What happens when you die?

[elkduds]

Roy Rogers had his movie horse Trigger, his dog Bullet, and wife Dale Evans' horse Buttermilk taxidermied for display at their home. Dale was rumored to have told her husband, "Roy, don't get any ideas about me."

 

[Dave N]

Roy Rogers had his movie horse Trigger, his dog Bullet, and wife Dale Evans' horse Buttermilk taxidermied for display at their home. Dale was rumored to have told her husband, "Roy, don't get any ideas about me."

 

[Mustangs Rule]

My only mount ever, is a light chocolate brown Desert Big Horn Ram with golden horns. Drew the tag on my very first application in 2008 when I was 60 years old. It was a deep, steep, bone-dry wilderness hunt. Days mid 80's, nights low 20's. I was forever thirsty on the hunt. Never could carry enough water. Tongue got so dry it stuck to the roof of my mouth.

I shot him at 125 yards after such an exciting, prolonged crawling stalk with my Belgium Browning Safari grade 30-06 with a highly figured French Walnut stock. I bought that rifle in 1970. Still have it of course. 56 years now. I bet you could do scraping on the stock, and it could test positive for my DNA. It has the same fixed Weaver 4X scope on it when i bought it used for a whopping $180. I had to make payments, $30/month.

Am leaving this mount and that rifle to a close friend, an elk hunting guide, in his early 40's with an 8-year son.

Also going to leave him a pre-WW2 original Remington bullet knife with a sheath I made myself out of harness grade leather. I stitched it with thin copper wire.

It was given to me by my long dead master gunsmith and friend, a Korean War vet who was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. The knife belonged to his Dad. A US Navy Lt. Commander during WW2.

That rifle and knife have been with me all over Western North America from Alaska to the Mexican border where I shot that ram.

It comforts me knowing that he and then his son will get these.

 

[glass eye]

My only mount ever, is a light chocolate brown Desert Big Horn Ram with golden horns. Drew the tag on my very first application in 2008 when I was 60 years old. It was a deep, steep, bone-dry wilderness hunt. Days mid 80's, nights low 20's.

Shot him at 125 yards with a Belgium Browning Safari grade 30-06 with a highly figured French Walnut stock. I bought that rifle in 1972. Still have it of course. 54 years now.

Am leaving this mount and that rifle to a close friend, an elk hunting guide, in his early 40's with an 8-year son.

Also going to leave him a pre-WW2 original Remington bullet knife with a sheath I made myself out of harness grade leather. I stitched it with thin copper wire.

It was given to me by my long dead gunsmith, a Korean War vet who was awarded the Silver Star. The knife belonged to his Dad. A US Navy Lt. Commander during WW2.

That rifle and knife have with me all over Western North America from Alaska to the Mexican border where I shot that ram.

It comforts me knowing that he and then his son will get these.

Do your giving while you’re living so you’ll be knowing where it’s going.

 

[jpc01101]

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This was in or near Portsmouth Ohio? Roy’s hometown! I’m from across the river.

 

[Dave N]

This was in or near Portsmouth Ohio? Roy’s hometown! I’m from across the river.

Ft. Worth

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Do your giving while you’re living so you’ll be knowing where it’s going.

Ohh, I know who these items are going to all right. I see this family every week at least once, maybe more. OH i forgot that they also get my Toyota 1984 FJ-60 which I have owned since 1988. No rust, no accidents, totally original superbly maintained.

Everything is in my will too. My executor knows all this, and I even gave my 40-year-old friend and father the combination to my gun safe. He can have everything in it. Gets all my tools too.

Makes me happy to know my prized physical objects will be in the hands of people who love me and really knew me damn well,

 

[geetar]

I have written the location that all of my mounts were killed in on the back of them. I hope it means something to my kids or grandkids one day. If not I still enjoyed the hunts and the taxidermy while I was alive but as time goes by it's way more about the experience of being in the field and going back and doing it again so I've come to appreciate the simplicity and lower cost of DIY Euro mounts more the last few years.

 

[Wild Bill]

so I've come to appreciate the simplicity and lower cost of DIY Euro mounts more the last few years.

And easier to display. Shoulder mounts take up a lot of space.

 

[geetar]

And easier to display. Shoulder mounts take up a lot of space.

That they do.

 

[Trap]

Thinking about this some more, I suppose it is person-dependent, but I would absolutely love to have some mounts/antlers from my ancestors. I've shared this before, but this is a picture of my father, sitting atop a buck shot by my grandfather, in 1950. At that time hunting season in that part of North Dakota was one day or one weekend - I can't remember. Coming back from the war, being broke, he owned no guns. When he as well as others went hunting, they checked guns out from the local American Legion in Grand Forks, ND. Ain't that something? Anyway, he checked this 30-40 Krag out, shot a whitetail buck, and checked it back in. Eventually, he had the opportunity to buy the rifle or win it in a raffle, I can't remember which, but did, and it hangs in my father's shop today.

This whitetail's skull on my wall would absolutely enrich my life.

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Maybe my kids and theirs won't feel the same way. I suppose they could generate some cash quick otherwise. But two other possibilities:

My father has gotten into getting metal cutouts of cryptids and hiding them in the sagebrush near our cabin. He gets an absolute kick out of folks driving up the road who stop because they see a silhouette. It'd be pretty funny to put a shoulder mount on a tree just in sight of a county road during hunting season and watch the lunatics unload.

Another would be to just hike them things back into the hills from whence they came and stuff them into trees. I stop at this tree every couple years when I make it back into this country, and wonder how long it has been there. Be pretty cool if it were a big bull elk.

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I had a set of elk horns and a mule deer my grandpa had shot hanging in my barn. He was born in 1900 so he would have been 126 this yesr. Our barn burnt down last year so they are gone. They were nice but not exceptional "Trophy" type racks. Now that they are gone I really wish I still had them. They were just cool piece of family history and a memory of my grandpa. I didnt think much about it until they were gone.