Deciding on a mount form

[Plebe]

You will be limited to what forms fit your deers head and neck size.

I personally prefer the look of Ben Mears forms and will go with a change out head from his line on another form if I can't get the look I'm after in one of his sizes.

Ohio Taxidermy Supply (OTS) has good stuff, but it's been a mess to source their forms in timely fashion as of late I understand.

Joe Coombs has some nice forms, but the heads are known to often have a twist in the nose and need changing. That's something to discuss with your taxidermist.

I'd shop hard on your taxidermist....you really have to look beyond the antlers.

(edit...I see you dropped off today...anyway, congrats on a great buck!)

 

[RobertD]

You will be limited to what forms fit your deers head and neck size.

I personally prefer the look of Ben Mears forms and will go with a change out head from his line on another form if I can't get the look I'm after in one of his sizes.

Ohio Taxidermy Supply (OTS) has good stuff, but it's been a mess to source their forms in timely fashion as of late I understand.

Joe Coombs has some nice forms, but the heads are known to often have a twist in the nose and need changing. That's something to discuss with your taxidermist.

I'd shop hard on your taxidermist....you really have to look beyond the antlers.

(edit...I see you dropped off today...anyway, congrats on a great buck!)

I love the Ben Mears line myself... I almost specifically recommended the Ben Mears SS wall pedestal to OP

It's in the nose I think, but whatever it is his forms are my favorite for really looking like a deer is supposed to

Ohio is what we use it work the most, they're definitely having a rough go of it right now

 

[buffybr]

If you plan on mounting a ton of deer in your lifetime I would not recommend a pedestal mount. They just take up way too much room IMHO. I wish I had never gotten any done.

Great buck by the way!

I have to disagree that pedestal mounts take up way too much room. When I got married in 1988, I had too many mounts in "her" new living room, so I built a 2,000 sf, two story addition to my house. The lower level was two large bedrooms, along with a large family room, a walk in closet, and a bath and a half for her kids. The upper level is a 30'x35'x14' high exposed beam ceiling trophy room. I never dreamed that I would fill those walls with my taxidermy.

Problem was that there were great views from the three outside walls of that room so I put in too many windows. That marriage lasted a miserable 10 years, and in the last 22 years I have just about filled all of the walls in the trophy room plus all of the walls in my living room.

So now, three of the four side windows in the trophy room have their blinds closed, and they now have 6 floor pedestal mounts in front of them. I also have my best Sable and my largest Caribou on pedestal mounts that fit nicely behind and on one end of the L shaped couch in the center of the trophy room. In my living room I have floor pedestal mounts of a Scimitar Horned Oryx behind my easy chair, and a Zebra and a Red Lechwe near the ends of two walls that don't have enough space to mount them on the walls.

Long story short is that I now have 11 mounts on floor pedestals that I couldn't have had otherwise because of lack of wall space.

When choosing forms for my mounts, as much as possible, I try to have the mounted animal looking toward the center of the rooom.

I have also seen pictures of other trophy rooms where a pedestal mount with one or more animals fit nicely in a corner where there isn't enough wall space for those animals on the walls.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I have to disagree that pedestal mounts take up way too much room. When I got married in 1988, I had too many mounts in "her" new living room, so I built a 2,000 sf, two story addition to my house. The lower level was two large bedrooms, along with a large family room, a walk in closet, and a bath and a half for her kids. The upper level is a 30'x35'x14' high exposed beam ceiling trophy room. I never dreamed that I would fill those walls with my taxidermy.

Problem was that there were great views from the three outside walls of that room so I put in too many windows. That marriage lasted a miserable 10 years, and in the last 22 years I have just about filled all of the walls in the trophy room plus all of the walls in my living room.

So now, three of the four side windows in the trophy room have their blinds closed, and they now have 6 floor pedestal mounts in front of them. I also have my best Sable and my largest Caribou on pedestal mounts that fit nicely behind and on one end of the L shaped couch in the center of the trophy room. In my living room I have floor pedestal mounts of a Scimitar Horned Oryx behind my easy chair, and a Zebra and a Red Lechwe near the ends of two walls that don't have enough space to mount them on the walls.

Long story short is that I now have 11 mounts on floor pedestals that I couldn't have had otherwise because of lack of wall space.

When choosing forms for my mounts, as much as possible, I try to have the mounted animal looking toward the center of the rooom.

I have also seen pictures of other trophy rooms where a pedestal mount with one or more animals fit nicely in a corner where there isn't enough wall space for those animals on the walls.

I find floor space is more in demand than wall space. So you put a pedestal mount on the floor. Presumably the wall space behind it won't have room for a shoulder mount. What do you do? Perhaps hang a picture or cap/euro mount in front of it but that looks kinda cluttered. Not sure I would put any fur mount in front of a window unless it's totally blocked out. Pedestal mounts, particularly wall hanging ones, are indeed good use of a corner.

 

[buffybr]

I find floor space is more in demand than wall space. So you put a pedestal mount on the floor. Presumably the wall space behind it won't have room for a shoulder mount. What do you do? Perhaps hang a picture or cap/euro mount in front of it but that looks kinda cluttered. Not sure I would put any fur mount in front of a window unless it's totally blocked out. Pedestal mounts, particularly wall hanging ones, are indeed good use of a corner.

I've heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here's what I did.
Thease two windows are on the north wall. The blinds are pulled so that there is no direct sunlignt on fur...

This is a south wall window that I have also shut the blinds to keep direct sunlight from fur..

And here are two pedestal mounts in the middle of my trophy room at the end and behind my couch...

 

[EYJONAS!]

I've heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here's what I did.
Thease two windows are on the north wall. The blinds are pulled so that there is no direct sunlignt on fur...

This is a south wall window that I have also shut the blinds to keep direct sunlight from fur..

And here are two pedestal mounts in the middle of my trophy room at the end and behind my couch...

Do you give tours and share stories?

 

[buffybr]

Do you give tours and share stories?

You mean like sitting at the bar drinking beer and telling lies?

I do keep the bar frig is stocked full of cold beer.