Well I had my first archery buck mounted and the taxidermist did a great job and I couldn't have asked for more. But I was recently forced to move and the spot I had to mount the deer was on a wall that was just big enough for it. There is nothing wrong with that but as a stand alone piece it just didn't seem to fill the wall right. So I got to thinking how I could make it have just a little something extra. So what I set out to find, was an old hedge fence post, old barbed wire, and some tall prairie grass. Which ironically were all out at the fence I had to tear out and replace this weekend. The tools I needed were: Hand saw Drill Drill bits ( I needed 1/2" to drill counter bores to get things to sit flush on the back and 3/16" for pilot holes and holes for the barbed wire) 2 angle brackets for mounting it to the wall 3" long deck screws (or any wood screw) Pliers or similar wire cutters 1 hour of time (a rare and often elusive tool but when found is essential) I unfortunately did not get any pictures of the process but I will go in depth and if you need a specific picture I will do my best to try and take one for you. Step 1: Measure the back side of your deer and also figure how high above the back of the deers shoulders you want the post to extend. In my experience I have found it to sit right around 30"-35", for my mount I went with 32". Step 2: Now you are ready to cut the post to the right length. Step 3: Now we will rip a notch in the bottom of the post to make a flat mounting surface. To do this start at the bottom of the chest, measure up 3" so that you can have a starting point, now measure to the top of the deer and that will give you the length for a notch you will cut in it. The notch for mine was 15" long and I only went 3/4" into the post. So to do this pick a side of the post you want to designate as the front or the side that you will see when it is finished being mounted. Then measure up the length you found from the bottom of the post and mark it. Then simply cut on that line in 3/4", once done flip the post on the top so the bottom of the post is facing up. Now you will want to measure in 3/4" again and draw a line across the bottom of the post. Now cut on that line straight down until you meet up with the 3/4" deep cut so you now have a notch in your post. (this is the trickest step but it just takes time and a lot of sawing hedge posts are dense and take a while to cut through even old posts) Step 4: Starting from the top measure down 6" on the side of the post and mark it. Then from the 6" mark measure down 11" and mark it. Then from the 11" mark measure down another 11". Now you have the locations for the wholes to poke the barbed wire in to make a flush clean look since wiring it to the post would make the post sit out from the wall. Take a drill bit that is a tad bit smaller then the barbed wire you are using for me it was a 3/16" bit. I drilled all the way through so you have the holes in both sides of the post and they are even. Step 5: Flip the post over so you have the back of the post facing up (the side going against the wall) now again measure up from the bottom of the post the same distance as the notch. Now just evenly space (3) 1/2" holes roughly halfway through the post (counter boring) so that you can have a location for the screws to mount the post to the back of the mount. After that take and drill a small pilot hole through the center of each of the 1/2" holes to allow the screw to go through it easier. Step 6: Now you are ready to cut your barbed wire. For mine I decided I wanted my center wire to be shorter on one side and longer on the other to kinda add just a little bit of flare. To do it that way I cut (3) pieces at 16" lengths and (3) at 18" lengths. Step 7: Now you are ready to push each wire into the holes you drilled in the side of the post earlier. The best way I found was to hold the wire with the pliers and twist them into the hole. They should fit snug but that is good you don't want them to pull out. Make sure on one side to put in (1) 16" wire on the top and bottom hole and (1) 18" wire in the center hole. Then on the other side put (1) 18" in the top and the bottom hole, and (1) 16" wire in the center hole. (If making the wires off set like I did) Step 8: Now that the wires are in you are ready to put the grass on the post. I put just a small clump on the front of the post and wired it tightly to the post. Just enough that I could hide my mounting angles behind. The best way to see the right amount is look at how it grows around posts in the actual field. Step 9: Now put the post on the back of the mount, to do this put the top of the notch you cut against the top of the mounts shoulders. Now press it against the back and run a screw down and into each of the 3 holes making sure they don't go through the front of your mount. Make sure they are secure so your mount can't fall off of the post. Step 10: Hang it back on the wall. I used to small angle brackets to screw into each side of the post near the top of the notch. For me I went 1" above the top of the deer and then ran a screw on each side of the post into the same stud. You will probably have to angle them in but if you center the post on a stud you will have no problems. This will provide your mount with some new flare and make it have just a little more character then before. Now don't be afraid to get creative and try different backgrounds. They are cheap and can really change the look of the mount. As I come up with new ideas I will post them up please share your ideas as well. Before: After:
Man that looks cool. I have a mount that I will be doing something like that to. I killed this buck on a fence line that he followed daily. I have been trying to come up with something and thanks to you, I have found it.
