What is your shoulder mount criteria?

[Feathernfurr]

With so many different factors at play between species, location, weapon, sentimental value, I’d love to see some people’s arguments and criteria for what gets shoulder mounted. This topic came up recently with a close friend, as we considered the big bucks that adorn our father’s walls, and the ones that now reside in the attic or garage from their earlier days of hunting.

Personally I’ve only shoulder mounted two animals:
158” 5pt whitetail that is my personal best, and the last deer killed on a property my family has hunted since my father was a teen. The property was sold by the family we leased it from.
125” 2pt with eye guards whitetail that I obsessed over for a season.
The scores have some play for me, but it is really more the sentiment. I chased both bucks for an entire season holding out to harvest them specifically

I’ve euro mounted all of my elk, including a 305” with recurve. I think my hesitation with shoulder mounting elk is the need for space to adequately display one. I only have 9ft ceilings in the house lol.

I think if I was to have a strict criteria it would have to be:
-high degree of sentiment

If sentiment is lacking it would fall to score
-Rocky Mountain elk 345” p&y
-Whitetail 130” p&y
-Colombian Blacktail 125”p&y
-Mule Deer 160”p&y

After that I think it falls to uniqueness/funk
-albino/melanistic/leucistic
-insane mass
-double beams, drop times, palmation

Thoughts or opinions?

[Sundance]

I'll never impose my standards on another person's mount, they are a personal totem and the significance can only be measured by that hunter. I've seen a lot of "smaller" animals at my taxidermist, I know each one holds a special valve to that hunter.

Deer for me is making book or the new personal benchmark for that sub species. Anything unique will be factored in as well, at this point I'm really looking for a mule deer and a whitetail to round out my wall. Elk has to be a solid 6x6, which I've never taken. Anything OIL will go on the wall, bears are a case-by-case basis and usually depends on if we need another rug or mount for a cabin. I try to mount 2-4 birds a year, but finding a taxidermist is getting tough.

[Feathernfurr]

You’re not kidding, it seems like it’s harder and harder to find quality bird taxidermists. As far as deer goes it feels like all of them have crank their prices way up, and the quality doesn’t match. It feels like you have to be willing to fork over $1000 to get high quality these days.

[Sundance]

I've seen too many taxidermist threads go sideways to call out names. My taxidermist has increased their price and my last mount was a longer than normal lead time. I knew the lead time was going to be long going in, but I trust their quality of work and it was possibly the best buck I'll ever get. Worth every penny and the wait once I got it back, which is what I care about in the long run.

[Feathernfurr]

Same train of thought. My best whitetail is nearing the end of a 24 month wait for completion, but absolutely worth it for the quality of the product the taxidermist provides.

[huntnnw]

165-170 plus for whitetails unless something very unique. Muleys are 180” plus unless like whitetails something unique like a 30” wide 2pt etc. elk 340 plus

[MADMAX]

I like euros
Just sayin

[The scout]

I like euros
Just sayin

  I don’t like the way shoulder mounts look, don’t care how big of a deer or elk it will be euro for me. Don’t like bear rugs either, euro the skull and maybe take some claws. Just love the meat.

[jjhunter]

I’d say 180” plus for muleys….although I personally have 4 hanging in the rafters that probably need mounting some day.

160” plus on whitetail

Only euro for elk, regardless of size.   

[blackveltbowhunter]

Has to be a good hunt, and pretty cape. I care less about the score

[Feathernfurr]

Interesting seeing whitetail perspectives from two different regions. East coast guys will probably never kill a 160” in 4-5 decades of hunting. Wide main frame 4x4 are the genetics there. Hard to break 140” without some insane tine length when you don’t have those extra tine measurements of a 5x5 or 6x6. What’s everyone perspective on weapon of choice in the equation? I’m generally archery only. I think I’d be more inclined to mount 160” muley with the bow over a 180” with the rifle.

I agree with most that I do love a euro though. I like being able to pick them up and look at them and reminisce on the hunt in a way you can’t with shoulder mounts.

