Trophy Mounts Why do you do it?

[crumy]

Ok.. so this might get some good conversation going or it could be a lame duck. But I wanted to put this out here after a conversation I had with a friend who came over to my house. I have Two antelope, a mule deer, a white tail from Ohio, turkey and , an elk with one at the taxidermist at my house. A friend who is not a hunter asked why I had those "dead animals" on my wall.

My answer was short and sweet. Each one of those is a special memory. I have not mounted every animal I have harvested.

I am not saying that each hunt I go on is not an adventure and something I won't remember. Some of my best hunts I have not gotten anything. It is about the time not the result. But the ones on the wall have a special meaning to me.

Example: ( I promise not to go into all of them)

• My wife's first animal was an antelope she got in Wyoming. Just happened to be 15.5 inches and there was a good story to go with it.
• My son's first elk on his fist elk hunt ever. It is a small fist year 6x6. One of the best hunts and memories that I will cherish forever. This wouldn't classify as a "trophy animal" to most by any means, but I would not trade it for a 390 bull ever.

So I guess my "trophy wall" is more like a 3D photo album of some great adventures. It is not so much about "look what I shot". I was just wondering about you. What is your motivation, and what would you have said.


-jc

 

[Buster]

Crumy, I think you did a pretty good job summing it up.

 

[robby denning]

So I guess my "trophy wall" is more like a 3D photo album of some great adventures

Me, too, but I'd be lying if I didn't say in my mind "look what I shot".

Beyond a simple explanation, I don't go to deep with the non hunter or even anti hunter. It doesn't end well and by stating my beliefs and respecting theirs, is my best chance at a relationship that might lead to a better understanding of why I hunt/display "dead animals"

 

[tipsntails7]

I have them to remind me of special hunts, I don't have any world class trophys, so most of them Are firsts; Elk, deer, I've got a few turkey fans, I've got a bear rug and a couple blankets, I don't have any none euro mounts. I've saved those for if I ever do take a trophy animal.

I will say if I ever shoot a 350+ class elk, or a ram of any kind, maybe a Mule deer above 180 I will probably have it mounted. An those I will say "look what I shot" ... Probably out loud to everyone I can.

 

[Big Sky]

For me a lot of it is because I busted my ass to kill these animals and I am proud of it. There are people that will never understand that and I don't even try to change their mind any more.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I like to think of it as wall art, coupled with the fact that it takes me back to the hunt when I look at them. Some people invest in paintings to display on their walls, I invest in mounts.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Not many people come into my house so it's definitely not a "look what I shot" thing for me. I'd say there for me and my family to enjoy. I love sitting in the room where their all at and reliving the memories.

 

[Ross]

For me it is a way to relive a special day every time I view them and to display a magnificent animal.

 

[ssliger]

I really enjoy taxidermy. I manage a respiratory company and get to go into a lot of homes. I love going to a new patients house and seeing mounts on the wall. I automatically know I have something in common with them. As for what goes on my wall, they all have something special to them. I have a shoulder mount of the moose I shot when I was 16. I got to take a week off of school and just my dad and I went hunting, I made a mix tape of music w/ Pink Floyd, The Eagles and some other classics. When I hear one of the songs on the radio it takes me back. I have some European mounts, biggest Antelope, biggest Mule Deer, and my first Archery animal at the taxi. My wife and I are in the market for a new house and one of the stipulations are we need vaulted ceilings. I am going on a Caribou hunt this September and plan on doing a shoulder mount. With my daughter starting hunting in 2015, there will be more mounts heading to the wall.

 

[AK Shane]

It's art with a personal nature. Unlike hanging a landscape painting on your wall you're hanging an item with personal meaning. An item that brings back all the feelings and memories of not just the kill but all the work leading up to the hunt, the highs and lows of the hunt itself, and all work following the harvest. I definitely don't have any other art in my house that invokes the emotion I get from looking up one of my mounts.

I love raising my kids with animal mounts in the house. My daughter is now three and a half but as soon as she learned to talk she knew the names for all of her Alaskan animals. I used to have to carry her around the living room so she could pet the black bear and mountain goat. Come on, who else has a mountain goat on their wall named Sophia or a bison named Bella? Wouldn't have gotten to have the same experiences with my daughter from a painting. I'm looking forward to having the same experiences with my son as he gets older.

