Need your opinions!!

[SDBugler]

My taxi is ready to start working on my full body pedestal mount for my 2011 mountain goat.
I know what pose I want and we are going to get a form picked out in the next couple days.
Since this may be the only goat I ever harvest, let alone get mounted, I want to make sure I do it right.
My questions for all of you:

1.) This billy has HUGE glands (almost to the point of being ugly). Would you suggest replicating them as they were, or trying to reduce them. Do you think they detract from the horns? I haven’t seen a mount done yet with glands that large.
2.) This billy had about an inch of horn broken off his right side. Would you suggest repairing this to match his right side to show his true potential or leave it broken as harvested. (I knew before shooting him that he had a broken horn and it didn’t break off in the tumble)
3.) Most manikins that I have seen have the “cute” concave shaped face/nose of a younger goat. This billy had a wide roman nose and had the horse shaped face of an older billy. What are your opinions on modifying the face to make it look more like the actual goat? I am concerned that people might think it is a bad taxi job if I did the roman nose & hose face since most people think of goats having the typical ‘cute” face.

I attached some pictures for reference.

Please give me your honest opinions. I don’t want to screw up what might be my only chance at a beautiful goat mount.
Thanks.
Brian

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

Awesome looking goat! Leave the horn broken. If it was after the fall I would be for fixing it.

 

[T Bone]

I'd get it as realistic as possible, complete with glands and broken horn and horse face.

My billy had a long face as well, but the taxidermied result was a short stubby face like you mentioned. I wasn't and am not rthrilled with the outcome. It seems like most forms come like that to make the horns look longer.

 

[putm2sleep]

I am with TBone....as is, as possible.

 

[fowladdict]

My vote goes for horse face, broken horn, but no glands.

 

[spook12]

Leave him just like he looked when you walked up to him, minus the blood.

 

[npaden]

Those are some big glands, and they may be almost ugly, but you shot a mature billy, not a teenager.

I vote to try to make it match as close as possible to what it looked like when you pulled the trigger. Most folks don't even know that goats have those glands, it would for sure bring up a topic of conversation that yours was a mature goat.

 

[huntbux]

no glands, leave all else as is.

 

[Baerman]

Those are some big glands, and they may be almost ugly, but you shot a mature billy, not a teenager.

I vote to try to make it match as close as possible to what it looked like when you pulled the trigger. Most folks don't even know that goats have those glands, it would for sure bring up a topic of conversation that yours was a mature goat.

+1!

 

[Gerald Martin]

Whatever you do, keep the Roman nose and the horse face! I'd probably reduce the glands a bit, they swell to full size as the rut approaches but they are not that way all the time. Whatever you do, he's still a great trophy!

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I'd also vote for leaving him as he was when you squeezed the trigger!

 

[dainer]

I would leave him as he lived. I had a ife size bear done. He was a scrapper. He was missing an eye and his ear was torn. I told my taxidermist to leave it as close to original as possible. When I picked him up, he had fixed everything. I was bummed....

 

[T Bone]

SDBugler,

My goat was taxidermied in SD as well. Who is your taxidermist?

 

[mtmiller]

My two cents.

1. Make the glands as close to real life as they were.

I wish my last goat mount was done more accurate as to how they really looked.

The glands were more prominent on the live goat and I think my taxidermist missed it, even when I made a point of it when I dropped it off.

 

[mtmiller]

This was my first goat and I liked the more accurate glands on this guy. Different taxidermist.

2. BTW, this guy busted off about 1.5" on both sides from the fall. I told the taxidermist to leave as is. A couple months later I asked him to recreate. I am happy I went that route. Since yours was already broken you may not want to go that route, but I think I probably still would.

 

[mtmiller]

Here is another one. No glands at all on the mount. I was not very happy with this work.

As for the faces, #2 is by far my favorite mount and was also my first. I would have had the other two done by the same taxidermist, but he passed away.

3. I would have your taxidermist modify the face to accurately represent the billy you took.

Congrats on the goat and hopefully you have the chance to chase them again. I will keep trying to draw again.

 

[SDBugler]

Thanks for all the honest opinions. I decided to keep the horse face and roman nose. mtmiller - your second goat is exactly what I am looking for.

I also decided to repair the broken horn. I have several deer and elk mounted with broken tines. On those animals it isn't so apparent because there is so much antler and a broken tine isn't too noticable but I think on the goat with limited amount of horn it is more noticable. I also think they look more majestic with thier full headgear. It isn't too noticable in the pictures but the broken horn is actually quite distracting.

As for the glands, my taxi and I decided to have me present when he gets to that point in the mounting so we can look at it together. We are thinking that we may reduce the size of them slightly. He said we will have to see what options the cape will allow us to work with. He doesn't want to shorten up the cape around the horns as this will pull up the ears out of their correct location. I will probably keep them the same size but not quite as thick.

 

[Drake4]

Miller - that second mount is gorgeous. That face is the definition of "mature billy"..I hope mine turns out that good.

 

[Oak]

My goat's glands were not at all prominent when I shot him, but I didn't think they looked "normal" that way, so I had the taxidermist make them modestly sized.

Here is a before shot. Note that they are not dark at all.

Here is "after," when the goat was displayed at our banquet last month.

 

[SDBugler]

Oak - nice looking mount and a great billy. The rock/vegitation make him look like he is still on the mountain!!

I forgot to mention. We ordered the largest form that was avialble and the taxi said he would still have to cut it up and enlarge the length by 3" - 4" to make my cape fit.