[Buckjunkie]

To each their own, but I am out of room. Everything from here on will be a euro mount unless it’s a 400” typical bull elk, a 200” muley or my first sheep if it’s big. Big is a 170+ Cali or 180+ Rocky.

I will not spend money on a trophy room that I could spend hunting.

One thing to consider is what do your heirs do with your trophies. If Cabelas doesn’t want them, they are a waste of money.

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm kind of over mounts. I've got multiple and honestly the bar started too low. You stuff a few 170 muleys, then you get into the 180's. Now you're out of room but continue to improve on your personal bests. So you get euros that are bigger than your mounts. 

Probably my biggest regret was mounting my sheep. I wish I had euro'd it and done a soft tan with the hide. Sheep heads are SOOOO cool to pick up, hold, count rings, etc. 

Elk always euro's because they are too big for my little house. I'd like a BIG antelope mount for sure just because they are way cooler looking with the hide on. Mtn goats definitely mount because the hair is incredible but the horns are less than impressive. Just my 

[raydog]

I'm kind of over mounts. I've got multiple and honestly the bar started too low. You stuff a few 170 muleys, then you get into the 180's. Now you're out of room but continue to improve on your personal bests. So you get euros that are bigger than your mounts. 

Probably my biggest regret was mounting my sheep. I wish I had euro'd it and done a soft tan with the hide. Sheep heads are SOOOO cool to pick up, hold, count rings, etc. 

Elk always euro's because they are too big for my little house. I'd like a BIG antelope mount for sure just because they are way cooler looking with the hide on. Mtn goats definitely mount because the hair is incredible but the horns are less than impressive. Just my 

Boy, I sure feel bad for ya Karl

[Ridgerunner]

Tough question as so many factors are at play.  Right now the only thing I'm planning on mounting is my grand slam of deer that I'm working on.  A mature buck of each of the 5 major species I think would look sweet on the wall together.  With two sheep mounts and an antelope mount I don't have a ton of room.  I really like Euros and being able to handle the horns.   

[kentrek]

I most likely wont ever mount somthing that i wouldnt get a replica made of... its too enjoyable to pull stuff off the wall and hold on to them

Needless to say...still waiting for a replica quality animal 

[boneaddict]

Probably won’t do anymore.  I mounted several on my own, but now I probably have a pile of some most would cringe knowing mice might be g swing on them. 

[hunter399]

I grew up poor ,and not far off now.
All I've ever shot is a bunch of dink bucks. One buck I would of mounted, I was unable to complete the hunt,recover the buck.
Spent two hunting season looking for a shot opportunity at that buck.

Only thing I've ever taken to the taxidermist is a cougar rug.
My wife pretty much got me to sheetrock a wall ,that we hung it up on. So it was just more work. Looks good,she wasn't wrong.
But more work to say the least.

So all I got is euro and plaque mounts of dink bucks of the past.
Probably all I'll ever have.

[Feathernfurr]

Took me 25 years from the first deer until I shoulder mounted one so I totally understand! Cool to see everyone’s different views on it. Have always thought it would be cool to have a museum that collects taxidermy from people who inherit it. Makes me think I should have written accounts of the hunts that go with skulls/mounts so my future kids/grandkids can know the stories and the significance.

[hunter399]

Took me 25 years from the first deer until I shoulder mounted one so I get totally understand! Cool to see everyone’s different views on it. Have always thought it would be cool to have a museum that collects taxidermy from people who inherit it. Makes me think I should have written accounts of the hunts that go with skulls/mounts so my future kids/grandkids can know the stories and the significance.

I've actually thought about adding coordinates to few of my dinks on the wall .

[MADMAX]

Took me 25 years from the first deer until I shoulder mounted one so I get totally understand! Cool to see everyone’s different views on it. Have always thought it would be cool to have a museum that collects taxidermy from people who inherit it. Makes me think I should have written accounts of the hunts that go with skulls/mounts so my future kids/grandkids can know the stories and the significance.

