Share your mounts and stories from past seasons

[Rembrandt]

Beautiful birds!

One thing I've found that separates the great taxidermists from others is how well they get the eyes and face on big cats and predators.



Mallard and Woody take residence in the living room.

 

[Captcurt]

Here's 3 of my old mounts. The one on the left was taken in 1977 with Ruger 77 270 . Made a bad shot and blood trailed him for 4 1/2 hours.

The middle one was taken in 1994 after spending 4 cold, windy days in a tree stand. Took him out with a Rem. 700 Classic in 6.5 Swede.

The big six point was my first buck. Taken in 1969 with a Rem. 742 30-06. He was mounted by an amateur and is starting to look rough. Couldn't afford a real taxidermist.

I've chased whitetails for 57 years and have never shot a 10 point, or a buck that I consider big.

 

[Rembrandt]

Everything shown has come from our farm. Fox can be hit and miss sometimes....got him at the right time in the season when the pelt was full and in vivid color.

 

[Rembrandt]

This coon was an annoying distraction while bow hunting for deer.....he's no longer a distraction.

 

[hps1]

Actually, I was lucky I saw it fall as it didn't act like a cripple usually does. it was in fast flight getting the hell out of there right up to the moment it folded and fell out of the sky ~150 yards away. I've never seen anything like it.

Sure glad you found it, otherwise we (you) would have missed out on a very beautiful mount.

One thing I've found that separates the great taxidermists from others is how well they get the eyes and face on big cats and predators.

Yes, the eyes sure separate the men from the boys, and that seems to be very difficult to get right, especially on cats.

Another thing that might help your taxidermist to capture the "moment" is to take him a closeup picture of any details you would like to preserve. Although my taxidermist did a great job, I would have done so on my Gemsbok.

Hunting with a good friend, who was the ranch foreman for my first Gemsbok, we had hunted hard all day and been close a couple of times to getting a decent shot but no cigar. Once just as I was squeezing the trigger the leg of my shooting sticks collapsed, fortunately was able to get off the trigger in time.

Mid afternoon, spotted a herd at what I estimated to be about 375 yards. One bull was a bit larger than the rest and I decided to take the shot as the foreman spotted w/binoculars. We heard a solid thump but the bull didn't flinch, following the rest of the herd into the brush.

We had a hard time finding blood, because my range estimation was off by about 50 yards and the trail petered out right away. I was worried because the blood was red, not the pink I had expected. Long story short, I thought I was a decent tracker, but I've never seen anyone who can track like Rudy! He picked up blood twice after we lost it. Finally, I spotted what I believed to be the wounded bull because he stepped out broadside at about 100 yards and looked at me longer than a healthy animal would have. While I could see no sign of a hit, I was sure enough to take the shot. Solid hit, but he ran....about 25 yards.

I was shooting 210 NP from a 338 WM so fully expected to see 2 entries & 2 exits but only found one. Began to worry that I had just killed a (2nd) healthy animal, but Rudy was sure it was the same bull. When I asked how, he pointed out an inch or 1 1/2" fresh cut in the left ear. I had not noticed it, but Rudy had seen it in his binoculars before I fired the 1st shot.

Any rate, I wish I had pointed the cut out or given my taxidermist a closeup picture as I would liked to have preserved that cut. He did do a great job of repairing it since I forgot to mention it.

The moral of this story is be sure to share any special features you might wish to preserve when leaving you trophy @ the taxidermist.

By the way, that is a beautiful fox and I love the quail lamps....both of them!

Regards,
hps

 

[NMachine]

Everything shown has come from our farm. Fox can be hit and miss sometimes....got him at the right time in the season when the pelt was full and in vivid color.

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Rembrandt. I thought I read in another post that you’re in Iowa. Where do you find Gambles quail in Iowa?

 

[entropy]

I've only had two things mounted: a hen woody, my Dad shot the drake, and had them both mounted. That was in 1976, she didn't fare well in the moves, and after getting pretty ratty, I tossed her. The other was a sunfish over 1 lb, caught up at our cabin. My Dad might still have it, but I don't remember seeing it last time I was down there. He still hasn't mounted the moose rack he got in 1991, I figure I will mount it when I inherit it.
I had one 6 pt rack stolen, the other I gave to my son for projects. (it was a tiny rack.)

