AVOID AT ALL COST!!!…read more One of the most tragic experiences I have ever had with a business. I am a Yelp Elite and rarely will I give a single star to a business but the experience I had with Life Like Taxidermy was absolutely horrible. The owner lied about not being able to tan the hide of a Merino Sheep. Then the wife tried to overcharge me on a small Corsican Ram hide I wanted tanned...She sent me an estimate for $395...Keep in mind this Ram was tiny and they were almost double some places I have worked with regarding hides. I will go into detail so none of you will ever have to experience the poor service I did. I had read and heard about the complaints regarding poor service and ridiculous prices from others prior. The taxidermist who I will be working with on my hunt coming up knew exactly who they were without me even mentioning Life Like's name. What could have been two nice hides from my hunt in February had me going away empty handed, disappointed and angry that my hides went to Life Like Taxidermy. I even called the outfitter that I worked with and told them about my poor experience and they stated they have heard the same feedback recently as well. I told them to find another partner and mentioned that you do not want a partner like Life Like associated with your business. All the taxidermist who I know slammed Life Like for just not wanting to do the work and for trying to rob me. In essence they did because I have no hides to show from that hunt. I had two hides a small sized Corsican with a nice beard and colorations and a large sized Merino Ram. The owner called and said they could not do the Merino because it would be tough and end up like cobwebs after the process and those are his exact words. I begrudgingly agreed to say ok (what they did with the hide, I have no clue). I reached out to my taxidermist friends (I have a popular Instagram Page) and they said he just did not want to do the work and that, that is a normal every day job to do for taxidermists. I even told them it was a wool sheep and they said yeah it does not matter, it could have been done. Sadly, I asked them after the fact. Because I trusted Life Like Taxidermy, I believed them and in the end all the taxidermist said that the guy at Life Like was full of shit and to get your hides...The damage was done and the effort to go down there and deal with this poor business would have been a waste of time. The most shocking part of this tragedy was the Corsican hide and the price they were charging. I was hoping to at least get one hide but this gets more tragic. I have paid $200-$250 in other states for way larger rams when I asked the wife about the invoice, she could only state, this is what we charge. I had already posed this questions to my taxidermist followers on Instagram and all of them said a fair price would be between $200-$300 for blanket soft hides. Life Like Taxidermy sent me an invoice for $395!!!!.....$395 for a small hide. All my Taxidermist followers said that, that place is full of shit and were trying to rob me. I sent a message and stated they were trying to rip me off and that this experience was horrible and that I should have found a more capable and competitively priced taxidermist prior to having my hides picked up by them. The experience with Life Like Taxidermy was PURE TRASH. Seriously, avoid at all cost. You are better off calling Mounts Unlimited in Los Gatos. I asked him how much he charged for hides and he said $300. I asked this prior to sharing my experience with Life Like Taxidermy. That price by Mount Unlimited is still in the same ball park as the other taxidermists from the East Coast, South, Central, Canada and West. Thankfully as a result, I found a better taxidermist to deal with. One of the top 5 worst experiences in my life. If I could have given Life Like Taxidermy a ZERO I would have. AVOID AT ALL COST!!! Time to post this on Google.

Awesome shop. These…read moreguys picked up some ram heads that my buddies and I shot at a local outfitter and were set to do Euro mounts on the heads. Kurt handled the work super fast and the price was very affordable. When I went to pickup the heads we sat and shot the shit for a while and I was on my way. Super cool guy, great shop and great work. All my animals will be going to him going forward.

Lonnie and his wife Brenda are really good people, and are willing to go out of their way to help…read moreyou. Lonnie is extremely talented in his work. I got to see a bunch of his stuff in his work room and it was incredible. Everything from deer to turkeys to fish, all done masterfully and with careful attention to detail. I brought them my wolf husky to be made into a rug, and Lonnie took the time to explain everything in detail to me and will be storing her for me as well. His wife and I even picked wild blackberries before I left! Made my day a lot better after a tragic hit and run on my best friend. Thank you Lonnie and Brenda for being so kind and genuine.

I've had three bucks, a bear rug and an aoudad all done at Central Coast Taxidermy. Their staff is…read morevery friendly and knowledgeable. I received all of my animals back within time frames set and with amazing detail. These guys really do precise fine detailed work and having hunted the central coast for my whole life, meeting them and having a quality local taxidermist in has set the taxidermy bar very high!

