To Mount or Not To Mount-Taxidermy

[North of 60]

Euros only to take up less space...

Speaking of previous generations I'm still trying to get my oldest brother to take back a monster mule deer rack from a trip our dad took in 1968 to SW CO.

 

[TheTone]

I’m almost certainly done with shoulder mounts at one mule deer, a pronghorn and a javelina. I could maybe do a whitetail if it was truly big and an exceptional hunt. I just can’t justify the cost and space they take up. Probably done with euros on elk too unless they’re big bulls

 

[sambo3006]

I have four whitetail shoulder mounts, plus one elk and one antelope. My last bull elk would have been mount worthy if I didn't already have one. Cost and space prohibited. I did a skull mount and it looks great. I do want one mule deer mount if I can get one 170" or bigger, plus one more antelope if I can kill one around 80". I have three bear hides. I didn't do rugs due to the cost, and I'm perfectly happy with just the tanned hides. A whitetail would have to be bigger than anything I have killed to do another shoulder mount. I am currently waiting on a fan and beard mount of my first Merriam's turkey. Not too many shoulder mounts in my future most likely.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I killed the biggest whitetail I’ve ever killed this year, in 35 years of hunting them, and killed it on my own property, so very special to me, but I just did a euro since I already have 6 other shoulder mounted whitetails. I probably won’t ever mount another one

@waspocrew , great idea to euro the real one and get replica horns and skull plate made for pedestal mount on your sheep. There is nothing like handling those horns and feeling the weight and letting friends and family hold it.

I’ve definitely started to lean more towards euro and only mounting large specimens of a species, and won’t mount just because it’s a new species I never killed. Exception to this were my 2 sheep as they were once in a lifetime hunts for me. They were representative rams, and I plan to mount a late season goat I got up in BC this past October if he ever makes it back to me. He wasn’t a big or old billy, but I doubt I will ever do that hunt again, and lifesize goats look so bad ass. It will be my first life-size, and perhaps only.

No kids, and no nieces or nephews so far who care anything about hunting, but they are young. Regardless, I definitely just do it for my own enjoyment and memories. Not to brag or impress anyone who comes to my house, and certainly not to burden anyone with them after I move on

 

[High Climber]

Mostly diy euros these days, I might shoulder mount a booner muley or whitetail someday if I turn one up… don’t know though. I shot a 393” bull (403” before he broke a g6) with my bow last year and he is currently euro mounted, the cape is at the taxi just not sure if I am going to mount him don’t really have a great spot and the euro looks awesome

 

[Speaks]

Ive always preferred euros.

When my dad passed this spring and I was cleaning out his house it was an interesting experience. He didnt hunt but had boxes of papers and journals he had published, awards he has won. Things his students had published or won. Mementos with stories I knew and 20x as many with stories I didint. A lifetime worth of stuff.

It largely went into a dumpster. Practical items were donated, I kept a few things. But most of his most treasured possessions were thrown away. It was a very odd experience, but its what happens.

My mounts are at my cabin, my dads fish mounts are there as well. No clue if my brothers kids will keep the place after Im gone or keep any of the stuff.

Fact is that the vast majority of what I own will one day be tossed into a dumpster or hauled to good will.

 

[Coveyleader]

I’m done. One of my favorite animals to hunt are bears, and I don’t eat them, don’t need a rug, so at this point it’s like killing a coyote.

 

[Duckhunter14]

I killed the biggest whitetail I’ve ever killed this year, in 35 years of hunting them, and killed it on my own property, so very special to me, but I just did a euro since I already have 6 other shoulder mounted whitetails. I probably won’t ever mount another one

@waspocrew , great idea to euro the real one and get replica horns and skull plate made for pedestal mount on your sheep. There is nothing like handling those horns and feeling the weight and letting friends and family hold it.

I’ve definitely started to lean more towards euro and only mounting large specimens of a species, and won’t mount just because it’s a new species I never killed. Exception to this were my 2 sheep as they were once in a lifetime hunts for me. They were representative rams, and I plan to mount a late season goat I got up in BC this past October if he ever makes it back to me. He wasn’t a big or old billy, but I doubt I will ever do that hunt again, and lifesize goats look so bad ass. It will be my first life-size, and perhaps only.

