I am about to take possession of my first deer shoulder mount. Because of the size of it and the spread of the rack I am limited to where I can hang it. Are there any guideline for where to avoid hanging it so it will not promote bugs or detereration? I plan to hang it inside an enclosed porch, out of the direct sun, but the room may get warm during summer days and cold during winter months.
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Brian, keep the mount in an area where the temperature is even and not too cold or too warm. Would you put your favorite deer rifle in an area with fluctuating temperatures? Probably not right......so why put a 400 dollar deer head into the same conditions. Preserve those memories for a lifetime! Also do not hang a deer head over or near a heat source such as a wood stove, fireplace or heat register. Excessive temperature changes can create pulling and cracking over time with the constant expanding and contracting caused by heat or cold. If it is a nice trophy display it with pride in a regulated setting.
I will admit that the acrylic fin backing cracks. but birds and gameheads are fine.
I like working in cooler temps.
Not had a problem with this over the years.
Where I have found the problems is with wood heat or gas heat. Some reason gameheads tend to crack with these. I am sure other taxidermist have had problem with other methods.
I was, for a short stint, a naturaliast ata state park and had my office and mini museum in a section of the bath house at the lake. This was before I learned taxidermy but was experimenting with it. It was a cinder block building on a concrete floor with no windows , only one door and that lead out through the entrance to the showers. It didn't get too hot nor too cold but it sure was moist. Let me emphasize the word MOIST.
This was NOT a good environment. Especially since most of the stuff was dry salted. I have a client that his wife makes him put all hisstuff in the garage so he has quite a few deer head out there and the 2 car door is occasionally (man I slaughtered the spelling of that word open winter and summer and they look okay. But then it's carpeted too.