I have a customer who brought in a 400 class bull elk to be mounted, but was worried that the detachables on the mounted elk would lessen the value. I know that the skull has to be intact for B&C scoring and I also told him that unless he has double doors at least one antler should be a detach. He said he wasn't too concerned for himself but was looking towards the future. Are antlers better than the stock market? HA Just wanted to know if anyone else had this problem. Thanks.
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I would think that it takes more work on your part to make this more user friendly for him. I'm thinking it would be more valueable to have detachable antlers, especially in a household setting. Face it, antlers are universally detachable, nature made it that way. As long as he has the B&C score on paper, he has an official record of his harvest. If he ever sells this mount the guy who buys it will pat him on the back! It might even be a good selling point. Ahhhh....what the hell do I know?!
I've gotten 475 elk and a couple of 60 inch moose, not to mention several big caribou out of my shop's 30 inch door (Yes, I do have a roll up door, but why use what I don't need?). You simply hold the mount, nose up and wrap the horns around the door jamb. Detachables just make life easier, especially of hanging and certainly take nothing away from sub-record book animals.
You said your customer bought this 400 class bull. Is it elegable for the B&C record book? Does it meet all the requirement? If it does then he should have it recorded in the Book. Only after the rack has been officially scored would I make the rack detachable. Once in the book it doesn't matter if the skull cape is cracked or the rack maded detachable. But if you do the detachable before the official score it will become inelegable. Good luck.
I would NEVER saw the horns off of a 400 class bull! That is such a feat to grow a rack like that! Why would you worry about ease of transport when that mount will probably move once in its life, from your shop to the wall?
It will definitely lessen the value, if you want detachable antlers, then buy some sheds.
If someone is worried about the cash value of a set of antlers for resale amount, not an insurance amount for lost due to fire or theft is hunting for the wrong reasons. I know there are those out there that look at a rack and say I can get 250.00 out of that. Where has the love of hunting gone to.
As far as the rack being unvaluble or less valuble if the antlers are detachable is just plain crazy. I've done alot of mounts that way and never in 15 years had anyone ask such a question. A 400 class bull is not an easy one to come by unless you shot it behind a high fence and considering selling a fair chase bull that big is sad. Any rich dumb ass that thinks they are a hunter can go to the ranch here is western nebraska and shoot a 400+ bull behind the high fence, but a hunter that sleeps in the cold and ruffs it in the mountains and is tired and wore out and shoots that 400+ bull has only a feeling that is felt by afew and dreamed about by most. You can't put a cash value on that type of feeling. I do understand however that things happen and personal property must be sold to support ones life, trust me I know. Shooting an animal for a dollar value and not the hunt is wrong in my opinion.
If he does'nt want them cut off, don't do it. Like george said, you can get them through doors, and if the customer wants them left solid, let him worry about getting it through his own door in to his house. If you are still worried about it, before you mount it, put the antlers on the manikin and see if you can get it out of your shop. If you can, mount it up and let him worry about it from there. If you want call the customer up and tell him that you are ready to mount and you have the antlers on the form and you would like to know if you can bring it over to make sure it will go into the house where he wants it to be hung up.