Shoulder or Euro mount?

I prefer those to the European shoulder mount.

I like both. I much prefer euro for elk

I have both as well but I haven't done a shoulder mount since 2015. I prefer saving $500 bucks my son makes plaques and I enjoy doing it myself.

I did a shoulder mount once and only once. No need to spend that kind of money in my opinion. I do my own euro mounts processing the skull. I get my driftwood plaques and mounts from the taxidermy supply or find some barn wood.

I generally do euros to save $ and space- but I did shoot a nice 8 pointer this year on public land in Fl., so I made an exception for him.

I grew up with shoulder mounts. Every family member that hunted had bucks from small 8pts to big 12pts shoulder mounted. I always wanted one and got my first "big buck" mounted. Cost me $450 in 2017.

I did one Euro mount and the entire process was horrible, freaked me out and I almost think they look satanic. I shot a 150" buck and money was super tight so I chose to do the Euro mount. We got the bucket boiler thing, simmered it, power washed it, used a coat hanger and drill to get the brains out. I almost threw up several times. I was in the process of making an Ohio plaque mount out of rough sawn cedar for it and had it stored in the basement. One of the cats must have been messing with it because the nose was broken off. Still never fixed the nose or finished the plaque cause it kind of freaks me out looking at it.

I have my 1st deer, a small 8 point buck mounted as well as my largest deer killed. But that was years ago. I wouldn't pay to have it done again unless it was some type of record book deer. I haven't killed anything in years other than just meat bucks and does so I've not even done a euro mount on a deer.

I did kill a bear 25 years ago. I had a rug made from the hide and they mounted the head with eyes and plastic teeth. It was $500 then. But it was a much larger than typical black bear and I don't regret it. It would have been over $1000 for a full mount and that was out of the question.

I almost threw up several times.

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My taxidermist gave me some advice on how to do the skull myself and I think it turned out pretty good with minimum effort. I suppose it would work on a deer too. I left the head outside for about a week. Flies laid eggs in the remaining tissue.

I then buried it inside a 5 gallon bucket of sand and left it for about a couple of months. Maggots hatched and ate all of the flesh. Picked it to the bone including the brains. I did gag a little when I emptied the bucket into a wheelbarrow. But after retrieving the skull was able to hose it off and it was pretty clean and odor free. I did have to use a stiff brush to get a little flesh off, but it wasn't bad at that point. I then rubbed it down with bleach several times to brighten it up and make it bright white.

I love them both but prefer shoulder.
The problem is the $500 difference in getting them done.
My biggest buck ever is shoulder mounted. If I kill one the same size or bigger it will get shoulder mounted as well.
If I kill a good deer that isn't quite as big, I'll euro it.

I prefer the Euro.

I can do it any deer I want for little investment. IOW, I don’t have to wait for the “right” deer.

I do it myself so there is no third party hassle. I have become hyper sensitive to even the slightest aggravations and inconveniences having someone else doing the work causes. Mostly contractors so a taxidermist applies.

Since I do it myself I have complete control over the process. In the instance of the one below I did not want it bleached. I didn’t have to worry about any screw ups which happen more and more commonly.

I have a bit of experience woodworking so backers or plaques are also easy.

Shoulder mount would be my preference, if and when I’m lucky enough to get a quality buck vs the run of the mill every day guy.

I’ll go shoulder mount almost every time. I just like them better and my wife hate euro mounts. I just like to look up at the wall and think about hunts from the past and the skull mounts just don’t make me feel as nostalgic.

md7 said:

Fine mounts, and bucks. Looks great

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Gracias, amigo. They aren’t the best deer in the world or even the state of Mississippi. Hell, only one of them is bigger than 130, but they are solid deer in my area and I’m proud to have outsmarted them.

I like them both, but I prefer the Euro mounts.
Here is my deer from this season.
He is the biggest I’ve ever taken.
As someone previously mentioned, I’m a meat hunter and have no problem taking Does and smaller Bucks, but I got lucky with this guy during the last week of our season.

I have both, and there are a few shoulder mounts I wish I would have euro’d

I have both and have switched to euro View attachment 1054397 View attachment 1054398 View attachment 1054397 View attachment 1054398 View attachment 1054397 View attachment 1054398 View attachment 1054399 View attachment 1054400 mounts to save space and money. The money saved can add up to a new adventure.

I have both.
My Mrs isn't big on decorating with dead animals. I have my biggest buck over the fireplace. I have several others mounted, but they're in the mancave.
I've been doing European mounts on the better bucks, and just homemade skull mounts covered in leather or vinyl and mounted on an old barn board.


This one has duck and turkey feathers from the 2018 hunting season.

earlthegoat2 said:

Since I do it myself I have complete control over the process. In the instance of the one below I did not want it bleached. I didn’t have to worry about any screw ups which happen more and more commonly.

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Almost need another thread of methods/results as well as “what I know now…”

You forgot to mention. ... Much cheaper.

Euro mounts, cheaper and the shoulder mounts always end up looking ratty after a while.

For whatever reason, I never cared for shoulder mount whitetail. For years I didn't bother with trophies at all. Then I tried doing euros the "natural way" and had several decent deer skulls toted off by dogs. Then I wised up and finally started boiling them. Much better result and no opportunistic wildlife to worry about. It would have to be a huge buck for me to do a shoulder mount whitetail but the more exotic stuff I think warrants it. Like my blackbuck and Corsican/mouflon mix. I did euros for my water buffalo but if I ever manage to take Cape buffalo, it will definitely get a shoulder mount. I have a smaller fallow but would like to have a really nice one in a shoulder mount, as well as axis. It's only really been the last few years that this stuff appealed to me. Having a huge shop with 11ft walls probably helps.

I just wired and hung the bovines but the deer euros get a skull hooker. I like the positioning better than a plaque. I guess I need a group shot of them. Here's the one from last year.