Angry hunters tell bad taxidermist to stuff it

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Taxidermist Jayson Clark is as elusive to his customers as some exotic animal.

"I think he's just scamming people," said Chris, a victim.

Some customers say after they deliver their catches to his house/business and pay him upfront, he becomes hard to track down.

"There were at least two or three times when I actually scheduled to go to his house, and at the last minute, he wasn't there," said Kyle.

They say Jayson Clark promises to give his customer their trophies, but doesn't answer the door.

He gets ordered to appear at court and doesn't show. He promises to give his customer's trophies to Rob Wolchek, but remains as elusive as a bigfoot. 

And when Wolchek did catch up with him …

"When I get home from f-cking' doing something, I'm not going to step out of my house, after I walk in, and step back out and deal with this bullsh--."

Wolchek "But you owe them those things."

Meet Kyle, who is a hunter.

"I don't know if my deer is done," he said. "I don't know if he has my deer - but he sure has my money."

In 2021, he dropped off this deer he caught to be mounted. Taxidermist Jayson Clark asked for a $250 down payment.  The deer was supposed to be done and mounted as a trophy in about nine months.  

About a year later, Jay the taxidermist, calls him.

"'I can't finish your deer until I get the remainder of the money,' I'm like, what do I do now?" Kyle said.

So, he says he gave Jay another $500. And after years of promises, he's got neither his buck - nor his bucks.

"Like, you're a fellow hunter," he said. "You're taking the trust of other hunters to bring you their trophy - and you're ripping them off."

Matthew's been waiting even longer for his trophies.

Wolchek: "As a sportsman, what do you think about that? This guy is also a hunter."

"It's terrible," Matthew said. "It's terrible for the sport."

Matthew shared his own story about being a customer of Jayson Clark's - saying he has been waiting even longer for his trophies.

"I took him two Russian boars in August of 2018, and in 2019. I dropped one of my dad's deer off to him," he said. "It's been nothing but a run-around.  Every time you call him, he doesn't answer or he'll have some other excuse to tell you."

Jimmy bagged what he called the "buck of a lifetime" and brought it to Jay.

Wolchek: "This is a big deal to you."

Jimmy: "It's a big deal."

Jay advertises online and on a Facebook business page his home-based Allen Park business.

"He had a whole bunch of deer in his garage, like I'm talking hundreds of them," Jimmy said. "Coolers all over the place and it looked like he did beautiful work but just doesn't fulfill the journey."

Jimmy says he paid $800 upfront and has been hounding Jayson like a hunting dog.

"'When it's done, it's done.' That's what he said," Jimmy said.  "I go, well you were supposed to have it done in eight months - it's been three years."

Chris brought Jason a coyote in 2020 along with a $600 down payment.  Now, he says he can't even reach the tricky taxidermist.

Wolchek: "He has your skin and he has got your money and he has the audacity to block you?"

"Yep and come to find out, he's been blocking other people too because they're calling him out," Chris said. "We're tired of it."

Several people have filed small claims cases against Jayson Clark.

Matthew has a judgment against Jay for more than $4,000. Jay was a no-show in court. Matthew hasn't been paid and still doesn't have his trophies.

Kyle sued Jay as well.

Jayson made his court appointment on Zoom because he said he was up north taking care of his poor, sick dad. 

He told Kyle and the court that Kyle could come by and pick up the deer in two weeks, when he got back. 

Meanwhile, after court, Wolchek heads over to Jay's house around the block from the courthouse.

Hmm, something sure smells gamey. That sure looks like Jayson.  He's not up north and he doesn't look like he's taking care of his dad.  

The next day, Rob brings the video to Kyle.

"Yeah that's him," said Kyle.

Wochek: "There he is.  He's not up north taking care of his dad. He's there at his house."

Kyle: "He's there."

Now let's see what happens two weeks later on the day Jay promised the court that Kyle could pick up his finished deer.

Kyle and Wolchek's undercover cameraman stand outside Jayson Clark's, but there's no answer.  After Kyle drove a half hour to Jay's house, Jayson called him saying he was on his way home from Grand Rapids.

