I recently picked up a mount of a caribou I shot. Upon inspection I noticed the front shevel is almost touching the nose. I looked at a picture taken of the fresh kill and saw the shevel looks to be 2-3 inches above the nose. I would like to know how difficult it would be to remount the antlers at the correcgt angle. Is remounting the antlers running a risk of messing up the mount? Shouln't the taxidermist have gotten this right? If I had known antler placement / angle was subjective I would have been glad to take the taxidermist (who is a friend of mine) a photo.
Should I, with no experence at all, attempt it?
Makes me want to learn mounting.
Thanks - Dix PS - The hide was tanned befor mounting.
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Dix, Don't attempt this yourself but talk to the taxidermist. Antlers on all deer species vary widely and we rely largely on the skull plate to determine angle. With the dimensions of caribou a very slight mistake can look large. Your taxidermist can reset those antlers and would rather do it than have you risk messing it up. If I were your taxidermist I would want to know about your cancern. -Aaron H.
How about measurements? Aaron is absolutely right about caribou. Like shooting a pistol, any miniscule change in the cant of the skullplate can play hell with the position of the shovels. NOW, before you go blaming the guy who did the work, make sure that if you lift those shovels up 3 inches, the antlers won't be sunk 3 inches into the wall holding the mount. Also, (I know I do)many taxidermist left without measurements or pictures simply align the skull contour with the mannikin. We can't read our customers minds and if they don't supply us with enough information, it's not our fault anymore. Talk to him and explain your concerns.
I did check, and if the antlers were canted back, their would still be plenty if room between the antlers and the wall. As far as providing the pix and measurements are concerned, the taxidermist was along on the hunting trip. I would have thought he would have taken all measurements necessary to ensure proper placement (he skinned out the head) .
As I said, I would have gladly provided the pix if I had any idea he needed them. I thought the antlers would fit on the mannikan like a pice of a puzzle. Seems to me it would be his responsibility to ask for whatever he needs, as I am a laymen & don't know about these things.
As I also pointed out, I consider him a friend & he is the one who invited me on the hunting trip so I don't want to appear ungreatful. On the other hand, it's like getting a dent on a brand new car, except I won't be getting a new one in a few years. Now every time I look at the mount I will see the mystake (kinda takes the joy out of it). If he will / can remount them, would you think I should expect to pay for this?
Thanks again - Dix
Dix, Well there's a good bit more information and the situation is a little different than one might guess from the first post. The guy is a friend and is a taxidermist--or does a little taxidermy? I would have to say that you would consider how much he charged for the work, the fact that he hooked you up on a successful hunt and his friendship. If he cut you a deal on the mount I would think you would feel fine about paying for at most a couple of hours to correct the antlers. If you paid his going rate and he is indeed a taxidermist I would say he would want to correct his mistake for no more money (based on the fact that he skinned out the head). The job is not difficult and whether you pay more or he takes care of it for free, years from now the money will not matter if you end up happy with the mount. The only thing that makes any sense to me is go talk to the guy and be up front about it. I hope any customer of mine would speak to me of any question he/she might have about my work.-Aaron H.
Thank you all for your help. I plan on being up front about it as
Aaron suggests. (Buy the way, the guy is a full time taxidermist, and I paid his regular price - which is lower than most would charge).
AARON - one last question - Are you saying, from your responce
"...paying for at most a couple of hours to correct the antlers". are you saying that this correction could actually be done in two hours?
unless you took very detailed pics and are ABSOLUTLY POSITIVE about position i would be quiet - i had a customer that swore neck size was off and the form was a perfect fit for ALL carcass measurements - if the mount looks good SHUT UP
Well, Mr. terryr - It's obvious you have some deeply held anger and resentment left over from a previous experence!
FYI - I did take detailed pix and am positive about the position (the pix prove it). Seems to me the whole perpose of taxidermy is to capture the creature as it was in life.
All the other answers to my post were constructive and helpful. If you can't answer in the same vein and remain civil, then I respectifully suggest that you SHUT UP!