Help me pick a Taxidermist.

[Axis II]

I am torn between 3 Taxidermist. One guy has already done one deer for me in 2017 but I’ve had several people say it’s not quality. When i look at deer the other 2 guys i am interested in have done they look more detailed but i’m not sure its work $250-300 more. First pic is of the one i already had done. I will comment below with pictures of each taxidermist. One guy does it full time and another its a side gig if that matters. As i said only ever had one done so some direction would be appreciated.


This is my current mount.



More in comments

 

[Axis II]

Taxidermist #2

 

[Axis II]

More of #2

 

[Axis II]

#3

This guy here has championship ribbons for my states Taxidermy competition. Only thing i do not like is it seems all his mounts have the ears pinned back.

 

[Patocazador]

Deer killed early in the season have either summer coats or shorter hair. The veins and other characteristics of a form show up better on these than on late season deer with long hair and their winter coat. Take that into account.

Personally, I like the mount of the smallest buck with the right turn. You really need to ignore the antlers and then pick the one you like best.

 

[Axis II]

Deer killed early in the season have either summer coats or shorter hair. The veins and other characteristics of a form show up better on these than on late season deer with long hair and their winter coat. Take that into account.

Personally, I like the mount of the smallest buck with the right turn. You really need to ignore the antlers and then pick the one you like best.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering why they looked so much different. The first pic of mine was shot mid January when it was -10 outside. That explains why all these other ones look so much different. I do like the right turn as well. I’m torn between these 3.

 

[courtgreene]

Totally subjective, but taxidermist #2 seems to do the best work to me.
This is the first one whose pictures you posted but did not do your last one.
I like the way this taxidermist does the eyes. My opinion doesn’t really matter, obviously, but you asked.

 

[Milt1]

I agree with your friends as your first mount isn't good because the ears look terrible! I'd go with taxidermist #2 as his work is really good, the deer look like they are alive!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but either of those 2 is definitely worth $250-$300 more than the one in the first pic.
Granted the photos are in ideal lighting and staged to look perfect, but you can tell the workmanship and attention to detail are far superior.

If the deer is worth hanging on your wall forever, it's worth paying a little extra.
I obviously don't know what your financial situation is, but if that is an issue I'd wrap it up and stick it in a deep freezer until I could get it done right.
A big deer is something to be proud of.

 

[Axis II]

I agree with your friends as your first mount isn't good because the ears look terrible! I'd go with taxidermist #2 as his work is really good, the deer look like they are alive!

The ears were pretty beat up when i killed the one already mounted. One ear was ripped about 2-3”. He claimed he had to fix them. I paid $450 back in 2018. It was my first buck so didn’t know any better.

 

[Axis II]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but either of those 2 is definitely worth $250-$300 more than the one in the first pic.
Granted the photos are in ideal lighting and staged to look perfect, but you can tell the workmanship and attention to detail are far superior.

If the deer is worth hanging on your wall forever, it's worth paying a little extra.
I obviously don't know what your financial situation is, but if that is an issue I'd wrap it up and stick it in a deep freezer until I could get it done right.
A big deer is something to be proud of.

I can swing the extra $$. Thats why i wanted opinions cause the one on the wall is my first buck i paid $450 in 2018. This is the one being mounted.

 

[Axis II]

I updated the post to include #3 to decipher which one is which. #3 is $775. Have to call #2 today.

 

[Axis II]

Well may have to go with #3 because #2 doesn’t have a phone number listed on his facebook page and last post was 2020.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

That's a really nice deer. Wow that thing has some mass.
Definitely worth the extra.

 

[sage5907]

I have been doing taxidermy work in mounting deer heads for 23 years so I have some skin in the game. I also won several ribbons in the professional division of the Oklahoma State taxidermy competition so I have experience in competing for awards which leads to a higher level of expertise. I want to make two points about mounting a mature buck. First, the shape of the antlers determines how to set the ears. The ears should be positioned to give the best look to the mount. If the antlers go straight out from the side of the head you get a more pleasing look by placing the ears back. If the antlers go more up it is easier to place the ears forward without making the head look like New York taxi cab with both rear doors open. In my opinion you can't go wrong by placing the ears back but you can ruin the looks of a good mount by placing the ears forward. Secondly, the color of a deer's nose is dark brown and not black. I use an air brush to first paint the nose white lacquer and then go over the white with dark brown lacquer. The under coat of white softens the color of the dark brown. After the lacquer dries the bumps are added with Mod Podge. After it dries overnight I touch the nose up with a small brush using Van Dyke brown which is a lighter colored brown. You can see the difference in nose color by looking at the pictures for the deer in your examples with the brown colored noses. In my experience you get a better looking mount if you turn the head either left or right with the body coming straight away from the wall. I do not like to use the offset forms because they do not work with a panel. It is easier to give the mount a smooth look by controlling the hair at the back of the mount by using a panel against the wall. The panel allows the mount to set straight against the wall and makes it easier to handle the mount. For those wanting a good looking mount the McKenzie 6500 series forms are a good choice because the mount always looks good if the deer is large or small. This is a semi sneak mount. For an upright mount my choice is the Competitors Choice semi upright forms but they only look good for a really big deer.

