phone calls or emails. He may take longer than expected, he may not be the best at communicating, but he been doing stellar taxidermy for many many years. That said, I don't think for a second he's ripped you off or stolen anything at this point. My advice is to continue to contact him, I'm sure it will work out and as Taximan said you'll have an incredible mount.
Last edited by Bristleback; 07/31/18 10:25 AM.