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Community => Taxidermy & Scoring => Topic started by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 01:10:36 PM

Title: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 01:10:36 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on April 29, 2009, 01:15:29 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 29, 2009, 01:18:46 PM: I want one of each in my home.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on April 29, 2009, 01:20:49 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 29, 2009, 01:28:13 PM: Shes right, you better make up your mind as you are pushing the envelope with a "frozen" salted hide
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 01:33:40 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 29, 2009, 01:36:15 PM: Thats good!
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: 257 Wby Mag on April 29, 2009, 01:40:52 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 29, 2009, 01:42:31 PM: see the other cougar thread thats active for his link. UNREAL!
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: cberg on April 29, 2009, 01:52:24 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 01:55:17 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: mossback91 on April 29, 2009, 01:56:13 PM: Michael I'll mount that thing up for cost :)
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 01:59:23 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: mossback91 on April 29, 2009, 02:01:36 PM: 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
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 29, 2009, 03:44:38 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: MichaelJ on April 29, 2009, 03:56:32 PM: Quote from: bucklucky on April 29, 2009, 03:44:38 PM
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.

Thats what I was scared of...
The closest I can get to getting this thing done is probably the first or second week in june after I get a paycheck or two... I'll also have to have one of my parents come and drop the hide off as I'll be in John Day and the hide will be in Wenatchee...

Found this picture... this is about exactly what I want!
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi237.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff299%2Fanimalrugmaker%2Fscan0040011.jpg&hash=63c1e6fb169c68bd81a218c22ae70ecc0f0078a9)

Michael
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 29, 2009, 04:06:43 PM: That would be the cast lip and nose McKenzie pedestal mount, pretty cool mount . I went to a seminar and watched Scott Brewer of Spokane make his own cast lip cougar head from a Scott Leonard change out. It was cool, learned alot form him.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on April 29, 2009, 04:11:24 PM: That is the same exact form I posted a link to on the first page. Stary saving your Deer and Elk Capes. You can probably get some shop credit for depending on who you take it to.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: cberg on April 30, 2009, 08:38:45 AM: Hey Charlie,

I was at that seminar. Wasnt it in Yakima?
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: Elkstuffer on April 30, 2009, 09:23:35 AM: I was there also. I must have met both of you. Small world.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 11:26:26 AM: Yup in Yakima, was a good seminar. I was in the front row I think. Bob Hooker is a good freind of mine if you guys know him. I really like the Scott Leonard heads. I used on the cougar rug I did and pre sculpted the lips and mouth. I had to give it a shot to see how I could do. One of the things I dont like about the cast lip and nose forms is that I think it kind of takes away from what good taxis can do. Kind of helps even the field a little bit. Sure is nice having a near perfect mouth to work around :chuckle:
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 30, 2009, 11:59:42 AM: CRAP, that would have been cool.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 12:19:31 PM: Well Bone if we ever get the Txidermy assosiation squared away again there will be more good seminars, but till then :bash:
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 12:20:30 PM: Oh by the way, I use the cast lip systems.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: mossback91 on April 30, 2009, 12:22:17 PM: Quote from: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 12:20:30 PM
Oh by the way, I use the cast lip systems.

Is that cause you have no skill? :chuckle:
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 12:23:30 PM: Quote from: mossback91 on April 30, 2009, 12:22:17 PM
Quote from: bucklucky on April 30, 2009, 12:20:30 PM
Oh by the way, I use the cast lip systems.

Is that cause you have no skill? :chuckle:

Exactly Moss :chuckle:
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: boneaddict on April 30, 2009, 12:24:21 PM: Well frickin tell me when you come to Yakima would ya.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on April 30, 2009, 08:54:30 PM: I see how you are Bone. I make a trip to Ellensburg and offer to drive to selah and you wont even hook up and let me buy you and the wife lunch.
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on April 30, 2009, 08:56:24 PM: Dang Michelle I see how you are, I will drive all the way to Rochester and bring the wife and baby if you feed us lunch... :P
Title: Re: Shoulder Mount Cougar?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on May 01, 2009, 10:11:53 PM: :chuckle: