Shoulder Mount Cougar?

[MichaelJ]

Well I'm almost done with school and plan to be making good money this summer... I'd really like to get my '07 ID cougar mounted or rugged...

Never seen any cougar shoulder mounts but I'm interested to know what your opinions of them are and if you have any pictures?

When I shot the cougar, we skinned it out, and laid the hide flesh up on a tarp on a slope to drain the moisture and salted the crap out of it for 2 days.  It didn't dry completely but it was pretty close.  Then when I got home I brushed the salt off of it, rolled it up and put it in a game bag and stuffed that into a garbage bag and put it in the freezer.  It's been in the freezer for a year and a half.  The skull hasn't been caped out, and neither have the paws.  I never took measurements of the cat but do you guys think a shoulder mount is still doable?

Also, what are typical prices for a shoulder mounted cougar?  I don't have the money for a lifesize but I've never been crazy for rugs on cats...

Any advice ya got would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

Michael

[BLKBEARKLR]

I am charging 425.00 for a cougar shoulder mount. I agree with you I don't like the rugs that much, it just seems to me that if you take a large cat there goes 7 foot by around 5 foot of your wall gone.

Joe

[boneaddict]

I want one of each in my home. 

[Michelle_Nelson]

Well first off you didn't remove the skull or paws and you salted it.  Salt will help preserve the hide but it didn't do anything for the head or feet.  Also not a good idea to freeze a salted hide.  A lot of the time they don't fully freeze.

Here is a pic of a Shoulder Mount Cougar.

http://www.mckenziesp.com/taxid_store/Print_catalog/full.asp?page=258

I am pretty sure I am right around $450 - $475 for a shoulder mount Cougar.

[boneaddict]

Shes right, you better make up your mind as you are pushing the envelope with a "frozen" salted hide

[MichaelJ]

I'll be home this weekend... anythin I can do to help preserve the hide until this summer?  I've tanned hides before (in highschool for fun), so when I got home the first thing I did was clean all the salt off the hide to try and help it freeze...  I 'think' I'm still golden on the hide...

Michael

[boneaddict]

Thats good!

[257 Wby Mag]

Congrats on the longtail Michael. Research Manikins has a cool ped, closed mouth, real natural looking. Choose your Taxi carefully, as cats are really hard to make look "right". There's a guy over in Montana named Phil Saucey? sp? that is the best cat taxi period. Might be worth a little extra $$. Later

[boneaddict]

see the other cougar thread thats active for his link.  UNREAL!

[cberg]

Two days outside with the skull still in it? Hope it was cold. Might be some slippage on the face. Hope not for your sake. They are way to cool to loose. We just finished a cat rug for a guy up north and it came out real nice. They shot it in the face with an arrow a few times but other than that, it looked good. Five hours of sewing on the face part and you couldnt tell it was hurt. Dang, I should have charged him for the extra sewing. Wont make that mistake again.

[MichaelJ]

I saw that bone!  That is a FUGGIN SAAAAAAWWWWWEEEEEEEETTTT mount!  Would love to have one like that but thats def out of my price range... I'm hoping around $400 as I still got hunting gear to get.

Cberg that mount looks nice too!  Great job on your first cat!

Michael

[mossback91]

Michael I'll mount that thing up for cost

[MichaelJ]

Ever done a cougar moss?  Seems that with the higher difficulty in a long term frozen hide that I'd be better off with a more experienced taxi... no offense... lol

Michael

[mossback91]

lol I would too!!

man if I ever have a run in with a dandy cat that sucker is gonna make it to Mr Soucy Some how

[bucklucky]

Hey Michael , that thing will more than likely slip. Been there done that and everything that I have gotten in that was salted and put in a freezer all slipped. It will never freeze and what happens is the bacteria in the hide continues to grow. If I was going to do anything to try and save it I would pressure tan it in a allum tan. That will be the best bet for saving that cougar. Beings it was mostly dry might be your saving grace. Get it to me and I will give ya a good deal (since you helped me out packing my bull) if it is salvageable.