Just wondering if anyone has mounts that arent' (for lack of a better term) "big bucks"? Ever get something mounted just because it was a unique hunt and wanted the memory? I was just sitting here looking at an 8 pointer maybe 90 inches or so that I got mounted a long time ago. Every time I look at it I replay the hunt in my mind. Pretty cool. I remember it like yesterday. I was getting in a tree for an afternoon hunt. It was pretty early around 1:00. Just got settled in and looking over a BIG swail field. I grabbed my binocs and glassed the field. Waaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy on the other end of the field I caught a glimpse of horns bobbing up and down in the swail. A buck was slowly walking through it and then appeared to bed down in there someplace. So after an hour or so I decide I'm getting down and going to try to stalk him. I was 95% sure he wasn't heading my way when he got back up and had an idea where he would go. So I got down and crawled through the field heading his way. Had wind right in my face. I took my time figuring he wasn't going far. Took me about 2.5 hours to get to the other end. I belly crawled when I thought I was within 100 yards of him. I slowly peep my eyeballs above the swail to see if he's even still in the same county or if I bumped him. After about 5-10 minutes of scanning with my binocs I was about to give it up. I had a pretty good landmark of where he was when I was in my stand and I just wasn't seeing him. I had myself about 80 yards of where he should be. I just about convinced myself he was not there anymore and I see his head pop up! He's actually looking slightly away from me. I was about right he looked to be 70-80 yards away and no clue I was in his bedroom. I ponder for a few minutes and decide my best chance is if I can get to and old 4 wheeler trail and maybe position for a clear shot if he gets up and heads that way. So I pick a spot where I know the trail is and I know if he gets up and heads that way its going to put me right on top of him. Belly crawl again to my spot I picked out and find myself in an absolute perfect natural cover thick as heck to my back and 10 yard clear shot in front of me down the old trail. I get to a knee and clip my release on making sure I can draw and everything is nice. I knew I had to be only 50 yards or so and can't believe I havent' jumped this thing. Just as I turned to look over my left shoulder to see what he was up to, I was eye to eye with him at 25 yards heading down the trail. My release is on and i'm already on one knee and in position. We have a staredown but for whatever reason he rejects me as anything but a chunk of swail and keeps on coming. He passes me at about 8 yards and swings out finally giving me a quartering away shot at about 20 and I drilled him! Double lung/heart shot and he piled up 30 yards from me. The whole deal took about 3.5 to 4 hours of belly crawling and stalking through a bunch of junk lol. I'm not one to hop down and go chasing whitetails that I see from my stand lol, but I'm glad I did this one. It was really cool. What a rush sneaking up on him on his level in his bedroom. The only bad thing was I think I urinated a little in my pants when I turned my head and he was on top of me. Wasnt' ready for that, but what a rush and really cool hunt. Hence.... I decided to have it mounted.
I think any Buck that is special to You and you want to mount, then you should. I had my first buck I killed with a Bow mounted. It was a little screwed up 9 point. I since gave it to a teen that wanted it to hang in his room. That Buck was special to me in the fact that it was my 1st buck with a bow, but also I hunted that particular buck for a few weeks. I kept seeing him but couldn't get a shot. I finally sealed the deal one evening it was 5 below zero and there was only a few days left in the season. Persistence paid off for me that year! Dan
Yep I shot this buck with my daughter when she was six years old, It is when she got hooked on hunting and the thing is I mounted for me to remember the time and she stole it from me and hung it in her game room.. Oh well it is where it belongs anyways.. Love you babe!!
I've got two shoulder mounts and two euros that altogether average a little over 100"/ea. Never really thought about whether they were "big bucks" or not. They're "big enough". 3 of them would make my state's "book" (100" gross). One of them is a buck I had a LOT of history with.....and the fact of the matter is....I hunted every one of them, right here. I've also got a buck at the taxi right now, that goes a smidge over 91". He'll take his place, in a few months. And, I'll always be able to recall my first traditional buck. I don't have them mounted for anyone else. They're in the basement.....and only seen by those who want to see them.
Your idea of a mount? Shoulder mount, no. I have 4 sets of antlers up 2 euros and two antler mounts. All between 100-120".
This is my first buck with a bow, my first deer with my Longbow, I killed him last year. He means a lot and is very special!
The "must be a monster to mount" requirement is a joke. There are a lot more people out there who kill "Average Joe" animals than big trophies. Every animal is a trophy though, to that person, or at least it should be. If you're not considering every take a trophy, you're not thinking about the game of hunting correctly. I just started a taxidermy shop and there is no way I will turn anyone down because their animal is "too small." Although, when I was in school, the instructor told us about a fellow taxidermist that turned someone down for his mule deer not being worth the mount, laughed at him, and sent him out the door. The dude was crushed, obviously. Even if it is a small animal, it's still that person's trophy and more importantly, like NY Bowhunter said, it's their story. Isn't that why we do this?
I have a few that aren't real big bucks. My first 8 pointer along with my son's and GF's first buck. I have the antlers from every buck I've shot. Those that aren't mounted are on plaques.
My Dad had a shoulder mount done of the first bucks that my brothers and I each killed. A spike, 5pt and basket rack 8pt.
I've got a little 65 to 70 Incher mounted (my`1st buck). I also have a doe fawn mounted (my 1st deer). All of these mounts were done 20+ years ago and paid for by my dad being I was a little tike no more then 15 years old. I didn't have to ask dad to have them mounted, he TOLD me they were getting mounted!! In years to come I actually would like to shoot a Spike, Forky, Six and put them all on the wall too. Other then them anything that's very unique, special, or big will also go on the wall.
My first buck to get mounted was a "big buck" to me at the time, but one that size unless it came via trad gear would not get a shoulder mount at this stage of the game.
This is my first bow kill, When I shot him i thought he was a monster, he isnt lol, but he is pretty unique.
I had two small ones years back from a Gun and a Bow that meant something to me. The mounts got totaled in a house fire. I just had the bigger ones mounted and hung the racks from the smaller guys in the Garage.
Im mounting the little 6pt that I killed this year. I work for a taxidermist so I can do it for cheap but thats not why im doin it. 1st bow kill and actually my first ever big game kill.
I only have one buck mounted. He's my best to date. I also have the antlers from every single buck I've ever killed. I do my own rendition of a Euro mount on each one. It take several hours to get it to this, so that's how I show my respect for the animal.
I never kept any buck racks until I killed my first buck with a bow in 2002. Since then I have kept all the racks of the bucks I have taken I believe. At least one or two of them is around 65 inches or so. It doesn't matter to me the size of the animal or rack, they all are just unique and bring back powerful, lasting memories. I wish I would have kept all the deer racks of the bucks I have killed over the years. It would mean a lot to me to look back at and feel proud of those bucks. They ALL mean something to me.
we have +/- 15 Euro mounts from 110-120" (mostly MT bucks, and a few MN bucks from a long time ago) My best friend does them (side business) for me Free. Hard to pass up a deal like that.
