WNY Bowhunter

Just finished this guy up and delivered him back to by buddy at work...

Awesome mount. Turkeys mounts are very hit or miss, but that one actually looks real. Congrats again!

Put in about six hours today and only managed to pick up two more dinks... The last 60+ inch shed I found was early into the 2014 season, that was 50 sheds ago. I think I'm over due to find a big one!!!

The wife and I put in some miles over the past few days...only one shed and one small deadhead to show for it.

Nice!!! Here's a couple of sets that could rip your hands open...

Very true!!!

Several friends of mine have had there deer from this past season mounted at a local taxi that is very popular(I'm sure you know who it is). After seeing their mounts, I just can't believe how crappy they look, the look like deer I guess, just not like living, anatomically correct deer. As long as they are happy, I guess that's all that matters...

As an aspiring taxidermist, I find that what you are saying here isn't true. There is a reason why wet tanning has grown in popularityand the top taxidermists in the country use this method. Just google the method and you'll see that it's not an inferiour method. I find the opposite to be true; I've seen several dry tanned mounts lately that have been sitting around for years...a lot of the hair discolors and turns a drab, faded carhartt brown color. It is a fact though that there are a lot of crappy taxidermists out there and you can't cut corners to produce great looking mounts!!!

I hang mine in my gun cabinet, but it's getting a bit crowded in there and I may have to come up with a different display for them...

Found two small ones today...4 for the year so far.

Most taxidermists use a wet tan on their hides. The guy that does mine can have a tan done in 3-4 days with krowtann. He does 600 capes a yeat. The wait with the tannery is the same as with the taxidermist...other people are ahead of you.

I missed this gobbler last spring and then killed him three days later. He roosted in the same tree and flew down in the same spot both times...

You can wet tan a hide and have it mounted on the form in 5-6 days...takes a couple of weeks to dry out then comes the finishing work. The wait depends on how many customers are ahead of you.

Both. A friend of mine kinda showed me the ropes (he's only been doing it for a few years)and walked me through mounting last year's bow buck. These two are #3 and #4 that I've mounted. I have two more to do right now. It's definately a learning experience!!!

I mounted these two this week. Still need to dry and slap some paint on...

I have found roughly 120 sheds over the past five springs...probably 75-80% have been found lying in fields. Don't think it will help you much there though...

Heck yeah, same youth as last year. I was talking to him last weekend and he's all fired up to go. We had an awesome hunt last year and he was able to tag a nice long beard.

I'm headed back to KY again this year for the first 5 days of their season. My wife, myself and 4 buddies will be leaving on 4/15. Can't wait!!!

This guy was spotted a couple of days ago...I want his antlers bad!!! It would be greatly appreciated if he would leave them laying just like this:

I saw them. Nice sheds!!!

Didn't see one so I thought I would start one... #1 on monday: #2 today:

I got wrapped up in mounting deer and never got the step -by-steps pics...but, it turned out nice.

I stripped the form back down to make final preperations...including "bondoing" the skull plate, making the nostrils, installing the eyes and trimming the excess tucking skin on the eyes, lips and nostrils. I'll update this thread later tonight or tomorrow morning....

I thought it would be neat to show the steps that go into mounting a deer head. This will only be my second solo mount attempt ever. The first one still needs a few finishing items to complete it. I prepared the cape (fleshing, pickling, shaving and tanning) for this mount myself too. Here's a sneak peek. In order to get the cape to fit I had to make some slight alterations to the form. Looks like it will come together nicely!!!

Congrats...nice sheds. I think I may take a stroll around today. Not expecting too much though, really don't have any groups of bucks scouted out like I typically do during shedding time.