 

[Rembrandt]

hps1, your taxidermist got the Bobcat face correct.

Rembrandt. I thought I read in another post that you’re in Iowa. Where do you find Gambles quail in Iowa?

Sorry, meant what was in the display cases. Quail lamps were purchased items, made by a company in Texas.

Seem to have collected more mounts than I should, this is part of the "game room" at the farm.

Have a very large 4 bedroom farm house we jokingly refer to as the "hunting Lodge" Plans are to convert each bedroom into a wild game species theme. "Antelope Room", "Whitetail Room", "Mulie Deer Room", etc. With decor, bedding, prints, and so forth to compliment each species.

 

[BreechFace]

@Rembrandt Is that a "Musk Deer" with the tusks (1st picture)? Or is it the musk deer that have large canines?

 

[Captcurt]

Wow! A jackalope. I tried to book a hunt for them and the guide thought that I was crazy.

 

[Rembrandt]

No musk deer.....rather an Iowa version of a Jackalope. Had a lot of fun with it, taxidermist installed wild boar tusks and red eyes. Most adults look at it and are not quite sure what to think....afraid it could be a hoax but so well done it looks to be a real sub species.

Small children are the gullible ones who are scared to death of it and of course believe what prankster adults tell them. Once had it on loan to a sporting goods store as a conversation piece, a customer came in and claimed he'd nearly been attacked and killed by it when fishing at a local lake. Everyone in the store kinda rolled their eyes and wondered how much he'd been drinking while fishing.

 

[Patocazador]

I thought I was a decent tracker, but I've never seen anyone who can track like Rudy! He picked up blood twice after we lost it.

If you want to see amazing trackers, go to the Kalahari Desert and follow a Bushman tracker. It's almost impossible to believe how they do it.

 

[27hand]

I just got htis guy back from Sept 2019 ( second day of our early archery }.

2021-05-03_07-34-56 by poofy27, on Flickr

I had a blurry trail cam pic of him and eventually saw him on my cameras on a regular basis.
The first day of archery was just too warm so I waited a few days.

He came in facing me. . I was 20 feet up. He moved within 15 yards and gave me a broadside shot. The TenPoint Wicked Ridge Stealth FX4 bolt did a pass through. The Nap Spitfire 100 3 blade head is hanging off the drop tine.
This was a small deer and not a big rack but how often do you see 3 main beams and 14 points?

It was a great day. The taxidermist said everything related to processing this buck came to a stop with Covid..

I'm glad he finally finished.

The other 3 are 2 8 points and a 9 point. This was 4 years in a row with that crossbow. All in my residential back yard.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

how often do you see 3 main beams

Once, so far, but unlikely again.
The Patriarch of our deer camp's Grandson shot a 3X4X5 several years ago. It was a good sized deer, pushing 200 #. Nice rack! But weird with 2 beams on one side (3X4). Grampa's SIL is also a taxidermist so it is properly mounted in the Grandson's room. Wish I still had a picture of it, but that phone died.

And as a side note, I am really P.O.ed now because my confuser won't let my post pics!!!!!Have several mounts with fun stories........oh well..........

 

[marksman13]

Picked up three from the taxidermist today.

Far left: older buck I killed this year. Taxidermist aged him at 8+ based on jawbone. I’ve been watching him for years and he was just slightly bigger last year. Decided to go ahead and take him this year. Honestly wouldn’t have had him shoulder mounted under normal conditions, but the agreement on the property I killed him on is that no bucks are shot unless they are going on the wall. I’m a man of my word. Decent buck, but certainly nothing special. I got some really cool pictures of him in the snow though and that’s pretty rare in my neck of the woods. Shot him with a Ruger No. 1 in 300 Win Mag at 97 yards.

Second from left is a buck I killed in 2009 while hunting with my best friend. He’s the first mature deer I ever called up. Really proud of that buck and the memories made on that hunt. Shot this buck at around a hundred yards with a Browning A Bolt Stainless Stalker in 308. Wish I still had that rifle.

