Troubles Trees
5 year old buck +
This is my 3rd taxidermist and I’ve only had 3 deer shoulder mounts in my life mostly due to cost (I’m a single dad with custody, and a homeowner). Every taxidermist I’ve used came with a strong recommendation with friend(s) advice. All 3 of them gave me the runaround completion date, “it will definitely be done by the end of the month”. At the beginning of the next month I’d call again and get only a similar answer. Of course I’m excited and drooling with anticipation to get a mount back, I haven’t laid eyes on the rack for well over a year each time and it’s like a late Christmas present to us hunters! I honestly don’t care if it is going to take 2 years to do, just tell me straight up and I can be patient, this end of the month story has gone on for 8 months now with this latest mount :(
This is my (opening day of gun) 2018 buck. Body wise it is the heaviest (190# dressed) and the most mature buck I’ve ever shot, and I’ve harvested my share of 3-4 year olds, which is old for our high pressure heavily hunted area. The meat was wicked tough and gamey tasting despite a quick clean kill. It’s an older buck that was definitely in prime rut so I had low expectations with the meat and grinder most of it. When I dropped it off to the taxidermist I sent him a picture of the buck (below) while I was in his shop. I didn’t take many pictures because I was hunting solo and had just dragged it roughly a 1/4 mile and had to cross a brutal ravine (20’ rope wrapped around a tree above, pull the deer with one hand and pull the rope at the same time to not lose that 4-6” I would gain between pulls), I was exhausted and I just wanted to get it in the truck and get home at that point.
Anyway, he just now sent me these pictures to show some progress and I am again disappointed. The neck on this thing was basically a straight line from the bottom of his jaw to the top of the lump on the brisket. I VERY much stressed how important it was to make the neck look like the deer did in real life (in the picture).
The rack isn’t even on straight, and although it wasn’t perfectly even on the deer it appears he tilted it way more than the deer had grown it :(
This is my (opening day of gun) 2018 buck. Body wise it is the heaviest (190# dressed) and the most mature buck I’ve ever shot, and I’ve harvested my share of 3-4 year olds, which is old for our high pressure heavily hunted area. The meat was wicked tough and gamey tasting despite a quick clean kill. It’s an older buck that was definitely in prime rut so I had low expectations with the meat and grinder most of it. When I dropped it off to the taxidermist I sent him a picture of the buck (below) while I was in his shop. I didn’t take many pictures because I was hunting solo and had just dragged it roughly a 1/4 mile and had to cross a brutal ravine (20’ rope wrapped around a tree above, pull the deer with one hand and pull the rope at the same time to not lose that 4-6” I would gain between pulls), I was exhausted and I just wanted to get it in the truck and get home at that point.
Anyway, he just now sent me these pictures to show some progress and I am again disappointed. The neck on this thing was basically a straight line from the bottom of his jaw to the top of the lump on the brisket. I VERY much stressed how important it was to make the neck look like the deer did in real life (in the picture).
The rack isn’t even on straight, and although it wasn’t perfectly even on the deer it appears he tilted it way more than the deer had grown it :(