No kids, and no nieces or nephews so far who care anything about hunting, but they are young. Regardless, I definitely just do it for my own enjoyment and memories. Not to brag or impress anyone who comes to my house, and certainly not to burden anyone with them after I move on

The replica is such a cool idea. I helped a tag holder with a sheep hunt last year and he did this exact thing. Had a replica made for the shoulder mount and kept the euro to allow people to see and touch the original. He was also gracious enough to make me one as well since I scouted a lot for his hunt since he was out of state and ultimately found the ram he ended up killing during the hunt. Made the cover of Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation mag, pretty cool experience. That sheep replica will be a talking point for years to come.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Shot a bull just shy of 350, biggest to date and will be hard to top, shoulder mounted that sucker, and damn it’s a lot of space haha I mean it’s cool to look at but I’m with you, I like euro’s personally. I think I will stick with euros from here on out and maybe a bear and a cat rug someday…

 

[Hnthrdr]

I’m almost certainly done with shoulder mounts at one mule deer, a pronghorn and a javelina. I could maybe do a whitetail if it was truly big and an exceptional hunt. I just can’t justify the cost and space they take up. Probably done with euros on elk too unless they’re big bulls

Yeah I’m to the point if the bull isn’t pushing 300 he is getting skull capped

 

[omicron1792]

I don't plan on doing anything other than boiling the skull. One exception is if I get a Mountain Goat. Other exceptions would be to tan the hide of some animals, mainly predators. I've even thought of cutting the antlers off my deer shoulder mounts I have now and putting the antlers on those printed skulls.

Man a full mount showing all the shale matted into the fur causing a coat of armor would be so cool!

 

[Orlando]

I had one whitetail mounted in 1987 - my biggest and second archery deer. The rest i cut the antlers off, date them, and have them lined up on a long shelf in the barn. I like to look at them and remember the individual hunts, but have no interest in having any more mounts. Might be an age thing.

 

[Mr.Ktm]

Euros are cool

A guy told me once that euro mounts are like shaving your **** it just makes everything look bigger

 

[Scottf270]

I have been culling some older deer shoulder mounts as I kill bigger deer. I remove the horns and mount them on a plaque. I'm actually gonna sell or donate a cougar rug and a bear rug. I'm nearing the end of mounting anything at 64 years old.

 

[Boarmaster]

After a few whitetail shoulder mounts I realized I would run out of space so I went to skull cap mounts on the deer I plan to hang in the house. The rest get skull capped and screwed to a wall. My largest bucks which I killed in Ohio all hang at my cousins decked out barn there. I shoot several bucks a year and have for 40 years so they tend to pile up.

 

[roadrunner]

Man a full mount showing all the shale matted into the fur causing a coat of armor would be so cool!

 

[Weldor]

Did the same as many on here, did a bunch when I was young. Most are in the garage now, Euro's are in the house. Red stag is the last one I had done a few years back. Buffalo even got euro'ed . Mounts just take up to much space. But it's up to you what you want for sure. One thing I do like to put up are hides. Fallow, axis, buffalo, etc. they can go on a wall, floor or banister and look great.

 

[MallardSX2]

Our house is full. Unless we kill something that is extra big or extra special, its not going on the wall anymore.



Taxidermy prices are ridiculous these days.

Some of the shops are really taking people to the cleaners. $1000+ for a whitetail shoulder mount? LOL

 

[nphunter]

I have memorable hunts done, a 3 piece antelope mount with both of my boys and my antelope. My youngest killed a 185" buck and I had it mounted for him and my wife killed a 170" buck that we mounted. I have my first buck which happened to be a 150" whitetail mounted from when I was a kid and my uncle was a taxi.

Unless I kill a very big animal they get euroed, I have 3 bulls over 310"-330" I've killed with my bow on my office wall and the rest hanging from the rafters in my garage. I euro everything myself so my kids have all of their bucks and elk euros in their rooms as well.

No way I could fit a elk shoulder mount in my current house. I need a bigger house before I get anything else mounted.

I will most likely get my wife a shoulder mount on her bull when she draws a OIL tag in 5 more years assuming she kills a slob and if I ever kill a 180+ public land buck with my bow it will probably get mounted as well.

As far as I'm concerned my kids and wife can chop off all of the horns and sell them after I die, to me they are memories and house decor.

 

[CorbLand]

I will shoulder mount a deer if I get about 190. Outside of that, euros.

Dropped a bull off to get euroed this year. He was over 300. The guy said “that’s a big bull to just get euroed.” My response was “for what it would cost me to get mounted, I could do the hunt again and I would rather do that.”