Making A Trophy Deer Shoulder Mount

Making A Trophy Deer Shoulder Mount

A hunter appreciates the importance associated with having a shoulder mount of the deer he or she hunted. It is a memento of an unforgettable hunting expedition. When you harvest a trophy deer, you may want to do a shoulder mount in order to preserve the magnificence of the animal. A good hunter needs to have detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the deer to be able to skin, gut, and dress the animal for a full body, shoulder, or head mount.

Before skinning the head, the most important step is to take accurate measurements. Take measurements from the center of the nose to the front of both eyes. Take measurements from the nose to the sides of both the antlers. Then measure from the nose to the back of the skull. Also measure the circumference of the neck, about three inches behind the head.

Now refer to the “skinning for a shoulder mount” article for instruction on how to cape the deer for a shoulder mount.

The hide is now ready to be transported to the taxidermists shop for further processing of the hide.

In the olden days, the taxidermist used to skin the animal and the boil the skull till it was cleaned thoroughly and mount it on the skull support of a backboard. Then they would prepare a neck board according to the natural outline of the neck and fix it on either side of the skull. They would then fix the wood nose block in position. This form would then be wrapped with excelsior also known as wood wool and tied with twine after getting the right shape, paper mache was used to cover up everything before sewing the tanned skin. This was a time consuming affair. These days foam forms of different shape, sizes, and postures are available at reasonable prices.

Mounting the tanned skin on the form

The first step is to mount the form on the stand. Then the antlers along with the sawed and cleaned skull plate are mounted using the measurements taken during the field dressing of the hide. The antlers are positioned correctly and screwed on the wood plate already present on the foam form. Generally three-inch screws are used. Fill the voids with paper mache and now the form is ready be mounted with the skin. Shave the skin around the eyes nose and lips then fill in the ear liners then mount the skin on the form and hold it in place using pins. Start sewing upwards from the back of the neck. Once the sewing is done adjust the skin so that it is in the correct position and use several pins to hold every thing in place. Fill in the nostrils with clay and keep the mount to dry for a day. Next day, fix the glass eyes with super glue and also the lips. The mount is now ready for any touch up work to be done using good quality paint. A well done trophy deer is admired and reminds one of the excitement and exhilaration of a memorable hunt.