Just completed this double dropper blacktail buck. This project had a special place for me because it was shot by my great-grandfather in 1950's.
The story goes that my great-grandfather was hunting with his son-in-law, my grandfather near Bucoda, Washington. They jumped this buck in the timber and my great grandfather got a shot off and knocked it down. When they approached the downed buck it jumped up and ran off again and my grandfather was able to get a finishing shot to it as it ran, putting it down for good. Both of them were able to dress the animal and haul it through a swamp to the railroad tracks near the town of Bucoda. There happened to be a railroad crew on a two-person pump railroad car near where they came through. The two workers offered to give them a ride into the town of Centralia by way of the hand/pump car. They arrived at a small mercantile/general store where Lincoln Creek Lumber on Reynolds Road now sits. There was a scale at this store and they weighed the buck which was 207lbs dressed out. They later transported the buck to my grandfathers house in Galvin in the back of a pickup.
Both my great-grandfather and grandfather have passed on, but this rack was passed down to my uncle who brought it to me last year to be mounted and passed on to his sons. I had quite a few spare black-tail capes, however the cape I chose is from a very old buck with a large split in the ears and his jowls were tremendous. The form was built-up to accommodate the size of, in particular, the face for this cape which I thought reflects a good idea of what this buck may have looked like.
Sorry for the book, but wanted to share these pics of this buck as both an avid outdoorsman, a love of family and history, and as a taxidermist. Enjoy...Joel-BRT
