Bringing a NY monster back to life...

[WNY Bowhunter]

Here's a quick run through of the step by step process of mounting a deer.

1 - Find a NY monster

2 - Kill him, cape him and sent the cape to be tanned

Cape Prep:

3 & 4- Remove inner ear cartilage

5  & 7 - Thin the lips, eyes and nostrils with a leather shaving tool. The thinner the better to reduce shrinkage as the skin dries out. Oops...skipped 6 but it's wash the cape.

8 & 9 - Inspect for damage and repair any holes from arrows, bullets, skinning, fleshing, scars, etc...

10 - Materials to be added to the form

[WNY Bowhunter]

11 - The skull cap is filled with bondo to fit perfectly

12 - The form with everything attached

13 - The eyes are leveled and ear position marked

14 - Form is roughed with a brass bristled brush

15 - Apply hide paste

16 - Glue and insert ear liners

17 - Apply hide and adjust into place with a hide puller

18 - Everything lined up

19 - Permanently attach skull plate.

[WNY Bowhunter]

20 - Apply critter clay to fill in the eye area

21 & 22 - Clay in ear butts keeping the correct muscle anatomy

23 - Build up skull plate

24 & 25 - Tuck lip skin into the mouth slot that you etch into the form

26 - Tuck nostrils and insert plastic wrap (expands and keeps skin in place as it dries)

27 & 28 - Tuck eye skin between glass eve and clay and rough shape the eye

[WNY Bowhunter]

29 - Current progress. Now for a lot of hands on work that I couldn't document:

Insert ear liners in butts, adjust all the skin, staple hide to the back of form, cut off excess hide, sew up the incision from antler based to neck. Fine tune eyes and everything else that needs it

30 through 32 - The mount is finished at this point. It needs to dry for about two weeks. For the next several days I will keep a close eye on it to make sure things don't move out of position as everything dries

I will update with the finishing process in a couple of weeks!!!

Edited February 8, 2017 by WNY Bowhunter

[NFA-ADK]

Trying to get step #1, when I get to step two I will call you! 

[kpkot]

Thanks for sharing.  How did you begin this art form? Selftaught? Mentor? If i recall they have a taxidermy school in PA I believe. Really cool to see it step by step.

[WNY Bowhunter]

10 minutes ago, kpkot said:

Thanks for sharing.  How did you begin this art form? Selftaught? Mentor? If i recall they have a taxidermy school in PA I believe. Really cool to see it step by step.

For the most part I'm self taught, with a little help from a friend that is a taxidermist.

[BizCT]

That's some rack. Any idea on age? Great job btw.

[WNY Bowhunter]

10 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

That's some rack. Any idea on age? Great job btw.

I about crapped my pants the first time that I saw this guy back in August as I had no idea he was in the area. He was the ONE deer that I hoped to get a chance to mount this past season.

I still have his jaws in the garage. Probably should sent out his incisors to deer aging place in TX.

[First-light]

Awesome post!

[Pratt032]

Awesome!!

[moog5050]

Looks great as usual buddy!

[adkhunter71]

Man, that's a lot of steps....makes me appreciate great taxidermy even more!

[bugsNbows]

Awesome. That is why good taxidermy is expensive... and worth every penny. Congrats.

[WNY Bowhunter]

3 hours ago, moog5050 said:

Looks great as usual buddy!

Phade's Mendon buck was a lot less "ticky" than yours! 

[moog5050]

9 minutes ago, WNY Bowhunter said:

Phade's Mendon buck was a lot less "ticky" than yours! 

Ha.  Must have lived in a better neighborhood. 

[ny hunter]

That was awesome thanks for posting..........mount looks amazing.....

[518BowSlayer]

should've let him grow another year!!! just kidding!!! he's a beast. mount looks amazing, nice job!!!

[WNY Bowhunter]

25 minutes ago, 518BowSlayer said:

should've let him grow another year!!! just kidding!!! he's a beast. mount looks amazing, nice job!!!

Thanks. I wish his right beam hadn't been injured in velvet. 

[BigVal]

Wow looks awesome what a buck... Holy crap 

[gjs4]

Easily one of the coolest and best threads ever on this forum! Outstanding and thank you so much for sharing. Wish i could've had you mount mine this yr


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cabin Fever]

That's a work of art! Beautiful job and that's an awesome buck!

[dbHunterNY]

yea i'd make the drive out to you and get one mounted from you if you're willing.  definitely cool to see the process.  your mounts really do look very clean and well done.  like the ear position on this one.  seems not so framed and more natural.

[WNY Bowhunter]

22 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

yea i'd make the drive out to you and get one mounted from you if you're willing.  definitely cool to see the process.  your mounts really do look very clean and well done.  like the ear position on this one.  seems not so framed and more natural.

Thanks. This guy will look awesome once he's finished!

[WNY Bowhunter]

Little better lighting in these pics. ..

 

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by WNY Bowhunter