We have a Watusi Bull to do a shoulder mount on and can't seem to find a form to fit it. Anyone have any ideas on what form would be most comporable? Measures 10 1\2 nose to eye and 32 inches behind the ears. Thanks
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I did a Watusi several years ago using a water buffalo form with heavy! alteration; took longer to prep the form than to do the mount when it was finally ready.
Started with a buff form that had the right eye to nose and changed everything else!
Take all the measurements you can, use your skull for reference.
I have never seen a watusi form in a suppliers catalog, but they are becoming more common on some of the Texas exotic ranches; you might call Don Holt or one of the big Texas taxidermy studios- sure save lot of time if you got lucky.
Another thing I did with my Watusi was to mold a skull cap and horn bases from the cleaned skull so that I didn't have to cut it up.
Wrap with saran wrap and mold the top of the skull and 6 inches up the horn bases with a simple paper mache mold about an inch thick; when it is dry carefully split the casing into two pieces (front, back) by cutting up the outside of the horns and in between the horns straight across the top of the skull.
You can then hot glue or tape the pieces together, tape the opening at the end of the horn mold, and coat the inside with vaseline.
Cast your skull cap with bondo and resin reinforced with strand.
Put a hanger on the skull and you now have the mounted head and a cleaned skull.
Research Mannikins has a watusi form in their exotics section.
That is a modified Banteng form in Research. As far as I know, no one makes them.
Les