Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Informal Survey on Trophies

I have shoulder mounts in our living room, one above my desk in the home office. A bear rug also in front of our fireplace along with a full mount bobcat above the entertainment center. A few racks in the garage and the dink's racks go out in the shed. Bear rugs take up alot of room on the wall or floor so I may donate some future hides to whoever wants them. Alot of my mounts I had before I got married so my wife knew they were part of the package! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> MtnHtr

As I posted earlier, I am just getting started hunting. The first animal I took was a quail with my dad's old Stevens Bolt action 20 gauge missing its magazine. I wish I would have mounted it.

The first big game animal I took was a fairly large CA feral hog. My wife hated it at first. She thought it was ugly and didn�t want it in the house. I have convinced her that it is ok, by putting it in an area that she doesn�t have to look at often (by my computer desk/office area). I didn't get my second hog mounted, as I thought it would be overkill, and pushing my luck.

I know this isn't a spectacular hog; however it is the first big game animal I have taken and I wanted a tangible memory of it.

I have kept "hunt journals" since about 1965. I write in the current volume at the end of each hunt day. I always take my current journal on my away from home trips. I have never had a head mounted although I do have a number of horn/antler sets in my shop that I may someday put on the wall as horn mounts. My oldest granddaughter (14) discovered my journals about this time of year in 1999. She has really been into reading them and has come to me with all sorts of questions on thing I had written at the time. It has been pleasant to relive those old hunts. She has started to do a hunt journal also. That is how I keep my memories. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Newguy,

The hog is nice, I like it.

My first big game animal was a Mt. Goat, it's shoulder mounted and in our living room. It's going to be moved a few feet, to another wall, to make room for that black bear rug I recently posted here.

We've still got a few wall to go, so I'm not worried about running out of room yet.

I have a very understanding wife as I have numerous animals mounted inside the house. Nowadays it has to be a very nice animal for me to mount as I'm running out of room to place them. I have 40 or so antler mounts in my shop to keep my house from looking like a museum of natural history. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I sure do appreciate the input. It is a kick to see what other folks like and keep to look at and touch bringing back memories of good times.

John F-- I used to enjoy goosing my fiancee too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Verro-- maybe you could do a shoe mount. Have it's tongue hanging out or something. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Newguy-- good looking hog. You need to find a yellow and black spotted one to go with it. They are wild looking


BCR

Newguy,

Nice looking hog <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I like mounts of animals taken that have a meaning. I agree wholeheartedly that the absolute pursuit of trophy size is not where it's at. I like the memories.

I also have an understanding wife. We have converted the family room into an "outdoors" room replete with outdoors related antiques and the few mounts I have. It is quite an enjoyable place, especially in the winter when the fire is burning.
I have 2 whitetails taken on my first 2 hunts in Wyoming. I have 2 bobcats fullsize on a large wall mount that replicates the Texas hillcountry that I took them in (can you say rocky?).
One set of mulie antlers from Wyoming on a plaque, and one smallmouth bass round out my miniscule collection.

The dinks are all out in the shed and I have picked up weathered scull and antler sets hanging above my reloading bench.

Each has a story and it's fun to remember them.

The problem with a lot of AK game is the sheer size of the mounts. I have a couple caribou hanging, one Booner set just on a plaque, and one more modest with sentiment attached that is a skull mount. A special Sitka deer head mount, that also happens to be a Booner, is in the entryway, but moving soon to the living room, along with a big mulie my father-in-law shot. My wife grew up with the mulie and since it was remounted she decided she wants it in the living room, too.

She has decided to redecorate the living room in a more woodsy style so the encroaching heads do not clash so much. Pink sofas and mounts tend to clash!

Have been looking for extremely big capes to mount a few exceptional Sitka deer that I should have mounted years ago. Cannot seem to find big enough capes since the bad winterkills in recent years... I have antlers on plaques, antlers in piles; antlers and horns in boxes, dangling, collecting dust, hiding in the shed, lots of them. I keep them all.

My gemsbok is currently being mounted and should be done any time now... really looking forward to that! Trying to decide on whether to get a smallish gator mounted. Just got the tanned hide back and as is, it is butt-ugly! But cannot figure how to improve its looks! The "rugs" I have seen do not do much for me!

I have a few wierd birds, emperor geese, kalij, hooded mergansers, harlequins, woodies and a turkey. Also have a ringtail and a bunch of tanned hides from several flavors of foxes, buffalo, alligator and so on.

My son has stolen my skull collection and refuses to give it back! It has at least a hundred or so skulls on a set of shelves in his room, including bears and wolves, wolverine and lynx, moose and deer, sheep and goats, birds and fish, javelina and 'possum, bison and beavers and lots more.

I have given away all of my bears, and will likely continue that practice, but I do like the skulls. It can be difficult to find someone to take a bear hide, though...
art

im different than most and have never mounted anything and probably want,but thats just me.most of the antlers i get i usually give them away but sometimes i keep a few 4 projects such as handles or buttons.my buds say im crazy 4 turning some of them loose but i dont care.

My smaller whitetails are on "scrub alley". Basically they're antlers on a plaque that I did myself. Lately small one are cleaned up and laying in the den. Eventually I want to get a trapping basket and put them in it.

I also have 7 shoulder mounts ranging from 140 to 170+ whitetails. Unfortunately, only 3 are mine. The other are Uncles and one was my grandfathers. My first mulie should be back in the next 6 months or so and I have a Snow goose in flight and 5 ducks on the way.

If I'm lucky to bag another mulie this year it will probably be put on a plaque unless its really big. And if I ever get out for elk I guess size will dictate whether its a plaque or shoulder mount.

