Taxidermy or not

[Holg3107]

personally not a huge fan of shoulder mounts, I plaque mount or euro mount my elk and deer. The trophys I would shoulder would be any sheep/goat. would probably rug 1 cougar. lifesize 1 bobcat. other than that ill keep with euros and plaques.

[Austrian Hunter]

This is getting hilarious

Well, for me it depends on the critter and space.  Shoulder mount on deer/elk. Live size on cougar/sheep and goat.  Rug's on Bears. 

[jackelope]

I have zero shoulder mounts...have a few skull caps mounted on plaques and really dig the look of Euro mounts. I voted skull mount. If I kill a great buck this year on my late hunt, I'm gonna have a shoulder mount done....and it's probably gonna be my only one for a while anyway. Otherwise I would do some Euro mounts from here on out. Hopefully that makes sense.

[halflife65]

Beavers and Bones go together like pees and carrots, milk and chocolate, fur and burger.................... er uh, you get the picture.

how do fur and burger go together  ok wait you are yar nevermind I do not want to know

They go together like Chinese food and chocolate pudding, cocaine and waffles, peanut butter and ladies (Talladega Nights reference):

Talladega Nights Bar Scene

[runamuk]

alrighty then 

I still say I want euro's and rugs/skins and skeletal remains...there that better

[Gutpile]

Camels and toes, moose and knuckles.

Actually I mount the first of everything. Rugged my first bear and bobcat, full sizing my fox, Shouldered my 1st whity and pronghorn. I'll shoulder my first Muley.....................as long as it's decent. I'll keep the skulls from any future cats or bears. I may do another rug from a bear but it'd have to be a very very cool color phase.

[Kent Hunter]

You know Doug, I voted shoulder mount or rug. I do have three life size bears, but I also have a couple of rugs. That being said, If I am ever blessed enough to be able to harvest a moutain goat or Big horned sheep then I would have them done lifesize FOR SURE.

[TheHunt]

I do not have the money to throw down on taxidermy.  I would rather spend my money hunting.  CoastalHunterJay did some skull mounts for the cost of the materials because he wanted to learn how to do it.   My moose is sitting on the floor of my basement because the taxidermist I called wanted 1,500 dollars for the mount.  I can hunt Arizona or New Mexico for that amount (Assuming I get drawn). 

My Arizona elk the taxidermist wanted 1,400 dollars to mount that bull.  That is sitting on my basement floor as well.  I am not about to trade a hunt for a mount.  When I get so old that I can not hunt any more I will consider the cost or I will take some classes to do it myself. 

For a bear... I would do the skull myself.  Then pay for the hide to be tanned but that is it. Just to preserve it...

[Bean Counter]

opps didnt think about a cougar,that would be a life size mount...

 

I just have Euro mounts as I have yet to kill a real monster. I'm not quite sure what I'll do in that sitchyation. Most likely it would be a shoulder mount on a deer/elk.  but if its a cougar, there will be an open-mouth, full body mount.

[elk311]

Got a 6x6 bull Elk in 1992 and had a shoulder mount done. It was more than my small/new family could afford at the time but I'm so glad that I did it (so is the Wife actually).

I have not been drawn for a bull tag since !!!

[MuleySniper]

Good or average buck I'm happy with a euro. Cats, big bucks, big bulls, OIL critters or big anything else Its getting either shoulder mounted,  pedistal or life sized. I'm hoping with my late tags this year to kill something worthy. I really like the half-shoulder, I guess that's what it is called where you can see around it some, if that makes sense. If I kill a hog, I'm doing a pedistal.
MS

[lokidog]

I love the look of skull mounts (bugs not boiled!) for antlered animals.  Sheep or goat I'd probably go with a shoulder mount.  Cougar is a rug and bear is a rug to take the place of the two rugs I have done in the past, one stolen (7'2") and one destroyed (first bear) by neglect of someone it was loaned to.

[C-Money]

Split and tail??

[Pathfinder101]

I voted for rugs and shoulder mounts.  I think lifesized mounts are impressive in businesses, taxidermy shops and museums.  But if you walk into a guy's house and he's got lifesized mounts in it, the first thing your mind jumps to is: 
"Oh.  Money.  This guy's got lots of money.  Hmmmm... probably got most of these animals with a guide."

and I am NOT trying to stir the pot here , nor am I making value judgements about people who have money, or people who hire guides.  That is just what I think most people's minds jump to. 

For instance, you walk into a guys house and he's got a 350" elk on the wall, a 200" muley on the wall, and a big bear rug, you think; "This guy can hunt".  You walk into a guy's house and he's got a bunch of African game on his wall, you think; "This guy's got money".
(Sorry to my Taxidermist friends BTW) 
Just my 

[BLKBEARKLR]

Pathfinder,  I take no offense what so ever. I am a taxidermist and dont think I could afford it either.   Like I originally said it is a want and not a need. How much do you want it, how much do you want to sacrifice.


Joe