I took a bobcat in to be mounted and was given a timeline to complete of 10 months. I checked the…read morestatus of it in person ( a 3 hour drive each way ) at about 6 months and they said it was at the tannery. I called them at 10 months and they said they hadn't got to it yet. I called at 13 months and they had no idea where it was. They sent me a picture of a pelt that was damaged and asked if it was mine. I took detailed pics before I took the cat in and this pelt clearly wasn't mine. These guys lost my cat and tried to pass off a substandard pelt to me. They sent me back my deposit which doesn't begin to compensate me for the time I have into harvesting and transporting and checking on the status of the mount. I've been hunting for over 35 years and this cat was the first I felt was worth mounting and this company's disorganization cost me time, money and a beautiful animal. They blamed the loss on the tannery. I called the tannery and they said the mistake was on Central Coast Taxidermy as they sent back all the pelts they received.

I had a caribou hide which had been tanned 24 years ago, but nothing was done with it after that…read more I wanted to have a rug made and was referred to Mitch via some searching online and making a few calls. I sent (mailed) him the hide, we discussed design and logistics, and less than two months later, WOW! A completed rug, nicely styled and finished. Pricing I felt was very fair, Mitch was quick to return my texts or phone calls. Now my biggest challenge is to wait the intervening months to gift it to the lucky recipient at the proper time!! Thanks Mitch Joan H.

I took a chameleon in on 4/14/2021 to have it freeze dried to preserve it. I was told it would be…read moreabout 18 months to be ready. After 18 months, I called only to be told the freeze dryer was down and waiting for parts. When I called back about six months later I was told the parts were on back order. And I have been trying since then to get the chameleon back. I have contacted them so many times only to have one excuse after another given to me by Lisa. Every time it is something something else. It is in the freeze drier. It is needed additional time in the freeze drier. Mitch is in the hospital in Montana. Mitch will be returning in six weeks. Mitch has been sick. It is in the freeze drier again. There is touch up that needs to be done. Mitch will be returning in such and such. Lisa has also stated she does not own the business but just helps out but when I left a message on the business' listed number (209) 566-5682 , she called me back and told me to call her number (209) 620-2183 or it would be better to text her. She never returns calls. I have had to block my number when calling her by using *67 before her number so she cannot see who is calling. She has answered on some of these calls and tells me texting her would be better. She asked me to text her my name, number, the date I brought my item in, what it is and its name plus the price. This was her way of seeing who it is and doesn't respond. I have texted her so many times only be given excuses (May 9, 2024) your project is freeze drying now, maybe ready in 60 days and Mitch would be back in a couple of weeks. That was over two years ago. Then when I called her back in the 60 days she did not return my call (July 2024). When she finally texted me back 10 months later(March 27,2025), she said it was not in her completed work and she would put me in her calendar to reach back out; she never did. I texted her on May 24, 2025 no reply. I called on July 22, 2025, July 24, 2025, Sept. 12, 2025, Dec. 16, 2025, March 20, 2026. On March 2026 she texted me and asked if I wanted it returned finished or not to which I replied, YES! When I called her in March 2025 she told me it had been taken out of the freeze dryer and was being touched up. Then I was told it needed to be back in the freeze dryer but was unsure of the updated status at that moment. This last call I left a message informing her I was contacting a lawyer because it has been over five years and I still have not gotten my chameleon back but only received one excuse after another. This time she texted me back and said Mitch was set to finally return on Sept. 5, 2026 and has me on his list as soon as he gets back on that date. We will have to wait and see. I the meantime I have contacted a lawyer. When I originally was told it would take 18 months, I accepted that. When I called after 18 months and was told the freeze dryer was down and parts were being on back order and it would be another six months, I accepted that. When I emailed on Feb. 1, 2023 to find out where it was and was told Mitch was out and she would get back to me, but didn't. I have been trying to get the chameleon back since, finished or not, to no avail. This is so unprofessional.

Their customer service was great and always had answers for me. The turn around time was a bit long…read moreand I'm not sure if that actually had to do with the process. I do wish they would have set expectations a little better with me on what the final product was going to look like because the example I saw and what I got was not the same. Once I stretched the hide and trimmed it I was ok with what we got. Not sure I would do it again with my cows but we will see.

I sent cow hide to them. When I got it back, it was not stretched. It is a total waste of…read moremoney.$700.00+ later, I have a hide not woworth displaying.