I'm getting ready to mount my first whitetail.
I hit the "orange button" looking for a good video
and saw Sallie Dahmes's four hour video. I've read
positive things about her work, is it still the best
tape to go with or are there others I need to see?
All in all I need to mount three deer, one full sneak
the second semi sneak offset and the third semi upright offset.
Which is the easiest pose for a novice to start out on?
Are offsets an extra challange?
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Buy "Whitetail mounting basics" from McKenzie. It is done by Dennis Behn and it is a great video.
Offsets are the hardest to mount just because you have to make sure the brisket is lined up even though the armpit on the short side will be absent for the most part. Why are you doing so many offsets?
I dunno, I've always liked the look of offsets.
They show more of the shoulder and angled look of a
deer in motion. And it breaks away from the faded,
standard issue, straight uprights on a plaque hanging
in hardware stores and bar bar-b-q joints.
But if y'all advise against it I'll heed it.
I'm going to need needles, clay, paints,etc. too.
Should I order Sallie Dahmes's 'kit' w/ out the form
or is it overkill. Reason I'm asking, I've been watching
a local taxi. mount deer and he uses a short list comprised of
glue, clay, staples, pins, thread and those styrophoam ropes
to outline the muscle details. He uses the molding clay for eyes,
ear butts and filling in/ around the skull cap, everything.
He's fast, he can get the cape on and ready to dry in two hours
and turns out a pretty good mount but is he cutting corners?
He uses oil base paint to finish but his commitment to finite
eye, nose, mouth detail ain't there.
Hence, the reason I think I can do this.
I like the look of offset forms too, they are not that hard to mount, just harder than a normal mount if you are a beginner.
I am not sure what is in Sallie's kit.
Since you are only doing a few mounts, I would use Critter-Clay for the eyes, and ears. Lots of people use normal clay for the ears since it is cheaper, but it does shrink more than Critter-Clay.
You will also need some sort of sculpting epoxy for finish work around the eyes and nose. I like brown Magic Sculpt.
I use paper mache around the skull, but some people use clay. Watch the video first and you will learn a lot of what you need. The biggest thing you need to make sure you do right is don't buy a form that is too big. Get one that fits, or is slightly smaller. Otherwise you are going to fight the cape the whole time to get it sewn and your seam will just open up as it dries.
I agree that the McKenzie video is a great video. I am kinda in the same boat, except that my first three mounts (full sneak and two offset sneaks) were for paying customers. Granted they were friends of mine, but customers all the same. I watched and followed the video closely and between Mr. Behn's informative showing and the guidance of a long-distance taxi friend I have two very happy customers. I also had the opportunity to watch Mr. Rinehart mounting a deer at a deer show and caught glimpses of his videos in the meantime, those will be added to my collection as well.