dave6x6

I didn't have much choice but to pay him up front and then head to the airport. I even payed to ship it when he was done so I didn't know anything til the crate showed up 6 months later. We dropped off 4 mulies that day and i think he just ordered the same form for all of them. Anyway, I have the pics and memories and i hunted with my dad and brothers so i can't complain too much. Here's one more picture to show just how big this guy was. Funny thing is, if the guy had done a mount exactly as he was, no one would have believed it and I would have been acused of stretching it on a bloated form. LOL

Phade, It was actually some advice i heard from Winke quite a few years back that totally changed the way i hunt my stands. He was describing his absolute, best killer stands and what made them so great. After that I realized that i have a couple set-ups that have all these characteristics so i tweaked a few thing. Now, I have three stands that are so hot, that it's almost impossible not to stay in them all day long. I'll still hang 20 stands and sit in many of them throughout the season, but when things get crankin', i'll be in one of these.

By the way, dispite everything i told the very reputable taxidermist in Wyoming, I was a bit disappointed with his mount he did on my mulie. The guide told me when i shot him that it was one of the largest neck he's ever seen on a mulie and i really stressed that i wanted that displayed. Well here's the pics and when i look at it it doesn't even look at all likie the day i wrapped my hands around him.

Rich, Thanks for your expert views and your right about pics. I know I've tried to get pics of my mounts to show people and it sometimes takes 20 shots to find one that looks decent. LOL Taxidermy certainly is evolving into more realistic looking mounts and maybe because it's so different then what were accustom to, it sometimes looks odd. I'm admittedly a semi-sneak guy (as far as I know all 6 on the wall were ordered Semi sneak, left or right), and I'm set in my ways about a few things . No whites in the eyes, to me it makes the deer look scared even if it's more natural. Ears forward, not like a race horse that you shot running across a field. And i like the ears to follow just below the beams but follow the shape of the beams. To each his own.

You guys have kinda got off on the wind thing and we know it's all important but it doesn't seem to be what the original poster was looking for. I took it as, if you had a property to hunt and you had these 5 factors, how would you rate them when deciding a stand site. Not necessarily the stand position(down wind) but the site itself and why. I'll rank mine again based on the property i hunt which has all these. For me #1- pinch/funnels #2- cover #3- food #4- Trail cam pics #5- sign Assuming i can have the wind in my favor for all these.

Forgt to mention. They will ask on the form for two potential planting choices and then they will formulate the nutrients needed based on your soil results. SO your going to have to take a bit of a guess on what your leaning towards. Clover is almost always one of my choices. The other I guess depends on your hunting style and what you want the plot to do. Are you a bow hunter or a gun guy? Do you want this plot to be a early attractant or one that shines in the cold? Maybe you hunt all seasons and want it to attract from oct-jan? Any of these can be a possibility so whats your vision for this spot?

Meat. You can have samples done by Cornell, Agway, your local farm co-op and other places but for me, Whitetail Inst. labs are the easiest and most informative service to use. Order the kit for $12.45 and while your waiting for that to arrive, collect your dirt from the plot. 10-15 samples from all over the plot and about 6 inches under the surface. Make sure the dirt is dry and debris free and fill the form out and ship it off. They will e-mail you the results in a few days. With that info, you will be able to put a plan in place.

I think you will be happy with that LTDH. It shines when using those super tiny seeds because you have a bit more control over the slot opening. It's drawback is it's capacity but alittle clover seed goes a long way.

Nyanter, thanks for your info and i'm sure you know alot more then most about this subject but according to what i've read, your explanation is not whats been put out there. First off, the two scorers relieved of their duties had something like 75 yrs of scoring experience and i even thought the one guy was part of the panel to score the Hanson Buck. Even if I got that fact wrong, i do know that most reports are saying that this guy is one of the top and most respected scorers in the country. You believe that they made the right call, I'm not knowledgable enough to say either way, and then you have a pretty big group of experiened scorers that say it shouldn't be concidered a abnormal point. With all these varying opinions, Why not just panel score it and let the cards fall where they may?? To arbitrarily say that it's not deserved of at least that kinda seems odd.

I am sort of a fan of the ears in different positions but not the position this guy did. It just seems like a few small mistakes add up to an odd looking deer. Here's an example of a deer in the wild that i would like to try on my next mount. If the ears followed the main beam alittle closer, i think it wouldn't look so shotty. Then the eyes with one fully black, looking forward, and the other with whites in the corner like he's looking sideways..??

I have both the over-the -shoulder bag and the one that WNY posted. That one is my favorite and i use it on my smaller plots because it is very precise and easy to flick into odd shaped areas. Mine has the trigger on the handle which is nice. Anything over a acre is done with the bag.

Here is the issue. Maybe it is just a crooked semi sneak. Whats with the scared look?

That does not look like a semi-sneak to me, unless he's hanging on the wall totally cock-eyed. Look how the head is cocked. Here's a semi-sneak done by a pro.

Soil test is correct and as soon as possible. The results will tell you what your next steps will be and also may narrow down your best planting choices for this spot. Curious, 10yrds x how long? Whats total Sq. footage of area you sprayed? Do you have access to any equipment to help with the soil prep or will you be using muscle power? Let us know if you need advice with soil sample thing.

LOL grow, I just like watching you get reved up as the season gets closer and closer. You are so sweet and mellow until you get everything planted and then you flip the switch over to "Homeland Defense". or "Deerland Defense". LOL

Thanks Steve, and your Right. Your bigger than me so i wouldn't have called you an "idiot" face to face. LOL

I'm not sure who mounted it. I found this pic when i googled kig buck and clicked on the images. There are a couple more on there if you want a better look. I picked this one because it was particularly ugly. I'm sure i could find out who did it with alittle google work but I wouldn't be braggin' if i did it. And taxidermy guys know what this mount is called? ( So I know what not to choose on my next mount) And whats with the right eye peaking sideways like a frightened dog thats just been kicked in the fanny?

I hear ya Fantail. You know what your doing and i'm sure it really isn't a prep issue. I remember a frustrating planting i had a couple years back. We put about an acre of Power Plant in one year and it did awesome. So the next year we worked 4 acres right next to this original plot and had everything perfect when we planted. That freeegin' thing grew nothing but a handful of beans and a bunch of weeds. To this day I have no idea what happened there. As for what to do now on your site, hard to say, but i do like the chic/clover mix alittle better then the straight chicory. It's probably the lushest, highest tonnage plot i have right now. It is in full sun though.

The King buck may have lost it's chance at being the new typical world record holder but at least it will have another record in my eyes anyway. The worst mount i've ever seen on a world class deer. Now maybe i'm missing something that you tax. experts can point out, but I'm just not seeing anything I like about this at all. What the heck were they thinking.

Growalot, The closer it gets to the season, the more cynical you get. LOL

Yea, i guess it's the sticking it in there a week after bow opens up that seems strange.

Listen Steve, your a nice guy and maybe i was being a bit snarkey but give me a break. You don't get almost 1000 posts on here without getting challenged on some comments. You have posted two things on this thread and both have insulted me and my livelyhood. I didn't whine about it. So stop already..

If you tuelly would not measure a new world record typical $10,000.000 buck, then i apologize for implying that you are not a man of your word. You would simply be a honest idiot.

This has probably been beaten' around to death in other threads that i've missed but I just don't get the Columbus day weekend youth firearm thing..??

You didn't hear that this is PITA's new campaign to keep the real animals safe from being violated..