Center: my dad’s biggest buck and the only deer he ever had mounted. He shot him as he was getting ready to jump a fence at 240 yards. Dad thought he was a giant doe when he shot him as his antlers blended in to the vegetation across the fence line. Deer was 260 lbs on the hoof which is a giant in central Mississippi. Dad killed him with a Remington 742 Deluxe in 30-06.

Fourth from the left: I killed in 2007. I shot him out of my parents bathroom window. He’d been crossing my dad’s pond levee every evening just before dark. Dad had lost interest in hunting and didn’t care anything about killing him. The first time 23 year old me saw him, I had to kill him. I sat in the bathroom three afternoons in a row with the window up waiting for him to show up. I was convinced he’d been killed. Looking back, he was probably locked up with a doe somewhere. He stepped out at 185 yards just before dark on what I had decided was my last afternoon to sit and wait for him. Initially had him skull mounted because I was a poor college student. Skull mount broke last year and that gave me an excuse to have him shoulder mounted this year. Dropped him off before season started and didn’t realize I’d be paying for three mounts by the time everything was said and done. Killed him with a Remington 700 in 243 Win.

Far right: I killed this year. He was chasing a doe across a power line at 252 yards. I tried everything to make him stop. Finally just yelled something quite profane and inappropriate for this forum and he stopped right at the edge of the woods. Shot him with a Ruger No. 1 in 270 Win.

They all bring back a ton of memories. Good thread, OP.

 

[hps1]

This was a small deer and not a big rack but how often do you see 3 main beams and 14 points?

Only once; at about 300 yds. Would have been very tempted to blow my buck tag had he presented a decent shot, but a picture is a heck of a lot cheaper than the mount would have been, and you know I'd have had to mount it.

Figured I'd see him again, but never did.

 

[AgPilot]

My adventures from the last 2 years.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Just found another route to post pictures...hope this works!

This whitetail scared the c--p outa me!

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Killed this moose on opening day of October, 2002.
I remember this because I had just bought my first new pick-em-up truck on June 6th. Twenty years applying for the moose hunt and, as it turned out, just about in time before the hunts were shut down.
My hunting partner was fighting wildfires all Spring and Summer. I did alot of legwork and preparing as best as I could...

Opening morning, we are out before sunrise and Scott sez "Let's try this clearcut...I was disappointed at not going further to areas that I had explored and scouted while he was working. What the heck, it's opener, let's give 'er a shot! We have lots of time.

We decided to split up a bit but still be able to hear a gunshot.
He went East, I headed south, found a place to sit overlooking a small draw and call, listen and wait.

I could hear Scott calling and he seemed to be getting real good at it until I realized it was the two cows coming in front of me heading west with the bull pursuing.

Shot at 8:05 A.M. 40 yards if that,three 180 grain Corelocks (don't give me a hard time...)out of my Dad's Sporterized 1917 Remington., and in Zup's walk-in cooler shortly after 2:00 P.M. except for the tenderloin...We BBQed that whole junk of meat that evening and pigged out like our Viking ancestors.
Not a trophy by any means, but I wanted meat, as did Scott! a 40 incher spread.

Scott heard me shoot of course and was there in a few minutes, in time to chase the cows away from mesmerized me !
The two cows kept going from their downed boyfriend to me. It was exciting!!!

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

On a side note to my above post.......
Learned a couple of things that day.
I would not recommend to gut a moose and then try to move it as one may with a deer. I screwed up!
Skin the side up, quarter, flip and repeat, then garner your treasured tenderloins after gutting...
Just sayin' from experience, ymmv.

 

[AgPilot]

No musk deer.....rather an Iowa version of a Jackalope. Had a lot of fun with it, taxidermist installed wild boar tusks and red eyes. Most adults look at it and are not quite sure what to think....afraid it could be a hoax but so well done it looks to be a real sub species.

Small children are the gullible ones who are scared to death of it and of course believe what prankster adults tell them. Once had it on loan to a sporting goods store as a conversation piece, a customer came in and claimed he'd nearly been attacked and killed by it when fishing at a local lake. Everyone in the store kinda rolled their eyes and wondered how much he'd been drinking while fishing.

LOVE IT!!!!!

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