second thoughts on mount.

[Axis II]

Ive had some rough spots in my 16yr hunting career where ive lost deer, missed, busted, etc and last year was finally able to shoot a nice buck with a muzzleloader. It being my 2nd buck (lost the first one) i decided to have him mounted. I had been having second thoughts of mounting it because of the money ($450) but then it passed and now its really ramped up to where im thinking about calling him and saying keep the $150 deposit and just plaque the horns.

anyone get this and how did you get over it?

 

[Patocazador]

You'll be happier with the mount in the long run provided the taxidermist is good. However, the funds may restrict you right now. Call the taxidermist and explain. He could put your mount on hold for the time being if necessary.

 

[Jason_W]

Do you have the time and space to do it yourself?

I used to do some taxidermy work as a kid (fun fact: In 10th grade biology class, we all had the option of doing a taxidermy project in lieu of a research paper). It's laborious, intricate, and time consuming, but it's far from neurosurgery.

VanDykes sells all the supplies and instructions you need. Granted, your first project likely won't turn out as well as that of a seasoned pro, but you'll preserve the memory for far less money.

 

[Axis II]

You'll be happier with the mount in the long run provided the taxidermist is good. However, the funds may restrict you right now. Call the taxidermist and explain. He could put your mount on hold for the time being if necessary.

im supposed to get it back in October. Im also a little concerned that i dropped it off to him first week of January and he said it wont be done until end of October-November.

 

[Axis II]

Do you have the time and space to do it yourself?

I used to do some taxidermy work as a kid (fun fact: In 10th grade biology class, we all had the option of doing a taxidermy project in lieu of a research paper). It's laborious, intricate, and time consuming, but it's far from neurosurgery.

VanDykes sells all the supplies and instructions you need. Granted, your first project likely won't turn out as well as that of a seasoned pro, but you'll preserve the memory for far less money.

I rent so space is very limited and time not so much.

 

[Axis II]

I guess because its not a monster like you always see on the wall I'm getting cold feet. A large part of me says that it was a spur of the moment thing to mount it and i should have given it some thought.

 

[Jason_W]

I rent so space is very limited and time not so much.

Yeah, it is a very messy hobby. Like bullet casting, not something us apartment dwellers can reasonably do.

 

[Armored farmer]

I guess because its not a monster like you always see on the wall I'm getting cold feet. A large part of me says that it was a spur of the moment thing to mount it and i should have given it some thought.

Hey, that's a pretty nice buck. I would be proud of that one.

Do as you please about the mount, but that's a respectable buck. There nay be bigger deer in the woods, but you got this one.

I have 4 taxidermy mounts, only one is really big horns, the others are significant to me in other ways,...

 

[Varminterror]

There's never been a mount which was really worth the cost to mount it, but I'm happy to spend a little money to mount something of which I'm proud.

If it's your first recovered buck, then I'd mount it, hang it, and years from now when you have a line of bigger and bigger bucks beside it, you can point back at that one as the first. As a general rule, I prefer shoulder mounts over plaques, but a guy does run out of space, so unless a buck is rather fancy, it makes more sense to mount only the biggest ones you've shot. Since this is your first recovered, it's your biggest.

Mount it up. 10yrs from now, you won't remember the $450.

 

[Patocazador]

im supposed to get it back in October. Im also a little concerned that i dropped it off to him first week of January and he said it wont be done until end of October-November.

A long turnaround time isn't necessarily bad. It could mean that lots of people like his work. It also may mean that he sent the hide to a tannery which will prolong the life of the mount. Beware of taxidermists who get your mount back in 3 months or less.

As far as doing it yourself, good luck. I've seen mounts that looked like hyenas with antlers. Most good taxidermists charge a good bit because they are artists and produce a life-like mount that you will be proud of. The only thing that matters is whether you feel good when gazing at your deer.

 

[SoonerMedic]

Another way you could still mount him and save money by doing it yourself would be to do a European mount. I did this with my very first buck from last year, and I'm super surprised. There are a bunch of videos on youtube on this process. You can even order flesh eating beetles on Amazon if you would prefer to get the most meat off your skull. Otherwise, boiling it and pressure washing it works well too, which is what I did. I just need to buy a plate for him to mount to.

 

[MidRoad]

I would just mount it and not look back. Don't want to regret it later on. You have the deposit down already and have a few more months before pick up. 450 is a decent price and the time frame they gave you sounds about right as well. I dropped mine off in Nov and got it back in Aug. Cost me 500.

 

[Captcurt]

That's a nice one. As others have stated, you have plenty of time to rathole enough to pay off the mount when it is done. I guided a sales rep striper fishing once. He had never caught a fish over 3 pounds. That night he landed a 13, 15 and 23 pound striper. I talked him into dropping it off at my taxidermist and making payment every time he came to town. Six months later he had a beautiful mount paid for.

 

[Axis II]

I don't know why I'm worrying myself about it. I guess it's like my gun problem you see something bigger or nicer and have second thoughts

 

[buck460XVR]

If it's worth mounting, have it done right. Want to practice on one or learn, do it on one that's not really a trophy. One thing that makes me shake my head is when someone gets the buck of a lifetime and then skimps and has their buddy do a "Bubba" mount in the basement. Takes practice and knowledge to get the ears and eyes right so it looks like a natural deer. Cobble it or do a half-azz job and you may as well just mount the horns nicely, cause it will look better in the long run. As for whether it's a trophy or not, that's up to you. It is a nice buck. You may or may not get a bigger one in your lifetime. It should come down to the memory, not the rack that you are trying to keep alive.

 

[sage5907]

I've been doing deer mounts for my friends for 18 years and $450 would be an acceptable price to pay for a quality mount. I tan my own capes and the total process takes me about 20 hours to complete a mount. My cost for the materials is about $200 which include the panel to hang the deer head on the wall. At that price the taxidermist would make about $10 and hour for his work. The taxidermist has two lines of thought. He can do 20 or 30 mounts a year and charge more for a quality mount or he can do 60 or 70 mounts a year which will delay the mounting process on some of the mounts all the way into October and November. Guys that do many mounts are lucky to get all of them mounted before the next season starts. The taxidermy business is not a business to make a lot of money so to be successful the taxidermist must turn out some type of product every day to make any money. Many of them have a day job which can cause them to be mounting deer all the way into the fall. When he charged you the $150 deposit he was just covering himself on buying the materials just in case you backed out and he was stuck with a form he couldn't use. He also wanted to be paid for the time he spent removing the cape from the skull and paying for the tanning process. At this late in the game he probably already has the cape tanned. If you decide to back out you need to talk to the taxidermist and be honest in what you say. I think you would be happier if you would do the right thing and pay him for the mount when it is finished. Life is hard enough without second guessing yourself on your decisions.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

We need Norman Bates to weigh in on this home taxidermy stuff...

 

[LoonWulf]

I dont have any mounts, nor do i generally keep horns. That said, Hes a handsome animal, and especially as your first buck id get him mounted properly.

I shot my first buck in the head at about 30 yds, so there wasnt even a question if I was getting him mounted. I kept his antlers for years tho finally gave them to a friend to use for his projects a few years back because we were moving into an apartment and i just didnt have space. I enjoyed having his antlers, and took a great deal of pride in those 26"s. Ive shot larger (and 26" for a Hawaii Axis isnt a large set of antlers), but thats the only set i kept, and the only set i wish i had a mount from.

My buddy does some taxidermy, its pretty rough, but hes been getting better. Another one gave me a turkey mount, I let it have an accident......
The quality of a good mount is worth paying for imo, having seen some good tries.....