My kids asked me for that. I made  3 x 5 cards stuck in behind all my mounts and skulls on what I could remember and the years

[Feathernfurr]

165-170 plus for whitetails unless something very unique. Muleys are 180” plus unless like whitetails something unique like a 30” wide 2pt etc. elk 340 plus

I had to revisit your trail cam thread for the year, the 165-170” for whitetails makes sense 😂

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

Intestine thread. Seems size is the biggest factor when determining a mount worth project…..which is cool, but not on everyone’s list. I think the question/answer is so broad such as a question like ‘what’s your favorite car?’.
I’ve always been in the mindset of having a mount done if it’s memorable or a cool story behind the situation, despite its size. Other factors include, yes, size, but also who you’re with.
We mount up a few does/cows and spikes in here every year for hunters, young and old, that are as proud of that animal as a hunter that took a 130” blacktail…..and that is cool as hell!
While your thread prompts some interesting points (no pun intended), it’s also a hard one to answer or rather, there is no right answer as it’s so person specific.
At the end of the day- I have a few really good bucks/bulls on my own personal wall, but I can tell you the ones I cherish the most are the some of the smaller racked trophies that bring a cool memory of the hunt prior to the release of an arrow or trigger depression of a rifle, who I was with, a crazy bull call-in, or a grueling pack-in/out.
They’re all trophies and all mount worthy!

[Ironhead]

For me its just a mature or rare animal that will bring on the memories of the hunt everytime I look at it.

[greenhead_killer]

   I am after mature animals, regardless of score. I’ve got a md I mounted from 2018 that might break 85”. Old old regress buck and the biggest bodied deer I’ve ever shot. Didn’t think twice that it wasn’t going to the taxidermist.

Also as a kid, reading all the horn porn magazines I could, I was always drawn to the Midwest guys and their whitetail/md walls ( the barn pics). I’ve wanted my own ever since I can remember. My wife absolutely hates that I mount so many deer, but you kind of need them to have your own big deer wall!

Will additionally mount any oil species, regardless of size and anything unique. Again, size doesn’t necessarily matter to me. It’s about age/maturity for me. Elk, it better be huge as I don’t care about them. Ha

[Feathernfurr]

I miss the magazine days. I would spend hours and hours reading hunting stories as a kid. You can bet just about every article I wrote for shop class was about hunting. Watching Jackie Bushman/Buck masters and Realtree’s monster bucks. Those buck walls existed for me in the barns and hunting cabins of our friends and family. Funny to think back about it and how some of those deer were just little scrub bucks, but as a kid you dreamed of them coming off the wall and running by you one morning.

Lots of cool answers and perspectives here.

[fishngamereaper]

Back in the day I had way to many mounts done so now it's unique or something new.
The only thing Ive had done in the last 6 years was my caribou..
And I'm really liking the look of Euro's for deer these days anyway. Easier to display.

[Rugsnfeathers]

My short answer to the OP post is, "whatever rocks your boat and makes you happy ", then do it.  Nobody else can dictate your happiness and satisfaction of what you did with your kill.  It's the story behind it that is more compelling than the mount itself.  I know of a good friend that mounted a little tiny blacktail spike.  To folks that just plainly look at it, they call it stupid and a waste of money.  To others that heard the story behind it, especially his grandkids hearing the story, it's priceless. 

[jrebel]

Unique animals, Memorable hunts, Size of course, Do I have a representative of that animal??....if not probably getting it mounted.  If and when I get the chance to kill a bull elk, I'm getting it mounted.  I have whitetail, mule deer, blacktail (my dads), moose, bear, bobcat (my dads)......I don't have an elk.  I'm not to far away from getting a cow elk mounted so I can have that representative in case I never get a bull.   

 

[bearpaw]

We mounted all of our kids first bear, deer, turkeys, cats, etc. So not everything on our walls is big by measurement, but they are all big on sentiment!

[TCHunter25]

I do not kill a lot of animals, but for me the decision on a shoulder mount is a gametime decision.  Cool hunt, unique animal, great experience, etc. will have me considering going the shoulder mount route though.

I do not have any birds yet, but plan on doing the first duck my new lab pup retrieves for me this year.  Probably his first pheasant rooster too.