I just got my Elk back form the taxidermist and before going fifty miles to the next on to get his take on it I decided to search for some referance photos and ended up here. I can't seem to find any with close up shots without having to buy something that i will never use again. My question is should the upper jaw or maybe its the gum be flat and smooth. It is also hanging down about 1 inch below the nose and just doesn't look right to me. If it is, fine but if not I want to take it somewhere else to be fixed and go on with life. This was my first elk it only scored 298 which isn't bad I don't guess for public land self guided hunt but never the less i want it to be the best looking it can be. Tannks for your replies in advance John.
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It may be fine. If I understand you correctly your concern is the smoothness of the upper gum? If the bull is in "full" bugle, his upper lip will be sort of an upside down rounded "v" shape, his nose will be wrinkled back, and there will be a significant amount of upper gum showing (1 inch easy) which is smooth in the area that would normally be against the front lip. There should be some texture on the underside of the gum where it meets the lower jaw, and of course the papilla should be evident on the inside of the cheeks and back portions of the lips.
Thanks Bill I guess it looks pretty much like you explained it. So great. It looks good but didn't seam real like to me but i don't know elk very well and sorry if i didn't explain my concerns very well i guess with a little searching i could have gotten the terminology(sp)right. You seemed to so thanks again John
If you can, email a couple of pictures. It might be more helpful for me to get a feel for it by looking at your mount. Just a thought.
MS