Deciding on a mount form

[Jchristians]

Good day, This your during the Minnesota Firearm season I shot my biggest buck to date. I have ran into the issue of trying to decide a form for the shoulder mount. its gonna go on a pedistal. we have quite a bit of history with this deer, i missed him 2 weeks earlier with my bow. we hsd seen this deer day light 4 or 5 times before we got him. a little side note im pretty sure its the hat every deer ive harvested has beed in this hat lol.

 

[Mallardsx2]

If you plan on mounting a ton of deer in your lifetime I would not recommend a pedestal mount. They just take up way too much room IMHO. I wish I had never gotten any done.

Great buck by the way!

 

[rjthehunter]

If you plan on mounting a ton of deer in your lifetime I would not recommend a pedestal mount. They just take up way too much room IMHO. I wish I had never gotten any done.

Great buck by the way!

I'd second this! You're young and have a lot of deer to kill in your future. You can always find a spot to hang a deer on the wall, but there isn't always floor space available! I'm saving the floor space for a pedestal mount of a Marco Polo Sheep someday (hopefully)!

 

[Nick87]

You could always do a wall pedestal. Go on Mckenzie or van dykes website and scroll through there poses. Your taxidermist may also have quite a few on display for you to get a feel for. Congrats on the buck!

 

[Valley1320]

You could always do a wall pedestal. Go on Mckenzie or van dykes website and scroll through there poses. Your taxidermist may also have quite a few on display for you to get a feel for. Congrats on the buck!

I second that. Wall pedestal mounts are some of my favorite mounts.

 

[elkantlers]

I like to have them mounted in a similar way they were facing when I shot them.
I have to agree with the others, as the years tick by you will no doubt shoot other critters and start having to ration space. Thats why I like a regular shoulder mount. You can move them about anywhere. A pedestal mount can only be in certain places and take up a bunch of room.

 

[Nick87]

I like to have them mounted in a similar way they were facing when I shot them.
I have to agree with the others, as the years tick by you will no doubt shoot other critters and start having to ration space. Thats why I like a regular shoulder mount. You can move them about anywhere. A pedestal mount can only be in certain places and take up a bunch of room.

As time goes on I highly doubt I'll do any more shoulder mounts unless I believe that's the biggest specimen of that species I'll ever kill. Euro saves space and money. Shoulder mounts are a pretty good chunk of change nowadays.

 

[Cheese Curd]

Pedestal mounts do take up some room as opposed to a wall mount, but if that's what you want, then do it.

Since a floor pedestal mount is a vertical presentation, IMO an upright form with a right or left turn looks best.

If you think you might have other deer mounted in the future, you should consider this for the pedestal. You could go with a normal wall mount form and have a wood panel (could be as small as a couple inches wide) extending up from the pedestal base and then you could still hang it on the wall later and change out mounts on the pedestal if you want. Or you could attach the mount to the pedestal by having the taxidermist use separate pieces of square stock in the brisket and the pedestal base. Then use a solid piece of square stock to keep the mount and base together - but it's still removeable. I've done this on some of my own mounts.

 

[cahunter805]

Like others have stated I would first decide where the pedestal will be positioned and in what room. Then start looking at different poses and forms and find the one that you like best and fits your room the best.
Also I agree with a wall pedestal and saving space for other mounts as well.
Nice buck!! What part of MN?

 

[RobertD]

You're gonna get way more than you asked for from me so apologies in advance. I've been working for a taxidermist for two years now and have begun to recognize the art behind proper form selection. I haven't *mastered* it but am at least aware it exists, haha.

First, the other guys are right: Only do a floor pedestal if you're really sure about it - they're definitely space eaters and you might one day regret it. If you just want the pedestal look, do a wall pedestal.

Now, as for your deer, here is my "prescription": Wall (or floor) pedestal, left turn (from deer's perspective), semi-upright instead of semi-sneak. Right ear more or less in line with right main beam, left ear kicked back. Left turn puts the strong right side (again, deer's perspective) out into open space, slightly weaker left is over the body. This plus the ear trick gives everything a sense of visual balance. The upright instead of sneak gets the antlers up away from the body some and helps show off the width. (I like wider racks up higher, taller racks down lower.)

Of course, you and anyone else on here can call BS. But I think this would be a good look for your deer. Congratulations btw.

 

[noharleyyet]

You're gonna get way more than you asked for from me so apologies in advance. I've been working for a taxidermist for two years now and have begun to recognize the art behind proper form selection. I haven't *mastered* it but am at least aware it exists, haha.

First, the other guys are right: Only do a floor pedestal if you're really sure about it - they're definitely space eaters and you might one day regret it. If you just want the pedestal look, do a wall pedestal.

Now, as for your deer, here is my "prescription": Wall (or floor) pedestal, left turn (from deer's perspective), semi-upright instead of semi-sneak. Right ear more or less in line with right main beam, left ear kicked back. Left turn puts the strong right side (again, deer's perspective) out into open space, slightly weaker left is over the body. This plus the ear trick gives everything a sense of visual balance. The upright instead of sneak gets the antlers up away from the body some and helps show off the width. (I like wider racks up higher, taller racks down lower.)

Of course, you and anyone else on here can call BS. But I think this would be a good look for your deer. Congratulations btw.

This…

 

[cahunter805]

You're gonna get way more than you asked for from me so apologies in advance. I've been working for a taxidermist for two years now and have begun to recognize the art behind proper form selection. I haven't *mastered* it but am at least aware it exists, haha.

First, the other guys are right: Only do a floor pedestal if you're really sure about it - they're definitely space eaters and you might one day regret it. If you just want the pedestal look, do a wall pedestal.