But Wolchek and his cameraman watched for hours and they didn't see Jay come home. In fact, it sure looks like Jay 'was' home. 

Kyle goes back to court to tell the judge that Jay didn't keep his end of the deal.

Wolchek:  "You had to drive all the way down here, take the afternoon off from work."

"This is my fifth time down to Allen Park," said Kyle.

Kyle got a judgment as well.

Wolchek: "You were ordered to be in person here today right?"

Kyle: "Yes."

Wolchek: "And Jay was ordered to be in person."

Kyle: "Correct."

Wolchek: "And Jay is a no-show."

Kyle: "Jay is a no-show."

Now Wolchek has a dog in the hunt - the dude didn't even show up to court, let's see if he answers his door.

Wolchek calls Jay and leaves a message.  

"I just got a text back from Jayson," Rob said - who he is pretty sure, at home.

"I'm on my way home from Reed City," says Jayson's text.

So Wolchek responded to Jayson: "We will wait for you. I'm here in the park across the street from your house. It's a nice day. We don't mind waiting and I want to hear your side."

So they wait and wait.  

Wolchek: "We've been out here now for about 3 1/2 hours and Jayson still hasn't come home.  I kind of has the feeling Jayson isn't really coming home. Maybe he was trying to fooling me."

The next day, Jayson Clark calls Wolchek.

Wolchek: "Why don't you do these people's jobs?"

Jayson Clark: "I am doing them. It's not that I am not doing them.  I have over 200 jobs I do a year. I've been doing this job for 15, 16 years now. 

"This is the first time I've had a problem with some people that, uh, don't like the wait time."

That's some wait time - Matthew has been waiting six years!

Jayson Clark: "I'm actually bringing his stuff -his two rams and his deer head to the courthouse to drop it off to him."

Wolchek: "Okay. Do me a favor. Take me pictures of those things if they're done."

Jayson Clark: "Okay, I will."

He didn't.  

Wolchek: "Yesterday you were supposed to be in court with this guy Kyle."

Jayson Clark: "Kyle Fuller? The smart-a** dude that wants to run his mouth and come banging on my door when I told him I wasn't home and was working, I was picking up hides and stuff for my business?  But he wants to come to my house?"

Wolchek: "Your house is your business though."

Jayson Clark: "My wife watched him."

Several of the victims have offered to meet Jayson at safe locations to pick up their trophies.

Wolchek: "I don't believe you have these deer done, I don't believe you have these animals done. Because I don't …"

Jayson Clark: "What do you mean you don't believe it?"

Wolchek: "I don't believe it because you are not delivering it to these people rather than ...."

Jayson Clark: "Listen Rob. Why would I let somebody that's hostile and threatening me back to my house?"

Wolchek: "You can meet them at the police station. You live a block from the police station."

Jayson Clark: "I'm not going to meet someone at the police station at 7, 8, 9 o'clock at night, buddy."

Wolchek: "Why?"

Jayson Clark: "Nine o'clock at night? It's dark."

The sportsman who's afraid of the dark - Jay Clark.

Wolchek: "Where is Kyle's deer?"

Jaysn Clark "It's in my shop on the wall."

Wolchek: "Why don't you just give it to him."

Jayson Clark: "Because I don't want the guy at my house. How many times do I have to f-cking tell you."

Wolchek: "Well I'll come pick it up for you."

Jayson Clark: "Well Jesus Christ dude."

Wolchek: "I'll come get it."

Jayson Clark: "You want to come get it?  Come get it Monday morning. Come pick it up."

So, on Monday morning, Wolchek heads back to Jay's.

But as he arrives, Rob gets a text from Jay: "I was advised not to handover Kyles deer to you do to the legal matter that's with this deer …"

He also won't answer the door again - and doesn't come out all day.

Wolchek: "Jay we are at your front door, we drove all the way down here to get this thing resolved."

But he gets a Verizon message.

"Your call can't be completed as dialed, please check the number and dial again."

Rob Wolchek may not be a hunter, but he loves trapping bad businessmen. Jayson Clark, you're in the Hhhhall of Shame!