I have several pics that have been blown-up to 8x10 with others to be done. These mean as much as the mounts. The mounts bring back good memories and they show respect for the animal but the pics show the excitement and some of the good times had. The ducks are mostly sea ducks that I'll probably never get a chance at again. Besides the are pretty neat looking. JMHO.

Plaque mount racks( attached to skull section) only.
Turkey tails and beards on plaques also.

Most of the mounts at the house are my wife's. Her pride and joy is the 156 net blacktail her dad shot, but there are also numerous hides (lynx, wolverine, etc.) she likes hanging around. All I have are a flight pair of oldsquaws.. er........ long-tailed ducks. I don't get that excited by antlers, but at the cabin, some of the hard parts get made into something useful - hat racks, drawer pulls, etc. I give bear and goat hides and skulls to family that want them. As far as I'm concerned the real trophies were the hunts and the steaks, chops, and roasts they produced.

Evening BCR >> Kinda have a personal restriction on myself of not shooting Mulie bucks that aren't at least mature 4x3's. Broke this rule once on a wide 3x3, but each of these trophies gets a plaque and hangs on the wall in the reloading room with a little note on back on rifle used, where killed, score. Pictures are also taken in the field and put in a scrap book. If the trophy's score over 170" gross or has a 29" spread or so, I'll work it into a shoulder mount.

Was able to draw my first limited draw antelope buck permit last year (7 years of trying). Still trying to figure if I want that trophy on a plaque or shoulder mounted.?.?

Wife's nice enough to let me do pretty much whatever I want, mount wise, as long as it stays in the reloading room. >> klallen

Boggy, good question with interesting answers. I got curious once why we measure what we do for trophies, and wondered why not measure the hoof size on deer and mount them. I had an interesting to me home mount of some huge Mt. goat hooves for awhile. My wife liked a big goat hide, but not much else for trophies. I started to send JJ a skull to clean recently and she told me she is appalled at such a thing, though I can put anything I want in my office. (She cooks and eats anything I bring home, which is a pretty wide range of edibles, so she's a keeper). A favorite of mine for about ten years was the tail from a blacktail doe with the ten inch feathered end of the broken arrow that killed her across it.

I've never personally had anything mounted though if I ever settled long enough in one place big enough I do enjoy a good trophy room. Have several friends with excellent ones. I have my best deer, elk and antlered stuff either on shields or a bleached skull on a shield, European style, but those are all either stored someplace or hanging in someone else's home. While we lived in a place with a big double garage, it was covered with antlers, etc. big and small. I've still got the empty tail shell of the biggest lobster I ever got while diving, a little under 15 lbs. I've had a couple of bears rugged out for my sister, who likes them and has room. Had a pretty elk hide and a humongous goat hide tanned, plus some smaller stuff like a good coyote. I regret that I sold the prettiest cross fox hide I've ever seen rather than keep it. The goat hide I "loaned" to my grandmother who likes it. I have pictures of all, and the best are in my mind. I remember lying on a ridge watching the only true silvertip grizzly I ever saw raking soapaleli berries into his mouth. He was close enough to see his teeth and claws in detail through the spotting scope, and after 25 minutes when the bear fed out of sight my partner said, "I have him engraved in my mind."

I like the hog mount, too -- the downward hanging head is kind of a different pose.

I forgot to mention that lately my fiancee has been thinking a full-body standing bear mount would look cool in the corner and give any burglar second thoughts. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

John

I did a shoulder mount of a forky myself onct. Decided I didn't want to become a taxidermist. Still got thet forky. Kind of like to do another to pass the time, but a real nice animal deserves a pro job. I ain't got a lot of trophies cause they cost too much to have done. I put all my racks in the barn. Gonna decorate my porch with 'em if I ever git my house done. My dog helps with the effort from time to time. He's drug home several nice sets an' single antlers. One I suspect came from somebody's porch.

I cain't abide by people leavin' nice horns on the ground. There's too few really nice animals for the "wife won't allow it" spiel. I encourage everbody to know what yer gonna do with the animal before you go afield. If you don't plan on killin' ol' mossyhorns, then don't pull the trigger lessn' you can at least give the trophy to a friend.

I've got 2 pretty decent whitetail buck shoulder mounts, 2 pronghorn mounts, a big Canadian honker cupped and ready to land and a wood duck. All but the woody are in my reloading room, the wife liked the cute little duck enough to work it into the decor of the living room. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
Most of my smaller racks end up on plaques around the shed. I plan on going after a moose in 2 or 3 years and would really like to do the skull mount if I'm fortunate enough to get one.

Jeff

I went through a period of having a number of critters mounted. Non were trophy book animals, but each one had special memories. Some were mine, some were my son(s), like their first bird, or first buck etc.
Wife was pretty tolerant with the mounts as long as they stayed in the family room.
I'm now converting my family room into part of my office as my business grows. I meet with a lot of clients and need to cut back on some of the mounts.
Don't know where they'll go, maybe into my workroom, but I'm not throwing any away.
Here's a picture of my family room and what I have to rearrange.

jbmi hey, I happen to know there's a couple of mounts missing there <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Where'd you hide the muley and sharptail grouse?

Boy, you really know how to make a guy feel bad dontcha.
As I said, these mounts are memories, and the two that BigSky mentioned have some great ones connected to them.
Here's the muley I got as a consolation prize from BS after missing a much nicer one (part of the memories I'll never forget:) )



Can't find a picture of the mounted sharptail, but here it is before being stuffed. again, great memories of a Montana hunt with a good friend.