one of my customers wants the bodybuilder look on his whitetail mount. i normally use McKenzie forms. what forms create the "buff" look as he calls it. any opinions will be appreciated. thanks
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
What I recommend is to get a full rut form. You can rasp the atlas area down which will give you an even fuller looking neck. You can try to stretch the cape on a larger form...I don't like doing that, but do what makes you and your customer happy.
The atlas area must remain as sculpted, thats where the swell starts.
When looking for the swelled form, if the deer will fit a 22 so called regular necked mount, drop the the next sized full swell.
This will workout to the same sized neck, but looks muscled up.
I test fit every cape on one of McKenzies full swelled forms, I always keep three sizes in stock for this purpose.
Use Epo-Grip 2-part Hide Adhesive, and apply liberally you can work this hide paste up to the atlas area and make the neck appear even larger. Just lay your thumbs on the hide pressing the E-G 2pto the depressions and form the mastoid muscles.
Do this on a full swelled form and the deer will look huge, even works for those little deer.
John, ask the customer to show you a photo of a live deer like the one he has requested. Schwarzennegger deer look ridiculous. Keep in mind that extremely recessing the detail on the neck will require more hide circumference than the original mannikin was designed for.
thank you for your help. i think those "arnold" deer look a little strange. i am wondering now which company has a form with the most muscle look without any, or not much altering. the cape i am mounting is 22 inches behind the ear (tanned side) and about 23 inches 3 inches down from the ears, with a 7.5 inch eye to nose measurement. what size, and form would you guys use for that arnold look? thanks
at some of Joe Coombs forms. The muscles are very defined and may help with what you are trying to achieve. Good Luck! Jeff F.
my customers really like the look of the Joe Meder forms from McKenzie. they have a good definition from the head to neck which is what gives you the swelled look. but the face and shoulders are still quite natural looking.
Use a neck thats to big and have lots of problems or use a form that fits and use good taxi skills. like John C. said, make sue you have plenty of paste in the head/neck union ares and work the skin down into the depressions as much as possible. Be sure that you keep the skin pushed up toward the head as much as possible so you have a nice loose fit to prevent it from pulling out of the details. Afteryou have the skin mounted and stapled(still making sure to work the skin forward before stapling) take you air hose and blow the entire mount (nose to brisket) with at least 60 psi. to fluff the hair. Thuis will remove the harsh lok you have from working the details in and will help to make your neck look even bigger. Most customers have never seen a deer that is ove 21 or 22 inches and properly mounted so when they see what you have done with this they will be impressed. Be sure thatt after you blow the hair you run your hand "lightly" over the mount to smooth the hair down naturally without destroying the fluff effect.