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A Strange Project...

Discussion in 'Beginners' started by tobynitch, Jul 31, 2019.

  1. Jul 31, 2019 #1
    tobynitch

    tobynitch Member

    60
    34
    Miami, FL
    I plan to mount a wolf head soon, I've mounted a couple of things before so I know how to mount the wolf.

    My friend has a bunch of antlers and decided to give me a small pair for free, saying it would be cool if i could mount the wolf with antlers. I thought it was a cool idea and I wanna give it a try.

    What would be the best way for me to attach said antlers? I thought the best idea would be to cut a hole in the form and fit the antlers in, like with a deer, and cut spaces in the skin to make room for the antlers. Is this the best way to do this? Are there any other methods anyone would reccomend? I'm not sure how I would estimate where the holes would go when cutting the pelt. If I can't figure out a safe way to do this, I'll probably just use the antlers for something else and mount the wolf by itself :)
     
  3. Aug 24, 2019 #2
    ortegageno

    ortegageno Active Member

    1,568
    11
    NM
    You must be smoking bat chit if you think a wolf with antlers would look cool. Lol
     
    Lake's Taxidermy likes this.

  5. Aug 25, 2019 #3
    Mike Powell

    Mike Powell Well-Known Member

    2,780
    1,539
    Lavon, TX
    While I'm not a fan of such artwork myself, there are some that mix body parts of animals in taxidermy for some sort of artistic expression so what you're talking about, while rare, is not unheard of. Antlers are mounted on deer forms attaching the skull plate to a wood base made into the form allowing a very secure attachment. Your wolf form will not have that. To attach the antlers securely you need to cut out a place for the skull plate of the antlers to be embedded into the foam at the angle you want, then attach them with bondo. then you will have a basis to take measurements of the antler bases from the tip of nose and/or from the eye orbits so you will know where to make the incisions in the wolf cape for the antlers.
     
    tobynitch likes this.
  6. Aug 25, 2019 #4
    joeym

    joeym Old Murphey

    14,559
    10,588
    Chunky, Mississippi
    Mike gave you some great advice. Please post a photo when finished. I mount novelty items occasionally. They break the monotony of "regular" tasks!
     
    agua3777 likes this.
  7. Aug 26, 2019 #5
    tobynitch

    tobynitch Member

    60
    34
    Miami, FL
    I actually got this done a while ago, before the replies. : ) But I really appreciate the advice and interest. I will probably use Mike's method in the future as it would probably have better results. The way I did it was a less complex way, i drilled into the antlers and inserted brass tubes, then cut small holes in the cape and drilled into the form to put them in. I was able to swivel them around when they were inside and I decided to make the antlers face "outward" as opposed to the way real deer antlers are situated.
    Here's the finished product, not perfect but I only started doing taxidermy a few months ago
    wolfedit1.jpg wolfedit3.jpg
     
  8. Aug 26, 2019 #6
    13 point

    13 point Well-Known Member

    4,322
    9,568
    Goldsboro MD
    Sorry not a fan , animals are gorgeous creatures just as god made them , having them any other way like squirrels bowling , shooting a bow , beer ( bear with antlers) is taking away from the animals themselves. I have been offered big money to do mounts that are not what the animals do or look like in the real world and I refuse to do them as to me it’s disrespectful to said animal . I do this because I love to bring life back into the creature not for the money. JMHO. Not busting on you or this thread
     
    Lake's Taxidermy, tobynitch and Micah Howards like this.
  9. Aug 26, 2019 #7
    Mike Powell

    Mike Powell Well-Known Member

    2,780
    1,539
    Lavon, TX
    Tobynitch, you did a good job on the wolf and the way you placed the antlers fits the piece. There are people who really love such work. Beauty (and art) is in the eye of the beholder.
     
    tobynitch likes this.
  10. Aug 27, 2019 #8
    Lake's Taxidermy

    Lake's Taxidermy New Member

    15
    8
    Manitoba
    Great job on the wolf , but antlers on it are not my thing
     
    tobynitch likes this.
  11. Aug 28, 2019 #9
    joeym

    joeym Old Murphey

    14,559
    10,588
    Chunky, Mississippi
    D06809E5-6B52-4071-8D02-2DD91D456DC2.jpeg Here’s a recent novelty item of mine...
     
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  12. Aug 28, 2019 #10
    buckfever*

    buckfever* Glenn G.

    8,670
    1,040
    Louisiana -Tensas Parish
    Lol and i thought a coon i did last month was welllllll weird.
    Guy wanted a coon smoking a cigarette and flipping the bird. For his camp dinner table.
    Several years ago i did a beaver and they wanted it painted silver ( bright Silver) some tpye of an award. I dont remember what. Mounted the thing an reluctanley painted it silver. They were happy with it i got paid so i was happy with it.
     
  13. Aug 28, 2019 #11
    FishArt

    FishArt Well-Known Member

    10,593
    1,072
    Illinois
    The boxing beaver is kind've cool actually! The wolf (mount) looks gorgeous but the antlers??? Not so much IMO. But, I'm with the others that frown upon this stuff. My biggest fear is my name being associated with this kind of stuff and I doubt too many would be willing to pay the higher prices associated with the intrinsic value an "artsy" personal trophy mount would hold... JMO...
     
  14. Aug 28, 2019 #12
    tobynitch

    tobynitch Member

    60
    34
    Miami, FL
    Thank you for the comments on my wolf, everyone, they really mean alot. The novelty mounts I like most are the ones that still retain a natural look despite being "different". Like different animal parts combined to create a new animal mounted to look like a regular animal mount. (I love that beaver though, and still enjoy some of those mounts) The reason I started learning taxidermy is because I love drawing and sculpting animals, and enjoy creating my own animals. I don't consider myself a "real" taxidermist, I'm just an artist who enjoys working with animals. My goal is not to really bring the specific animals to life again, but just to make something new, maybe even tell a story (like the squirrels i posted) I highly respect people who do try to make their animals look alive and I have done traditional mounts along with my other stuff.. I love both kinds! photo_2019-07-27_15-54-39.jpg wq.JPG
     
    Micah Howards likes this.
  15. Aug 28, 2019 #13
    Micah Howards

    Micah Howards Active Member

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    Like the coyote. lol.
     
  16. Aug 28, 2019 #14
    Museum Man

    Museum Man Well-Known Member

    4,048
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    where i've always been
    here's some silly crap I did for a guy back around 1997. He came back with around 30 trophys from a safari and just had to have the baboons playing gin and one of them flipping the other off as he laid down gin. I thought it was stupid but the amount I charged him was far from that! 008.JPG 009.JPG 011.JPG
     
  17. Aug 28, 2019 #15
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    14,141
    2,262
    Taxachusetts
    The wolf is kind of cool. Send a message to Shrecken on here. She does some cool novelty stuff too. Lots of images around of wolves/coyotes with antlers. Deer with teeth too. [​IMG]
     
  18. Aug 29, 2019 #16
    Mike Powell

    Mike Powell Well-Known Member

    2,780
    1,539
    Lavon, TX
    One I mounted by special request...
    upload_2019-8-29_22-26-32.jpeg
     
    Lake's Taxidermy likes this.