 

[Axis II]

I have been doing taxidermy work in mounting deer heads for 23 years so I have some skin in the game. I also won several ribbons in the professional division of the Oklahoma State taxidermy competition so I have experience in competing for awards which leads to a higher level of expertise. I want to make two points about mounting a mature buck. First, the shape of the antlers determines how to set the ears. The ears should be positioned to give the best look to the mount. If the antlers go straight out from the side of the head you get a more pleasing look by placing the ears back. If the antlers go more up it is easier to place the ears forward without making the head look like New York taxi cab with both rear doors open. In my opinion you can't go wrong by placing the ears back but you can ruin the looks of a good mount by placing the ears forward. Secondly, the color of a deer's nose is dark brown and not black. I use an air brush to first paint the nose white lacquer and then go over the white with dark brown lacquer. The under coat of white softens the color of the dark brown. After the lacquer dries the bumps are added with Mod Podge. After it dries overnight I touch the nose up with a small brush using Van Dyke brown which is a lighter colored brown. You can see the difference in nose color by looking at the pictures for the deer in your examples with the brown colored noses. In my experience you get a better looking mount if you turn the head either left or right with the body coming straight away from the wall. I do not like to use the offset forms because they do not work with a panel. It is easier to give the mount a smooth look by controlling the hair at the back of the mount by using a panel against the wall. The panel allows the mount to set straight against the wall and makes it easier to handle the mount. For those wanting a good looking mount the McKenzie 6500 series forms are a good choice because the mount always looks good if the deer is large or small. This is a semi sneak mount. For an upright mount my choice is the Competitors Choice semi upright forms but they only look good for a really big deer.

Thank you for the input. Now when you say really big deer are you talking body size or antler size? This guys neck was swollen and I would bet he is close to 150-175 field dressed. Here is a better body pic. I believe we went with this mount. As you can see, the G3 is broken off and we found a pretty good wound on the right side of the face and mouth that had a bald spot so he wanted to turn that side away from view. He said he will see if he can do something with it but unsure due to how bad it is.

And yes, i look like a crazy person cause i hadn’t shaved or had a haircut in about a month. Lol.

 

[sage5907]

Yes, when I spoke about deer size I was talking about body size. A smaller deer would be about 160 pounds or less field dressed. I would consider a deer that weighs 170 pounds or larger field dressed to be a big deer. The gash on the side of your deer's face can be sewed up and will hardly show in the mount. The broken tine can be replaced by your taxidermist if he takes the time to do the job. I would saw it off flush with the main beam and use a similar tine from another antler to replace it. I install the new tine by drilling a small hole in the base of the replacement tine and matching hole in the main beam, and a short piece a galvanized wire and JB weld to attach the tine. Shaping the base of the tine with Majic Sculp and a Dremel Tool, and touch up paint to hide the joint. The form you have selected is an offset form so you won't be able to use a panel for the wall. I have attached pictures of some of my mounts to show how ear position complements the mount.

 

[Axis II]

Yes, when I spoke about deer size I was talking about body size. A smaller deer would be about 160 pounds or less field dressed. I would consider a deer that weighs 170 pounds or larger field dressed to be a big deer. The gash on the side of your deer's face can be sewed up and will hardly show in the mount. The broken tine can be replaced by your taxidermist if he takes the time to do the job. I would saw it off flush with the main beam and use a similar tine from another antler to replace it. I install the new tine by drilling a small hole in the base of the replacement tine and matching hole in the main beam, and a short piece a galvanized wire and JB weld to attach the tine. Shaping the base of the tine with Majic Sculp and a Dremel Tool, and touch up paint to hide the joint. The form you have selected is an offset form so you won't be able to use a panel for the wall. I have attached pictures of some of my mounts to show how ear position complements the mount.View attachment 1182602View attachment 1182603View attachment 1182604View attachment 1182605

I told him to keep the broken tine the way it is. The issue with the battle wound is 6’’ of hair missing from the scar. I like the character of the broken tine because it shows he’s a fighter and we have several 180” deer out there that he was probably fighting with.

 

[sage5907]

I like the dark forehead of your buck and it should really show up in your finished mount. Good luck getting a good looking product.