Missing Brisket? - Opinions please.

[AJH]

My butcher butchered my brisket!!  I tried to put it back together again, but the hair patterns dont seem right.  Do you think it will be alright?  or do you think I'll end up covering it up with a Micheal P. trick.  It ticks me off, because this is my competition piece.  I plan to finish the back of the pedestal with fake oak bark and if needed, I can wrap  the bark around the bottom and up the brisket a to cover this up.  Thanks AJH

[JEJ]

No to sound like an a$$, but this will teach you to never let a butcher cape out a deer you are going to use for a competition piece, always do them yourself to avoid this and similar issues that could come of it. What happened here would make this no longer my competition piece, bu t that's just me. If its all you have I would reco mend using it though to compete and learn, but know it might get docked for that.

[AJH]

I know this is my "lesson learned".  This was an Archery kill in 60 degree weather and trying to squeak a couple of hours in the woods ahead of a full day of plans.  So not having the time, burnt me this time.

[kikkertinz]

Id still mount it up and use it.

[AJH]

Do you think I'm missing a peice of hide??  Would you mount it as-is, or try to cover it up?  Do you agree the hair patterens dont match up?  Sorry to beat a dead horse.

[kikkertinz]

Yeh i think your missing some, but i cant tell from the pic how much would be cut off after mounted. Looks pretty borderline. Id mount it up and see how it looks

[tem]

you might try a sneak form. there may be enough hide there to pull it off.

[JEJ]

As I stated earlier, if that's your only option, I would still mount it up and go to the show. Great learning experience. You could also do a pedestal and "hide" that area in some habitat.

[AJH]

Yes Guy's, It's my only option.  It's my kill and my sentiment.  I'm not a professional or a commercial Taxi, I only do one or two pieces a year, so I don't have a few spares laying around.  A sneak would be my best option, but the deer was the last piece of the puzzle.  What I mean is, I have the ped base and habitat complete to accept the hard-left turn Matt Thompson deer form. ......and wouldn't you know it, the hard left turn shows twice as much left brisket and hardly any of the right.  I have plenty of right and the left is messed up.  Did you hear that??  I just shot myself in the foot again!!  LOL   Thanks Guys.

[JEJ]

What's the saying, "the best layed plans...................".

Just do the best you can with what you've got then. If you have already envisioned how you want it to look, thats how to do it.

Good luck!

[Hammer]

Just build up some rocks to cover it and you should be fine. Use a floor pedestal form with a flat bottom or turn the one you have into one. Since you said you are not a professional or a commercial taxidermist then I would assume your not entering this piece into the master of masters group so if you get hit on it that's ok because you already knew it before hand. But it should be pretty easy to cover it up. You just dont want to cover the entire bottom as the judge might think you are hiding the arm pits which is an area that is usually done wrong. Good luck

[AJH]

Hammer, Thanks for the advice.  I have a modified wall ped and it's going to perch atop a piece of driftwood.  I would post a pic, but I don't want to get critiques on my base or habitat, seeing that it's going to be scored.  I got a lot of time tied up in the base setup, so I don't want to abandon ship yet.  I'll see how mush of the area shows , once done, then maybe wrap my bark ped backing around to cover a little.  Thanks again

[Rus]

mount it up...if it doesn't work don't take it to the show

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

Mount it up and take it to the show, I suspect that you are only going for a critique from the judge, and not going after the Masters of Masters best of show spot. You do not need a "perfect" mount to get a critique with.

[Hill Country Taxidermy]

I beleive the 8000 series from McKenzie has a very short brisket....I have used it before on capes worse off than yours and they came out great.