Now, as for your deer, here is my "prescription": Wall (or floor) pedestal, left turn (from deer's perspective), semi-upright instead of semi-sneak. Right ear more or less in line with right main beam, left ear kicked back. Left turn puts the strong right side (again, deer's perspective) out into open space, slightly weaker left is over the body. This plus the ear trick gives everything a sense of visual balance. The upright instead of sneak gets the antlers up away from the body some and helps show off the width. (I like wider racks up higher, taller racks down lower.)

Of course, you and anyone else on here can call BS. But I think this would be a good look for your deer. Congratulations btw.

Definitely agree with this. Semi upright is a great choice for a lot of deer especially in a wall pedestal. Im also a fan of the NQ 90 forms for a some deer also.

 

[NEWHunter]

I try and pick the form that most closely matches the position the animal was in just before the shot. Helps to remind me of that moment. I’ve moved several times, so for me, a position based on where I intend to hang it doesn’t make much sense. I hang them where they look good in the room.

 

[Jchristians]

You're gonna get way more than you asked for from me so apologies in advance. I've been working for a taxidermist for two years now and have begun to recognize the art behind proper form selection. I haven't *mastered* it but am at least aware it exists, haha.

First, the other guys are right: Only do a floor pedestal if you're really sure about it - they're definitely space eaters and you might one day regret it. If you just want the pedestal look, do a wall pedestal.

Now, as for your deer, here is my "prescription": Wall (or floor) pedestal, left turn (from deer's perspective), semi-upright instead of semi-sneak. Right ear more or less in line with right main beam, left ear kicked back. Left turn puts the strong right side (again, deer's perspective) out into open space, slightly weaker left is over the body. This plus the ear trick gives everything a sense of visual balance. The upright instead of sneak gets the antlers up away from the body some and helps show off the width. (I like wider racks up higher, taller racks down lower.)

Of course, you and anyone else on here can call BS. But I think this would be a good look for your deer. Congratulations btw.

thank you

 

[Jchristians]

Like others have stated I would first decide where the pedestal will be positioned and in what room. Then start looking at different poses and forms and find the one that you like best and fits your room the best.
Also I agree with a wall pedestal and saving space for other mounts as well.
Nice buck!! What part of MN?

it came out of 272

 

[OntarioHunter]

You are very young and a lifetime of hunting ahead of you. While this is certainly a fine buck, I'm quite sure you will get some real monsters down the road. Save the pedestal mount for one of those. Also, you have a lifetime of moving around ahead of you. Dragging along a pedestal mount will not be easy. Likely impossible. You definitely want to keep your first buck during your travels but maybe not this way.

This is my first elk. It stayed in my parents' house for fifty years because I simply did not have space for it. And it's only a cap mount!

Or this one shot in 1980.

It has a 49" inside spread and at least as tall which gives you some idea of the space needed for the pedestal muley inside it.

I would suggest a euro for this one. Lots of creative ways to put them on the wall, very easy to maintain (fur and glass eyes not so much!), less space required (= more space for future trophies), and easy to transport. Also, it won't cost a huge amount of money (mom and dad will like that!). Let's see if I have an image of the client's barnboard whitetail on my phone ... guess not. It's in a thread somewhere. I'll dig it up. Very cool.
Here it is.

Back in my youth euro mounts were unheard of. Wish I had one of my first buck. I'm stuck with a cap mount. A euro could be a nice "convenient" heirloom for child or grandchild some day. A faded motheaten bulky pedestal mount might not be as welcome.

Edit: This is our taxidermy business showroom coverted from a former bedroom.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I should add that from an artistic standpoint, unless the rack is quite large, putting it on a pedestal mount will just make it look smaller. Euro mount gives a better perspective. The focus is not distracted from the antlers ... but more interesting and natural than cap covered with velvet stuck on a shiny plaque.

All this is my opinion of course.

 

[OntarioHunter]

And one final very important thing to consider. Unless you know and trust the taxidermist, a shoulder or pedestal mount is always a crap shoot. If he screws it up, you're pretty much stuck with it. Refuse to pay him and he keeps the mount AND the deposit. We have seen some awful work on HT forum! Remember the antelope that looked like it was toked up? Or the frakenmuley shoulder mount with the nose that appeared Mike Tyson had punched with a right cross?

The probability that a euro skull mount will get screwed up is pretty low (although I have seen enough of it - all eight skulls from my first trip to Africa were a disgusting mess). Or you could do the skull yourself. Lots of help for that on this forum. Oh, and I almost forgot, if you do go with a euro mount, taxidermists will pay good money for a big buck cape in good shape. Could easily cover the cost of euro or most of it.

 

[Jchristians]

You're gonna get way more than you asked for from me so apologies in advance. I've been working for a taxidermist for two years now and have begun to recognize the art behind proper form selection. I haven't *mastered* it but am at least aware it exists, haha.

First, the other guys are right: Only do a floor pedestal if you're really sure about it - they're definitely space eaters and you might one day regret it. If you just want the pedestal look, do a wall pedestal.

Now, as for your deer, here is my "prescription": Wall (or floor) pedestal, left turn (from deer's perspective), semi-upright instead of semi-sneak. Right ear more or less in line with right main beam, left ear kicked back. Left turn puts the strong right side (again, deer's perspective) out into open space, slightly weaker left is over the body. This plus the ear trick gives everything a sense of visual balance. The upright instead of sneak gets the antlers up away from the body some and helps show off the width. (I like wider racks up higher, taller racks down lower.)

Of course, you and anyone else on here can call BS. But I think this would be a good look for your deer. Congratulations btw.

I went this your suggestion and I think it will turn out. Deer is at the taxidermist now!!!

 

[LuckyTom]

Consider the "Bout to Sneeze" mount