How much bigger a form can you go with on a whitetail if the hide has been properly thinned? I see a lot of deer from this area that are huge looking after they are mounted, but even my biggest deer don't look that beefy. I use Mckenie forms and I tan with Liqua Tan or McKenzie tan and have a flesher to thin with. This is my first year with the flesher and was wondering how much extra stretch to expect with the capes now. If any of you do go with larger forms, how much bigger?
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Some dingaling told someone last week that you could go 2 inches and I almost choked. People who blow up their deer usually are the DP people. A green hide DP'd will stretch that far but a tanned hide is stretching your luck. Maybe half to 3/4 inch at most, but remember, the hide is finite. You stretch it, the brisket comes up like the T-shirt on a fat man.
What I sent you works, make its sort of an optical illusion.
I got your e-mail. Thanks for the tip, I never would have thought of that ! I'll try that and see how it works for me ! Thanks again John
Hi John. What is the secret tip? Bobbi asks a good question. I have seen some pretty beefy whitetail mounts lately and a lot of guys seem to like that look.
Steve
Ok, here is news for many but others will never agree, it works very well.
Looking through the McKenzie catalog, you will see many forms listed.
SOme say Prerutt, Light swell, med swell, heavy swell.
If you have a deer with a 21 inch light swell neck, you drop down to a 19 or 20 inch medium or heavy swell form.
Then when you mount the deerhead, work as much skin up the neck as you can, just keep wotking it up the form all the way to the head.
What you will see is the heavier swell is still the same size as the light swell and by working the skin up the form it will let you stack the skin, (
this can be related like the hair of your head, cover a larger area and you are thin haired, scrunch it up and you look havier haired)
So by working the skin up the neck you are making the skin really a bit thicker, more hair etc. Instead of streching it thinner by pulling the cape tight over the backboard.
Does that clear it up fur ya?
I just did the very same thing with a McKenzie form. The deer measured 20 1/2 and I put it on a 19 heavy swell and did just what John explained. It works very well in fact the deer at the smallist point now measures 23 inches over the hair. I hit on this by accident. I will try and explain. The customer wanted a wrinkle in the neck where it turned the deer was from Missouri heavy hair. I knew I needed some extra skin in that area so I went smaller on the form with the heavy swell. I then altered the form where the form is wrinkled already by opening up the creases in the form. I did not want to bulge the skin to get the wrinkle but tuck the skin in the form. This worked perfectly and the mount is one of the best I have done to date. I will have some picures of it after I get it finished out if any one would like to see. Jack F.
Joe Meder forms have shorter necks forcing you to do just as mentioned above with your hide without dropping a size or two, as well as just plain being the heaviest looking necks in a given size to begin with. I just finished an early october buck on one and was amazed at the heavy necked look on that short haired deer I have mounted many long haired deer on them with excellent results but that was the first early season deer (very impressive!). I mount both on McKenzie and Joe Meder forms and like them both but Joes are definitely stockier looking if that is what your after.
This is another good tip that I have gotten from this site.
Thank you.