 

[Manosteel]

Memories! A physical reminder of the hunt and what it took to harvest the animal. I don't mount every animal I harvest, DIY euro yes, but I save the mounts for special hunts. It's similar to why people build monuments, its to commemorate an event.

 

[Ashley]

I suspect that our desire to retain a trophy from a kill stems from a deeply rooted desire of immortality. When faced with death, we are forced to deal with the fact that one day we to will take our last breath; we will pass on and be forgotten. In looking at a trophy mount or souvenir from an experience, there are more memories and feelings tied to that object than any memory alone can conjure up. When I look around at our mounts at home, I am reminded of incredible experiences that my husband and I have together. These are memories that I never want to forget. The mounts themselves remind me of how incredible the animals are that we pursue; they remind me of the being that was, and what they experienced in their years of survival before they met their death. We as hunters share an incredible connection with the natural world and the animals in it. When I look at the field of geese I stop and think that there are birds out there that have been hunted for more years than I have been hunting. I have to imagine what that bird has been through in its life to have made it to its 20th year of life. When I shot my elk, he had hair stuck in his antlers; that hair is still there to this day. I wonder what he was doing to get it there. Playing with another younger bull? Sparring for a chance at heard bull? When I look at our mounts, I'm flooded with the emotion and memory of the day we met....the moments leading up to the shot and the experience of the kill. I have never gotten any of that from a photo. Some of the most memorable experiences in my life thus far have come from spending time with my husband in the woods. The trophies and souvenirs that I've collected from those experiences are priceless to me; it's my attempt at immortalizing a memory. I apologize, I am not the most articulate person, it is very difficult to put into words why we do what we do, but this is my attempt.

 

[littlebuf]

Lots a good reasons. One is like the animals i hunt and enjoy looking at them. To me a black tail buck is one of the prettiest animals walking around out there. But obviously it's for the memories, when I'm to old to do what hi do anymore I'd like to be able to still enjoy the animals and activity that has shaped the very nature if who I am. There are many who will never understand and that's fine. I don't waste my time trying to explain. It's my wall after all

 

[JP100]

Crumy you summed it up well.
I have a mate(a european) who has every animal he has ever shot(I think anyway) mounted. he has done them all himself(euro mounts) and it looks amazing.
he has a wall of 75 Roe buck skulls,red stags,moose,Tahr,chamois and african game. All if this is in his garage so no one really see's it.

I really enjoy european mounts because I like looking skulls, sounds weird but I really like anatomy and how things are made. I also like the process of cleaning heads that I have harvested.

Its also the best way to remember those hard hunts that payed off in the end. To me anyway

 

[bigfish b.c]

i look at it like art too + a respect thing & of coarse it brings back memories of the hunts they came from,one look & i can remember every detail of the hunt.

 

[tttoadman]

It's all good. It is for us to reflect on, not for us to show off. It is ok to be proud of our accomplishments, but keep it in perspective. I intend to have 3 mule deer mounts. My first high country buck, my first good out of state buck, and something over the magic 30. All will have an awesome story attached to each. Otherwise what's the point.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I have killed nothing worth mounting yet but I wish I'd have got my first bow kill euro mounted just because it was a first. When I do get something mounted it will be for pride in the accomplishment, for memories, and/or to honor the animal for being a particularly magnificent specimen. So some will be "look what I shot" and if someone has an issue with that they are welcome to have that issue in someone else's house other than mine. I make no apologies for who I am, I am a hunter.

 

[5MilesBack]

Most all of my bigger animals were shot when I was younger and had no money to have them mounted. And I was moving around so much in the military over the years that it really wasn't feasible then either. Now that I'm settled a bit, and recently got my 300+ archery bull.....I had to put him on the wall. Now the only way I'll mount another is if he's bigger or just way cool looking.

 

[tstowater]

Personally, I don't give a crap what others think about the taxidermy that I have had (and will have) done. The animals are special to me and I respect each and every one of them. The mounts are primarily for my enjoyment and anyone else who shares the same interests or cares to learn. There is nothing to be ashamed about in appreciating the beauty of nature. I'm sort of in a pickle as I need a place for my taxidermy and the only thing my wife says is the animals can't live in a nicer place than her.

 

[5MilesBack]

A friend who is not a hunter asked why I had those "dead animals" on my wall.

You could have just said something like........well, because I don't allow live animals in the house.