I got a text yesterday from my new taxidermist that my Iowa buck from last year is finished and ready to pick up
He is over 70 years old and he did my MN buck from last year but he is getting to the point where he doesn't think he can do them anymore.
Nice buck! I won't lie...I'd still be looking for a new taxidermist. Not the worst looking job I've ever seen by any means but it's not the best looking job either unless it's just a wonky angle or something. They eyes look effed up to me, like they are overstretched or something. Sorry if that's harsh and the wrong impression. Sometimes they look rough when they've just been finished too.
i agree with Covey. i also don't like those "african antalope" looking wrinkles in a whitetail. nice buck though Tom.
Covey no offense taken. My first impression when I looked at the mount was disappointment. It does look rough and it is a shame because that is the oldest buck I have ever shot and he has a really cool coloring on his forehead so I don't want to put a different cape on him. Looks like I will be looking for a different taxidermist again. The crazy part is I have seen stuff he has done and it is really good but that is an area where I am not giving second chances.
Can you post a picture of the buck showing some facial detail pre mount? Honestly we I first saw the mount my impression was its either really good( meaning that's the way the buck looked) or really bad.
I agree with the cape coloring, I noticed that right off, I have one that's very similar, I always called them redheads. Taxidermists get busy as heck and I've noticed much of what makes one good is consistency no matter whether or not they are rushed they don't rush a mount and put out a poor one for the sake of being in a hurry. What makes a so-so one is getting in a hurry and showing it. The bad ones just have consistently bad mounts, lol. To me it looks and sounds like he got in a rush and didn't take care of it. The eyes are always a point of contention, if they are tight and no tear ducts when finished, they'll tend to crack...I know cause I have a few like that and I should have changed taxidermists long before I did. On the flip side, he may look a lot better in person and after he's dried a few days. I've had a couple like that too over the years. One I thought looked absolutely terrible but now I think it's one of the best I have. Good taxidermists are like dentists, if you find a good one, support him every chance you get and hope he doesn't retire for a very long while. As far as capes go, if you find a good taxidermist, they can do amazing things if they have the resources in capes. My OMG buck I had replicated, I gave the guy pics of the live deer and he carefully looked through his capes until he found one that matched up really well and was in good shape.
Tom-- Is that the same buck that needed the horn fixed. I seem to remember it had a broken tine. If so he did a good job of blending it in.. As for the rest of the job.. well I would have also been disappointed if it were my mount.. Don't mean to pile on.. But I have one that looks like that and after a couple of years it was banished to the garage!
This is the buck that had the broken main beam. I did not shoot him until the third time I saw him because of the broken main beam. There is a rule at that place if you shoot a buck you have to mount it or you can not come back. If the buck wasn't as old as it was I would not have shot him. But I kept thinking how can I pass a buck that we believe is 7 or 8 years old. When I finally decided I was going to shoot him I called a buddy of mine that works for a guy that makes some of the biggest replicas in the country and asked if he would fix it for me and how much it would cost. He does not just glue on a piece from a shed but actually makes it from some type of putty then paints it. My buddy that was with me when I picked it up could not tell which side was fixed from look, feel or weight. I am really happy with how that turned out I just wished the taxidermist did half as good of a job with the rest of it.
Hopefully its just the angle. It makes his muzzle look short and the bridge look wide. congrats on the deer.
