While shed hunting this past winter I found a matched set that scores in the mid 180's. I am wanting to get these mounted. What size cape do I need to make this mount look good and how much should I expect to pay for a cape? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Sorry guys forgot to mention that the sheds are from a whitetail.
Thanks again,
Chad
I would go at least 21" tight behind the ears. The main thing with antlers of that size is to make sire that the cape you are going to use had similar size antler bases.
Its an easy fix, you just trim a little and sometimes you dont even have to trim. unless you set the antlers wrong.
I would worry more about color and hair length than size if i were you. Size isn't a deciding factor on if it can be mounted or not, just how it looks. A smaller cape will accent the antlers and make them look larger, but if it is an iowa buck you don't want to make it look like a texas buck. Lots of rich hunters will mount their rack on a smaller, younger cape. It changes the look drastically sometimes. Some people like brighter brown and almost red. If you get a 21" cape the chances are it will have some greyer tones in it.
Simple answer? Any cape will work- any cape over 18 will look real nice, but if you are on a budget then any cape you have access to can be used.
The sheds are from an Illinois whitetail.
you want the most impressive mount, use the biggest cape you can find. Chances are a 180" whitetail is a mature deer. I personanally think any thing smaller than a 22" would not look that impressive and I would go with a 23" to 25".
did you mount the albia buck? or some other famous deer?
The Beatty Buck in 2000.
23" behind the ears, and you will probably pay $150.00-$200.00